When Margarita Cansino was born on October 17, 1918, her father Eduardo wasn't exactly thrilled. “I was terribly disappointed,” Eduardo admitted later, “I had wanted a boy. What could I do with a girl?” That disappointment didn’t stop him from pushing his daughter into the world of dance almost as soon as she could walk.
Years later, Rita Hayworth would rise to become one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses and a beloved pinup for soldiers during World War II. Her films, including Cover Girl, My Gal Sal, and Gilda, made her a household name. But behind the glitz and glamour was a life marked by hardship, manipulation, and resilience. “It’s easy to label her a victim,” says Adrienne McLean, author of Being Rita Hayworth: Labor, Identity, and Hollywood Stardom. “But Rita had more strength than we often give her credit for.”
Rita needed every ounce of that strength. Her father, Eduardo, who had come to America from Spain with dreams of fortune, enrolled young Margarita in dance classes at just three years old. “As soon as I could stand on my own feet, I was given dance lessons,” Rita once recalled. Her mother, Volga Hayworth, had been a performer in the Ziegfeld Follies, so it seemed natural for dance to be woven into Rita’s childhood. But it wasn’t exactly a childhood. By the time she was old enough to remember, Rita was already performing on stage with her parents. Despite having two younger brothers, Rita’s life revolved around rehearsals and performances. “Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse,” she said. “That was my girlhood.”
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In 1927, Eduardo moved the family from New York to California. While Fred Astaire admired Eduardo’s dancing, his thick Spanish accent kept him from becoming a film star. Instead, Eduardo pulled Rita out of school at age 12 to perform with him on gambling boats in California and in Tijuana’s casinos. To make her look older, Eduardo dyed her hair black and applied heavy makeup, even passing her off as his wife. But the harsh realities of their lives weren’t limited to the stage. After squandering their earnings on drink and gambling, Eduardo would send Rita out to catch fish for dinner. If she came back empty-handed, he punished her with his fists, according to Barbara Leaming in her biography If This Was Happiness. Some biographers also suggest that Eduardo’s relationship with Rita went beyond inappropriate, hinting at possible sexual abuse. “There were plenty of signs that it was a creepy relationship,” McLean adds.
From Stage to Screen: Rita Hayworth's Rise
In 1935, a Fox producer spotted Rita performing at the Caliente Club in Tijuana and offered her a role as a Spanish dancer in Under the Pampas Moon. This marked the beginning of her transition from live performance to film. She quickly landed small roles in other movies that highlighted her exotic beauty, such as Charlie Chan in Egypt and Dante’s Inferno. Though these roles were minor, they helped shape her image as a mysterious, alluring figure.
Two years later, at just 16, Rita eloped with Edward Judson, a promoter 22 years her senior, who promised to turn her into a star. But the marriage wasn’t built on love—it was more of a business arrangement. “I married him for love, but he married me for an investment,” Rita later said. For five years, Judson treated her like an object, controlling every aspect of her life and career. Under his direction, she adopted her mother’s last name, underwent electrolysis to lift her hairline, capped her teeth, and dyed her hair auburn. “He was a car salesman at heart, so he knew how to sell products,” McLean explains. “He helped her become visually Americanized, which made a big difference for her appeal.”
Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, signed Rita to a contract and insisted she be included in the 1939 film Only Angels Have Wings, starring Cary Grant. In return, Cohn expected Rita to show her gratitude. Judson was okay with the idea, but Rita wasn’t. “I’m never afraid of anybody, not even Harry Cohn,” she declared. “Why should I be afraid of him? I made a lot of money for him.”
Cohn, who wasn’t used to rejection, became obsessed with Rita. He went so far as to plant microphones in her dressing room to spy on her. “She and Glenn Ford would hang out there knowing it was bugged, making noises and saying things they knew would drive Harry Cohn crazy,” McLean recalls. “In many ways, she was exactly what Cohn wanted—a star he couldn’t have.”
As Rita’s star began to rise, so did her confidence. In 1940, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine, and a photo of her kneeling on a bed in a nightgown became one of the most iconic pinups of all time. The following year, she starred opposite Fred Astaire in the musical You’ll Never Get Rich. Fred was blown away by her talent. “She learned steps faster than anyone I’d ever known,” he said. “I’d show her a routine before lunch, and she’d come back after lunch having mastered it perfectly.”
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By 1942, Rita had become a household name, earning $6,500 a week. Finally, she felt strong enough to leave Judson, who had physically threatened her whenever he felt she stepped out of line. “She didn’t have any role models, so she didn’t know what a healthy marriage looked like,” McLean notes. Rita bought her freedom by paying Judson $30,000 to sign the divorce papers, leaving her nearly broke but ready to embrace the best years of her career. “As she got older, she gained more courage,” her friend Roz Rogers said. “Underneath, she grew stronger. She became someone who could survive anything.”
