Virginia Vale

Personal Info

Known For:
Acting

Birthday:
May 20, 1920

Place of Birth:
Dallas, Texas, USA

Social Media

Virginia Vale

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Virginia Vale (born Dorothy Howe, 20 May 1920 – 14 Sep 2006) was an American film actress. She starred in a number of B-movie Westerns but took a variety of other roles as well, notably in Blonde Comet (1941), in which she played a race car driver.

Vale was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Howe. Before becoming a professional actor, she was a switchboard operator in Dallas, Texas, and honed her acting skills in productions at a little theater in Dallas. After a representative of Paramount Pictures saw her in a leading role, he invited her to make a screen test, which led to a contract. (Another source says that Howe was working at the switchboard in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Dallas office, where a talent scout for Paramount found her and signed her to a contract.

Career

Several of Vale's early films were made using her birth name. The name Virginia Vale had been chosen in advance for the female winner of the 1939 Gateway to Hollywood contest, a nationwide talent search sponsored by producer Jesse Lasky -- as noted (somewhat indignantly) then by another Virginia Vale a syndicated columnist covering the film industry. Vale edged out Rhonda Fleming in the 1939 contest.

After her film career, she became an executive secretary at Lockheed and also a competition judge for the US Figure Skating Association. She was eventually honored by the USFSA for 50 years of service in that role. Before becoming a judge, she'd also briefly been a competition skater. Her life in film and skating was featured at the 2002 U.S. figure skating championships and a memorial trophy for "most outstanding performance" was given in her name at the 2007 California Championships.

Known For

Filmography

Year Movie Role
1945 Crime, Inc. Trixie Waters
1942 Broadway Big Shot Betty Collins
1941 Blonde Comet Beverly Blake
1941 Red Skins and Red Heads Virginia (uncredited)
1941 Robbers of the Range Alice Tremaine
1941 South of Panama Janice 'Jan' Martin, aka Dolores Esteban
1941 A Panic in the Parlor Mrs. Vivian Errol
1941 Repent at Leisure Elevator Girl
1941 The Gay Falcon Hysterical Woman (uncredited)
1940 Bullet Code Molly Matthews
1940 You Can't Fool Your Wife Sally
1940 Millionaires in Prison May Thomas
1940 Triple Justice Lorna Payson
1940 Legion of the Lawless Ellen Ives
1940 Stage to Chino Caroline McKay
1940 Prairie Law Priscilla Brambull
1939 Disbarred Airline Stewardess
1939 The Marshal Of Mesa City Virginia King
1939 Unmarried Betty (as Dorothy Howe)
1939 Three Sons Phoebe Pardway
1939 Persons in Hiding Flo
1938 Her Jungle Love Eleanor Martin
1938 Cocoanut Grove Hazel De Vore
1938 The Big Broadcast of 1938 Joan Fielding
1938 King of Alcatraz Dixie (as Dorothy Howe)
1937 True Confession Brunette Girl (uncredited)
1937 Night Club Scandal Marsh's Maid
Year TV Show Role
2018 New Amsterdam Kira Davis
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