Born Margarita Carmen Cansino in Brooklyn NY, 1918, Rita Hayworth was the granddaughter of professional Spanish dancer Antonio Cansino. By age 3, she was enrolled in dance classes, and , she spent much of her childhood rehearsing for public performances. In 1926, Rita performed in a short film from Warner Bros. One year later, Rita’s father moved the family to Hollywood.  At age 16, Rita caught the eye of an executive at Fox Films, after he saw her dance. She was immediately screen tested. But, Rita who was of Spanish decent, was often type cast as the foreigner. The head of Columbia Studios, encouraged her to change her hair color from her natural brown to red, and use her mother’s maiden Hayworth. And a star is born.