Virginia Bruce

American leading lady of the 1930s and 1940s, Virginia Bruce was born in Minnesota but grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, and came to California to attend college. Her blond good looks got her an entry into films, and after a few extra roles and bit parts she began to make serious inroads as a leading woman in secondary films and as the "other" woman in more prestigious productions. She married screen legend John Gilbert, then in his decline. Subsequently she was married to director J. Walter Ruben and to Turkish producer/director Ali Ipar, for whom she appeared in some Turkish films all but unseen in America.

Failed seven screen tests for the lead in Red-Headed Woman (1932), which went to Jean Harlow.

Her daughter Susan Ann Gilbert was born in 1933. She also had a son, Christopher Ruben, in 1941.

Portrayed soprano Jenny Lind in The Mighty Barnum (1934) and a character loosely based on Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.'s mistress Lillian Lorraine in The Great Ziegfeld (1936).

After ex-husband John Gilbert died in 1936, she made 14 movies in 16 months.

She was divorced from Ali Ipar for the first time in 1951 when he began his compulsory Turkish army service because Turkish law forbids commissions to men married to foreigners.

According to Scott O'Brien's biography entitled "Virginia Bruce: Under My Skin," and his accompanying article on Virginia for Classic Images (February, 2010), Virginia was "discovered" by director William Beaudine when the young beauty accompanied her aunt, a clothing designer, to the home of a client, Mrs. Beaudine. Virginia played the piano and sang for him that day. Paramount, under Beaudine's suggestion, took an option out on her and placed her in walk-on and bit parts, her first being Beaudine's Fugitives (1929).