Biography
Virginia Bruce (born Helen Virginia Briggs; September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1928, she moved with her family to Los Angeles intending to enroll in the University of California, Los Angeles when a friendly wager sent her seeking film work. She got it as an extra in Why Bring That Up?. In 1930 she appeared on Broadway in the musical Smiles, followed by America's Sweetheart in 1931. She returned to Hollywood in 1932, where on August 10, 1932, she married John Gilbert, her co-star in the film Downstairs. She retired briefly after the birth of their daughter Susan Ann Gilbert. The couple divorced in 1934, and Virginia returned to a hectic schedule of film appearances. Gilbert died two years later in 1936. Bruce introduced the Cole Porter standard "I've Got You Under My Skin" in the film Born to Dance and co-starred in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical The Great Ziegfeld. One of her final film appearances was in Strangers When We Meet. In 1949, Bruce starred in a daily 30-minute radio drama. Make Believe Town was an afternoon program on CBS. Bruce married her second husband, film director J. Walter Ruben, in 1937, making the Wallace Beery western The Bad Man of Brimstone with him that year. Together they had a son named Christopher (b. 1941), before Ruben's death in 1942. In 1946, Bruce married Ali Ipar. They divorced in 1951 in order for him to receive a commission in the Turkish Military (which forbade promotions of men married to foreigners), but remarried in 1952 before divorcing again in 1964. Bruce died of cancer on February 24, 1982, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 71.
Acted in 73
1970s
- 1974
That's Entertainment!
(archive footage) (uncredited)
1960s
- 1960
Strangers When We Meet
Mrs. Wagner
1950s
- 1955
The Reluctant Bride
Laura Weeks
- 1954
The Plague
Nurse
- 1953
General Electric Theater
Adele · 1 episode
- 1950
1940s
- 1949
State Department: File 649
Marge
- 1948
- 1945
Love, Honor and Goodbye
Roberta Baxter
- 1944
Brazil
Nicky Henderson
Action in Arabia
Yvonne
- 1942
Careful, Soft Shoulders
Connie Mathers
Butch Minds the Baby
Susie O'Neill
- 1941
Adventure in Washington
Jane Scott
- 1940
The Invisible Woman
Kitty Carroll
Hired Wife
Phyllis Walden
The Man Who Talked Too Much
Joan Reed
Flight Angels
Mary Norvell
1930s
- 1939
Stronger Than Desire
Elizabeth Flagg
Land of Liberty
(archive footage)
Society Lawyer
Pat Abbott
Let Freedom Ring
Maggie Adams
- 1938
There's That Woman Again
Sally Reardon
There Goes My Heart
Joan Butterfield
Woman Against Woman
Maris Kent
Yellow Jack
Frances Blake
The First Hundred Years
Lynn Conway
Arsène Lupin Returns
Lorraine de Grissac
- 1937
The Bad Man of Brimstone
Loretta Douglas
Wife, Doctor and Nurse
Nurse Stephens
Between Two Women
Patricia Sloan
When Love Is Young
Wanda Werner
Women of Glamour
Gloria Hudson
- 1936
The Garden Murder Case
Zalia Graem
- 1935
Pirate Party on Catalina Isle
Virginia Bruce (uncredited)
Metropolitan
Anne Merrill
Here Comes the Band
Margaret
The Murder Man
Mary Shannon
Escapade
Gerta
Let 'em Have It
Eleanor Spencer
Times Square Lady
Toni Bradley
Shadow of Doubt
Trenna
- 1934
The Mighty Barnum
Jenny Lind
Dangerous Corner
Ann Beale
- 1932
Kongo
Ann
Downstairs
Anna
Winner Take All
Joan Gibson
Sky Bride
Ruth Dunning
The Miracle Man
Margaret Thornton
- 1930
Whoopee!
Goldwyn Girl (uncredited)
Let's Go Native
Wendell Sr.'s Secretary (uncredited)
Raffles
Gwen's Friend (uncredited)
The Social Lion
Society Girl
Safety in Numbers
Alma McGregor
Paramount on Parade
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Young Eagles
Florence Welford
Only the Brave
Elizabeth
Slightly Scarlet
Enid Corbett
Lilies of the Field
Doris
1920s
- 1929
Pointed Heels
Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Woman Trap
Nurse
Hard to Get
Young Woman (uncredited)
The River of Romance
Southern Belle
Fugitives
Extra (uncredited)
Appearances6
2000s
- 2003
Complicated Women
Self (archive footage)
1980s
- 1987
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
1940s
- 1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
Self
1930s
- 1939
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
- 1938
Hollywood Goes to Town
Self
- 1935
A Dream Comes True
Herself (uncredited)