Virginia Bruce

Biography

Virginia Bruce (September 29, 1910 – February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. Born Helen Virginia Briggs in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she moved to Los Angeles with her family, initially intending to pursue a university education. A chance opportunity led her to work as an extra in the film Why Bring That Up? and to perform in the Ziegfeld Follies. Bruce made her Broadway debut in the musical Smiles in 1930 and appeared in America's Sweetheart in 1931. She returned to Hollywood in 1932, marrying actor John Gilbert, with whom she had a daughter. After their divorce in 1934, she continued her film career, notably introducing Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" in Born to Dance. Bruce married film director J. Walter Ruben in 1937 and later married Ali Ipar. She passed away from cancer in Woodland Hills, California.