Virginia Carroll
Virginia Carroll | |
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Spouse(s) | Ralph Byrd (1936-1952) Lloyd McLean (1957-1969) |
Virginia Carroll (December 2, 1913 - July 23, 2009) was an American model and character actress. She was best known for her appearance in a number of western films
Carroll was born in Los Angeles on December 2, 1913. [1] Her brother, Frank Carroll, became a Los Angeles newscaster. [2] She worked as a model at a department store in Los Angeles until she began her film career in 1935.
Carroll was initially cast in a small part as a fashion model in the 1935 film, Roberta.[1] She appeared in her first western film less than a year later in 1936's A Tenderfoot Goes West, co-starring Jack La Rue.[1]
Carroll became a staple in B-listed western feature films. She appeared on screen in these westerns opposite Tex Ritter, Don "Red" Barry, Roy Rogers, Johnny Mack Brown, Bill Elliott, Gene Autry and Whip Wilson.[1] Her roles included the 1942 film, Prairie Gunsmoke.
Carroll was also cast in television roles later in her acting career, including roles on The Roy Rogers Show, Dragnet, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok and Perry Mason.[1]
Carroll married her first husband, actor Ralph Byrd, in 1936.[1] Byrd would become best known for his role as comic strip hero, Dick Tracy.[1] Carroll and Byrd remained married until his death in 1952.[1] She later remarried to her second husband, Lloyd McLean, a 20th Century Fox film projectionist, in 1957.[1] The couple remained married until McLean's death in 1969, leaving Carroll a widow for the second time. [1]
Virginia Carroll died at a Santa Barbara, California, retirement community on July 23, 2009, of natural causes at the age of 95.[1] She was survived by one daughter[2] from her marriage to Ralph Byrd, Carroll Byrd Evangeline.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Passings: Virginia Carroll, Character actress and leading lady". Los Angeles Times. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
- ^ a b "Virginia Carroll dies at 95". Variety Magazine. 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2009-08-01.