Virginia Lee Corbin

Virginia Lee Corbin
Born1911 or 1912
Prescott, Arizona, U.S.
DiedJune 5, 1942(1942-06-05) (aged 31)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1913–1931
Spouse(s)Theodore Krol (1929–1937; divorced); 2 children
Charles Jacobson (m. 193?)
Children2

Virginia Lee Corbin (1911 or 1912 – June 4, 1942[1]) was an American silent film actress.

Early years

Corbin was born Laverne Virginia Corbin in Prescott, Arizona to Leon Ernest Corbin and Virginia Frances (Cox) Corbin, and she had a sister, Ruth Emilie (Corbin) Miehle De Vries Lipari.[2]

Career

Corbin began her career as a child actress in 1916, when she was billed as Baby Virginia Corbin.[3] When she was six years old, she starred in fairy-tale films made by the William Fox Company.[4] The success of Jack and the Beanstalk (1917) was such that Fox signed Corbin to a five-year contract. In addition to her salary, the contract specified that the company would provide instruction for her education.[5]

She went on to become a youthful flapper in the 1920s. She was one of the many silent stars that would not make it in the sound era, and retired from acting in the early 1930s.[6]

Corbin was named one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of 1925.[7] She also had a nervous breakdown in 1925, causing her to miss making films.[8] Films in which she starred included Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp,The City That Never Sleeps, Knee High, The Perfect Sap, and Hands Up. Her career ended with her working as an extra in 1940.[1]

Personal life and death

She married New York broker Theodore Krol in 1929, retiring from films for the marriage,[9] and they had two children, Harold Phillip and Robert Lee.[10] They divorced in 1937 and shortly after she married another Chicago stockbroker, Charles Jacobson.[11]

Corbin died on June 4, 1942, in Winfield, Illinois, aged 30.[2]

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ a b "The Final Curtain" (PDF). Billboard. June 27, 1942. p. 25. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Virginia Lee Corbin". The New York Times. June 6, 1942. p. 13. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Motion Picture Classic Vol. III No. 7 (March 1917)
  4. ^ Lussier, Tim (2018). "Bare Knees" Flapper: The Life and Films of Virginia Lee Corbin. McFarland. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-4766-3425-8. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "Young Fox Stars". Motography. August 25, 1917. p. 399. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Silents Are Golden website article
  7. ^ "WAMPAS pick 1925 crop of baby screen stars". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. January 5, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved April 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Virginia Lee Corbin Has Breakdown". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 29, 1925. p. 21. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  9. ^ "Son to Virginia Lee Corbin, Actress". The New York Times. August 30, 1932. p. 21. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  10. ^ "Husband Sues Virginia Krol". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 25, 1937. p. 37. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Lussier, T: "Silentera.com"

Further reading

  • Ankerich, Michael G. (2017). Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 25 Actresses Through Early Hollywood. BearManor. ISBN 978-1-62933-201-7.
  • Dye, David. Child and Youth Actors: Filmography of Their Entire Careers, 1914–1985. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., p. 43.[ISBN missing]
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