Virginia Huston
Virginia Huston (April 24, 1925 – February 28, 1981) was an American actress.
Virginia Huston | |
---|---|
![]() Huston as Jane in Tarzan's Peril (1951) | |
Born | Wisner, Nebraska, U.S. | April 24, 1925
Died | February 28, 1981 55) Santa Monica, California, U.S. | (aged
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1937-1954 |
Spouse(s) | Manus Paul Clinton II (1952-1981) |
Early years
Huston was born in Wisner, Nebraska, the daughter of Marcus and Mary Agnes Houston, and she had two brothers. Once she started her acting career, she changed the spelling of her last name to match that of Walter and John Huston.[1] She attended Duchesne Catholic School for Girls in Omaha and appeared in stage productions as a student there. [2]
Radio
When Huston was 12, she first appeared on radio in an episode of Calling All Cars.[2]
Stage
Huston gained early experience on stage by appearing in plays presented by the Omaha Community Playhouse.[2]
Film
Huston's first film was Desirable Woman.[2] She appeared in many 1940s and 1950s film noir and adventure films. Signing with RKO in 1945, her first film was opposite George Raft in Nocturne. Her singing voice in the nightclub was redubbed by a singer. Huston was the ninth actress to play Jane, appearing in Tarzan's Peril (1951). (Another source says, "She becomes the fifteenth "Jane" in this jungle-king series.")[3]
Her other films include the iconic film noir Out of the Past (released in the UK as Build My Gallows High) (1947), in which she plays Robert Mitchum's girlfriend. She appeared in The Racket (1951), which also starred Mitchum, and in the Joan Crawford dramas Flamingo Road (1949) and Sudden Fear (1952).
Huston suffered a broken back in an automobile accident, which disrupted her career[3] at its peak. When she returned, she dropped to minor roles and "B"-level films.
Personal life and death
Huston retired from films after marrying Manus Paul Clinton II, a real estate agent, in 1952.[4] In 1981 she died of cancer.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1946 | Nocturne | Carol Page | |
1947 | Out of the Past | Ann | |
1949 | Flamingo Road | Annabelle Weldon | |
1949 | The Doolins of Oklahoma | Elaine Burton | |
1950 | Women from Headquarters | Joyce | |
1951 | Tarzan's Peril | Jane | |
1951 | The Highwayman | Lady Ellen Douglas | |
1951 | The Racket | Lucy Johnson | |
1951 | Flight to Mars | Carol Stafford | |
1952 | Night Stage to Galveston | Ann Bellamy | |
1952 | Sudden Fear | Ann Taylor | |
1953-1954 | Ford Theatre | Evelyn Austin / Deborah | 3 episodes, (final appearance) |
1954 | Knock on Wood | Audrey Greene |
References
- Hannsberry, Karen Burroughs (1998). Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-4682-7. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- Gunson, Victor (March 28, 1946). "Hollywood Gets First Bobby-Sox Star". Ohio, Massillon. The Evening Independent. p. 9. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Virginia Huston Gets 'Tarzan' Role". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 6, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Actress to Marry California Realtor". Oregon, Eugene. The Eugene Guard. July 18, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.