Virginia Valli
Encyclopedia
Virginia Valli was an American stage and film actress whose motion picture career started in the silent film
era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film
era of the 1930s.
Born Virginia McSweeney in Chicago, Illinois, she got her acting start in Milwaukee with a stock company. She also did some film work with Essanay Studios
in her hometown of Chicago, starting in 1916.
Valli would continue to appear in films throughout the 1920s. She also would be an established star at the Universal
studio by the mid-1920s. The bulk of her films would be between 1924 and 1927.
In 1925 Valli performed in The Man Who Found Himself with Thomas Meighan
. The production was made at a Long Island, New York studio.
Among these movies was Paid To Love (1927), with William Powell
, and Evening Clothes (1927), which featured Adolphe Menjou
.
Her first sound picture was The Isle of Lost Ships in 1929, but her film career would not last much longer due to declining fame. Unable to find a suitable studio, she quit films after making the quickie Night Life in Reno, in 1931.
Valli was first married to George Lamson and the two shared a small bungalow
in Hollywood, in close proximity to the Hollywood Hotel
.
In 1931, she married her second husband, actor Charles Farrell
, to whom she remained married until her death. They moved to Palm Springs
, where she was a social fixture for many years.
She suffered a stroke in 1966, and died two years later, aged 70, in Palm Springs, California
. She was buried in the Welwood Murray Cemetery of that city. She had no children.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era and lasted until the beginning of the sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
era of the 1930s.
Born Virginia McSweeney in Chicago, Illinois, she got her acting start in Milwaukee with a stock company. She also did some film work with Essanay Studios
Essanay Studios
The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture studio. It is best known today for its series of Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.-Founding:...
in her hometown of Chicago, starting in 1916.
Valli would continue to appear in films throughout the 1920s. She also would be an established star at the Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
studio by the mid-1920s. The bulk of her films would be between 1924 and 1927.
In 1925 Valli performed in The Man Who Found Himself with Thomas Meighan
Thomas Meighan
Thomas Meighan was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading man roles opposite popular actresses of the day including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he commanded $10,000 a week....
. The production was made at a Long Island, New York studio.
Among these movies was Paid To Love (1927), with William Powell
William Powell
William Horatio Powell was an American actor.A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles...
, and Evening Clothes (1927), which featured Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Menjou
Adolphe Jean Menjou was an American actor. His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born...
.
Her first sound picture was The Isle of Lost Ships in 1929, but her film career would not last much longer due to declining fame. Unable to find a suitable studio, she quit films after making the quickie Night Life in Reno, in 1931.
Valli was first married to George Lamson and the two shared a small bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
in Hollywood, in close proximity to the Hollywood Hotel
Hollywood Hotel
The Hollywood Hotel was a famous hostelry and landmark located on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Orchid Avenues in Hollywood, California.-History:The first section of the hotel was built in 1902 by H.J...
.
In 1931, she married her second husband, actor Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor...
, to whom she remained married until her death. They moved to Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, where she was a social fixture for many years.
She suffered a stroke in 1966, and died two years later, aged 70, in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. She was buried in the Welwood Murray Cemetery of that city. She had no children.
External links
- gallery of still photos from Virginia Valli films(Univ.of Wash, Sayre Collection)