Mayo, Virginia (1920—)

American actress . Born Virginia Jones on November 30, 1920, in St. Louis, Missouri; married Michael O'Shea (an actor), in 1947 (died 1973).

Selected films:

Jack London (1943); Seven Days Ashore (1944); The Princess and the Pirate (1944); Wonder Man (1945); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); The Kid From Brooklyn (1946); Out of the Blue (1947); The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947); A Song Is Born (1948); Smart Girls Don't Talk (1948); The Girl from Jones Beach (1949); Colorado Territory (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 (US/UK, 1951); King Richard and the Crusades (US/UK, 1954); The Silver Chalice (1955); The Proud Ones (1956); The Story of Mankind (1957); Young Fury (1965); Fort Utah (1967); Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976); French Quarter (1977); Evil Spirits (1991).

Virginia Mayo, who was born Virginia Jones in 1920, began her entertainment career as a show girl before her dancing talent and voluptuous blonde beauty brought her to the attention of Hollywood movie producers. After a series of minor roles, during World War II she began starring in a number of films designed primarily for viewing by U.S. military personnel abroad, including Stand for Action in 1942 and Salute to the Marines in 1943, and was often cast as a foil opposite comedians such as Danny Kaye and Bob Hope. She was once described by the sultan of Morocco as "tangible proof for the existence of God." Her 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). Mayo continued to secure starring roles throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in films into the 1970s, including Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and French Quarter (1977). She was married to the actor Michael O'Shea, who had starred in her first major picture, Jack London (1943), from 1947 until his death in 1973. Her last screen role was in Evil Spirits in 1991.

sources:

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. NY: Harper-Collins, 1994.

Quinlan, David, ed. The Film Lover's Companion. Carol Publishing Group, 1997.

Grant Eldridge , freelance writer, Pontiac, Michigan