The Ava Gardner Museum celebrates her life and career.

Ava Gardner

Jan. 15. Speaking of museums, fans of movie star Ava Gardner are learning that the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield is closed indefinitely after a flood covered much of the museum. The repair and clean-up process is expected to be significant. Gardner, who was in “Showboat,” “Mogambo” and “The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean,” was married to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. She was born in Grabtown, NC, the youngest of seven children, on Christmas Eve 1922. Her older sister—by 20 years—was instrumental in her discovery.