Vintage Photos of the Most Iconic Old Hollywood Couples

Ava Gardner met Howard Hughes in the mid-1940s through Hollywood social circles, where his wealth, obsession, and intensity immediately set him apart. Their relationship unfolded between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and private aircraft, with Hughes alternately doting on and surveilling Gardner.

The romance ended as Hughes’s controlling behavior escalated. Gardner resisted his attempts to isolate and manage her, refusing exclusivity. Though the relationship faded without formal closure, Hughes remained fixated for years. Gardner later described the affair as suffocating, thrilling, and ultimately impossible to survive.