Actress virginia mayo biography actress
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ACTRESS
“I really wanted to be a dancer,
but I ended up as an actress and I got to perform next to some of
the greatest actors of our time.”
— Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo spent nearly sixty years in the public eye as one of the most successful actresses in history. She appeared in dozens of movies with some of the biggest names of Hollywood. She was called “one of the most beautiful women to ever appear on camera” and was one of the first stars honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
THE EARLY YEARS
Virginia Clara Jones was born on November 30, 1920, and was raised in St. Louis. Her family had deep roots in the Show Me State, dating back several generations. Her father was a local newspaper reporter and her aunt ran an acting school, which she began attending at the age of six. After graduating from Soldan High School in 1937, she immediately put her acting skills to the test. She landed her first professional acting and dancing jobs shortly after gradu
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Virginia Clara Jones was born on November 30, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of a newspaper reporter and his wife. The family had a rik heritage in the St. Louis area: her great-great-great-grandfather served in the American Revolution and later founded the city of East Saint Louis, Illinois, located right across the Mississippi River from its namesake. Virginia was interested in show business from an early age. Her aunt operated a dance studio and Virginia began taking lessons at the age of six. After graduating from high school in 1937, she became a member of the St. Louis Municipal Opera before she was signed to a contract by Samuel Goldwyn after being spotted by an MGM talent scout during a huvudgata revue. David O. Selznick gave her a screen test, but decided she wouldn't passform into films. Goldwyn, however, believed that her talent as an actress was there and cast her in a small role in 1943's Jack London (1943). She later had a walk-on part in Follies Girl (
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Virginia Mayo
American actress (1920–2005)
Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of popular comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Bros.' biggest box-office draw in the late 1940s.[1] She also co-starred in the 1946 Oscar-winning movie The Best Years of Our Lives.[2]
Biography
[edit]Early life
[edit]Mayo was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of newspaper reporter Luke and his wife, Martha Henrietta (née Rautenstrauch) Jones. Her family had roots back to the earliest days of St Louis, including great-great-great grandfather Captain James Piggott, who founded East St. Louis, Illinois, in 1797.[1] Young Virginia's aunt operated an acting school in the St. Louis area, which Virginia began attending at age six.[1] She also had a series of dancing instructors engaged by her aunt.[citation needed]