Mayo, Virginia (1920–2005)

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Mayo, Virginia (1920–2005)

American actress. Born Virginia Clara Jones on Nov 30, 1920, in St. Louis, MO; died Jan 17, 2005, in Thousand Oaks, CA; m. Michael O'Shea (actor), 1947 (died 1973); children: 1.

Began career as a show girl; made film debut in Jack London (1943); during WWII, starred in a number of films designed for US military personnel abroad, including Stand for Action (1942) and Salute to the Marines (1943); was often cast as a foil opposite such comedians as Danny Kaye and Bob Hope; most critically acclaimed roles were in the Academy Award-winning classics The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947); other films include The Kid From Brooklyn (1946), The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), Always Leave Them Laughing (1949), The West Point Story (1950), The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Painting the Clouds With Sunshine (1951), Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), The Silver Chalice (1955), Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and French Quarter (1977).

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