Virginia Grey

Virginia Grey

1917-03-22 – 2004-07-31 (age 87) Edendale, California, USA
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Biography

Virginia Grey (March 22, 1917 – July 31, 2004) was an American actress.

She was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at the age of ten in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) as Little Eva. She continued acting for a few more years, but then left movies in order to finish her education.

Grey returned to films in the 1930s with bit parts and extra work, but she eventually signed a contract with MGM and appeared in such movies as Another Thin Man, Hullabaloo and The Big Store. She played Consuela McNish in The Hardys Ride High (1939) with Mickey Rooney.

She left MGM in 1942, and signed with several different studios over the years, working steadily. During the 1950s and 1960s, producer Ross Hunter frequently included Grey in his popular soap melodramas, such as All That Heaven Allows, Back Street and Madame X.

She had an on again/off again relationship with Clark Gable in the 1940s. After his wife Carole Lombard died and he returned from military service, Clark and Virginia were often seen at restaurants and nightclubs together. Many, including Virginia herself, expected him to marry her. The tabloids were all expecting the wedding announcement. It was a great surprise when he hastily married Lady Sylvia Ashley in 1949. Virginia was heartbroken. They divorced in 1952, but much to Virginia's dismay their brief romance was never rekindled. Her friends say that her hoping and waiting for Clark was the reason she never married.

She was a regular on television in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing on Playhouse 90, General Electric Theater, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Your Show of Shows, Wagon Train, Bonanza, Marcus Welby, M.D., Love, American Style, Burke's Law, The Virginian, Peter Gunn and many others.

She was portrayed by Anna Torv in the HBO Mini-series The Pacific.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Virginia Grey, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Known For

Airport
Airport

1970

as Mrs. Schultz

The Women
The Women

1939

as Pat

Unconquered
Unconquered

1947

as Diana

Madame X
Madame X

1966

as Mimsy

All That Heaven Allows
All That Heaven Allows

1955

as Alida Anderson

Slaughter Trail
Slaughter Trail

1951

as Lorabelle Larkin

Rosie!
Rosie!

1967

as Mrs. Peters

Rosalie
Rosalie

1937

as Mary Callahan

Unknown Island
Unknown Island

1948

as Carole Lane

A Perilous Journey
The Rose Tattoo
The Rose Tattoo

1955

as Estelle Hohengarten

Highway 301
Highway 301

1950

as Mary Simms

Flirtation Walk
Flirtation Walk

1934

as Chorus Girl (uncredited)

That's Entertainment!
That's Entertainment!

1974

as (archive footage) (uncredited)

Keeping Company
Keeping Company

1940

as Anastasia Atherton

The Threat
The Threat

1949

as Carol

Test Pilot
Test Pilot

1938

as Sarah

Crime of Passion
Crime of Passion

1956

as Sara Alidas

Mexican Hayride
Mexican Hayride

1948

as Mary / Montana

The Naked Kiss
The Naked Kiss

1964

as Candy