Virginia Huston

Virginia Huston
Virginia Huston in 1946
Born
Virginia Houston

(1925-04-24)April 24, 1925
Wisner, Nebraska, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 1981(1981-02-28) (aged 55)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1937–1954
SpouseManus Paul Clinton II (1952–1981)

Virginia Huston (April 24, 1925 – February 28, 1981) was an American actress.

Early years

Huston was born in Wisner, Nebraska, the daughter of Marcus and Mary Agnes Houston, and she had two brothers. Once she began 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]

When Huston was 12, she first appeared on radio in an episode of Calling All Cars.[2] 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 (1946). 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 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] She died of cancer in 1981.[citation needed]

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

  1. ^ Hannsberry, Karen Burroughs (1998). Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-4682-7. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. Open access icon
  3. ^ a b "Virginia Huston Gets 'Tarzan' Role". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 6, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Actress to Marry California Realtor". Oregon, Eugene. The Eugene Guard. July 18, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon