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 John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter, actor and visual artist. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered ...

. She attended Duchesne Catholic School for Girls in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest c ...

and appeared in stage productions as a student there. When Huston was 12, she first appeared on radio in an episode of '' Calling All Cars''. Huston gained early experience on stage by appearing in plays presented by the

Omaha Community Playhouse The Omaha Community Playhouse, located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a nationally recognized community theater. Founded in 1924, the Playhouse's first president was Alan McDonald, architect of the Joslyn Art Museum, and ...

Film

Huston's first film was ''Desirable Woman''. She appeared in many 1940s and 1950s

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

and adventure films. Signing with RKO in 1945, her first film was opposite

George Raft George Raft (born George Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is ...

in '' Nocturne'' (1946). Her singing voice in the nightclub was redubbed by a singer. Huston was the ninth actress to play

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * Jane (1915 film), ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * Jane (2016 film), ''Jane'' (20 ...

, appearing in ''

Tarzan's Peril ''Tarzan's Peril'' is a 1951 film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Lex Barker as Tarzan and Virginia Huston as Jane, and featuring Dorothy Dandridge as "Melmendi, Queen of the Ashuba." Some of it was shot in Kenya, making it the first Tarzan ...

'' (1951). (Another source says, "She becomes the fifteenth 'Jane' in this jungle-king series.") Her other films include the film noir ''

Out of the Past ''Out of the Past'' (billed in the United Kingdom as ''Build My Gallows High'') is a 1947 film noir directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. The film was adapted by Daniel Mainwaring (using the pse ...

'' (released in the UK as ''Build My Gallows High'') (1947), in which she plays

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

's girlfriend. She appeared in '' The Racket'' (1951), which also starred Mitchum, and in the

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

dramas '' Flamingo Road'' (1949) and ''

Sudden Fear ''Sudden Fear'' is a 1952 American film noir thriller film directed by David Miller, and starring Joan Crawford and Jack Palance in a tale about a successful woman who marries a murderous man. The screenplay by Lenore J. Coffee and Robert Smit ...

'' (1952). Huston suffered a broken back in an automobile accident, which disrupted her career 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. She died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

in 1981.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huston, Virginia 1925 births 1981 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American radio actresses American television actresses People from Wisner, Nebraska Actresses from Nebraska 20th-century American actresses