Virginia Grey
American actress (1917–2004) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Virginia Grey (March 22, 1917 – July 31, 2004)[1] was an American actress who appeared in over 100 films and several radio and television shows from the 1930s to the early 1980s.[2] She was romantically involved with Clark Gable for several years, after his wife, Carole Lombard's untimely death.
Virginia Grey | |
|---|---|
Grey in 1941 | |
| Born | March 22, 1917 Edendale, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 31, 2004 (aged 87) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1927–1977 |
Biography
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Grey was born on March 22, 1917,[citation needed] in Edendale, California,[2] the youngest of three daughters of Florence Anna Grey (née Pauly; 1890—1930) and director Ray Grey. One of her early babysitters was film star Gloria Swanson. Grey debuted at 10 in the silent film Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927) as Little Eva. She continued acting for a few more years but left acting for three years to finish her education.[1]
Grey abandoned her training as a nurse and returned to films in the 1930s, with bit parts and work as an extra. She eventually signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and appeared in several films, including The Hardys Ride High (1939) with Mickey Rooney, Another Thin Man (1939) with William Powell, Hullabaloo (1940), and The Big Store (1941) with the Marx Brothers.[1]
She left MGM in 1942 and worked steadily for several film studios over subsequent years. 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.[1]
Grey had an intermittent love affair with Clark Gable in the 1940s. After Gable's wife Carole Lombard died and he returned from military service, Gable and Grey were often seen together at restaurants and nightclubs. Many, including Grey herself, expected Gable to marry her, and tabloids often speculated on a wedding announcement. It was a great surprise when Gable hastily married Lady Sylvia Ashley in 1949, leaving Grey heartbroken. Gable divorced Ashley in 1952, never rekindling his romance with Grey, who never married.[3]
In 1951, Grey portrayed Blanche Bickerson on the syndicated comedy TV series The Bickersons.[4] She was a regular on television in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing on Playhouse 90, U.S. Marshal, The Jane Wyman Show, General Electric Theater, The DuPont Show with June Allyson, Your Show of Shows, Red Skelton, Wagon Train (“The Honorable Don Charlie Story,” "The Kate Parker Story," "The Major Adams Story"), Bonanza, Marcus Welby, M.D., Love, American Style, Burke's Law, The Virginian, Peter Gunn, Ironside, and many others.[1]
Grey died on July 31, 2004, at age 87, in Woodland Hills, California while a resident at the Motion Picture Home.[5] She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered at sea on August 6, 2004, off the Los Angeles coast.[5]
Anna Torv portrayed her in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.[1]
Filmography
References
Further reading
External links
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