Virginia Bruce

Birthday: 1910-09-29
Deathday: 1982-02-24
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Virginia Bruce (September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer.

Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1928, she moved with her family to Los Angeles intending to enroll in the University of California, Los Angeles when a friendly wager sent her seeking film work. She got it as an extra in Why Bring That Up?. In 1930 she appeared on Broadway in the musical Smiles, followed by America's Sweetheart in 1931.

She returned to Hollywood in 1932, where on August 10, 1932, she married John Gilbert, her co-star in the film Downstairs. She retired briefly after the birth of their daughter Susan Ann Gilbert. The couple divorced in 1934, and Virginia returned to a hectic schedule of film appearances. Gilbert died two years later in 1936.

Bruce introduced the Cole Porter standard "I've Got You Under My Skin" in the film Born to Dance and co-starred in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical The Great Ziegfeld. One of her final film appearances was in Strangers When We Meet.

In 1949, Bruce starred in a daily 30-minute radio drama. Make Believe Town was an afternoon program on CBS.

Bruce married her second husband, film director J. Walter Ruben, in 1937, making the Wallace Beery western The Bad Man of Brimstone with him that year. Together they had a son named Christopher (b. 1941), before Ruben's death in 1942. In 1946, Bruce married Ali Ipar. They divorced in 1951 in order for him to receive a commission in the Turkish Military (which forbade promotions of men married to foreigners), but remarried in 1952 before divorcing again in 1964.

Bruce died of cancer on February 24, 1982, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 71.

Credits

Year Title Character
1960-06-29 Strangers When We Meet Mrs. Wagner
1955-08-01 The Reluctant Bride Laura Weeks
1954-01-01 The Plague Nurse
1949-02-11 State Department: File 649 Marge
1948-08-20 Night Has a Thousand Eyes Jenny
1945-09-15 Love, Honor and Goodbye Roberta Baxter
1944-11-30 Brazil Nicky Henderson
1944-02-18 Action in Arabia Yvonne
1942-09-18 Careful, Soft Shoulders Connie Mathers
1942-08-07 Pardon My Sarong Joan Marshall
1942-03-20 Butch Minds the Baby Susie O'Neill
1941-05-29 Adventure in Washington Jane Scott
1940-12-28 The Invisible Woman Kitty Carroll
1940-09-13 Hired Wife Phyllis Walden
1940-07-16 The Man Who Talked Too Much Joan Reed
1940-05-18 Flight Angels Mary Norvell
1939-06-30 Stronger Than Desire Elizabeth Flagg
1939-03-21 Society Lawyer Pat Abbott
1939-02-24 Let Freedom Ring Maggie Adams
1938-12-24 There's That Woman Again Sally Reardon
1938-10-14 There Goes My Heart Joan Butterfield
1938-06-24 Woman Against Woman Maris Kent
1938-05-19 Yellow Jack Frances Blake
1938-03-12 The First Hundred Years Lynn Conway
1938-02-25 Arsène Lupin Returns Lorraine de Grissac
1937-12-31 The Bad Man of Brimstone Loretta Douglas
1937-09-17 Wife, Doctor and Nurse Nurse Stephens
1937-07-09 Between Two Women Patricia Sloan
1937-03-26 When Love Is Young Wanda Werner
1937-03-09 Women of Glamour Gloria Hudson
1936-11-27 Born to Dance Lucy James
1936-04-08 The Great Ziegfeld Audrey Dane
1936-02-21 The Garden Murder Case Zalia Graem
1935-11-20 Pirate Party on Catalina Isle Virginia Bruce (uncredited)
1935-10-17 Metropolitan Anne Merrill
1935-08-30 Here Comes the Band Margaret
1935-07-12 The Murder Man Mary Shannon
1935-07-05 Escapade Gerta
1935-05-15 Let 'em Have It Eleanor Spencer
1935-03-08 Times Square Lady Toni Bradley
1935-02-15 Shadow of Doubt Trenna
1935-01-25 Society Doctor Madge
1934-12-23 The Mighty Barnum Jenny Lind
1934-12-04 Dangerous Corner Ann Beale
1934-08-15 Jane Eyre Jane Eyre
1932-10-01 Kongo Ann
1932-08-06 Downstairs Anna
1932-07-16 Winner Take All Joan Gibson
1932-04-19 Sky Bride Ruth Dunning
1932-04-01 The Miracle Man Margaret Thornton
1930-09-26 Follow Thru Woman in Ladies' Locker Room (uncredited)
1930-09-26 Whoopee! Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
1930-08-15 Let's Go Native Wendell Sr.'s Secretary (uncredited)
1930-07-11 Raffles Gwen's Friend (uncredited)
1930-06-21 The Social Lion Society Girl
1930-05-30 Safety in Numbers Alma McGregor
1930-04-22 Paramount on Parade Chorus Girl (uncredited)
1930-03-20 Young Eagles Florence Welford
1930-03-07 Only the Brave Elizabeth
1930-02-22 Slightly Scarlet Enid Corbett
1930-01-18 The Love Parade Lady-in-Waiting
1930-01-05 Lilies of the Field Doris
1929-12-20 Pointed Heels Chorus Girl (uncredited)
1929-09-28 Woman Trap Nurse
1929-08-04 Hard to Get Young Woman (uncredited)
1929-06-28 River of Romance Southern Belle
1929-01-27 Fugitives Extra (uncredited)