Virginia Davis, Acting - KorPlix:Korean Person Archives

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Virginia Davis
Acting

Virginia Davis
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1918-12-31,Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Gender
Female
Biography
Virginia Davis (December 31, 1918 - August 15, 2009) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was a traveling furniture salesman and spent much time away from home. With her husband gone for weeks at a time, Margaret Davis, a housewife, focused all her attention on her daughter; she began taking Virginia to dancing lessons and modeling auditions when she was 2. A striking child with long curls, Virginia was soon appearing in advertisements that played between films in local theaters. She also entered Georgie Brown's Dramatic School in Kansas City, where she studied drama and dance. In the summer of 1923, 22-year-old Walt Disney, a struggling but ambitious director, saw Virginia in an advertisement in a Kansas City theater and immediately decided to hire her. He quickly contacted Margaret Davis, who was eager to advance her Virginia's career. Alice's Wonderland (1923), the first short film of the Alice series, was filmed at the Davis home in Kansas City; both Margaret Davis and Walt Disney made brief appearances (which marked Disney's first live appearance in one of his own cartoons). After filming, Disney returned to Hollywood and began to build his movie empire with only forty dollars and one short film starring little Virginia Davis. The Davis family soon followed Disney to Hollywood, although their daughter's career was not the only reason for the move; Virginia had suffered pneumonia and other health problems, and her doctor told her parents that she would be healthier in a drier, warmer climate. Virginia signed her first contract with Disney for a salary of $100 a month, and she began filming the Alice shorts in Walt Disney's first studio, his uncle's garage. His brother Roy O. Disney was the cameraman, and the Disney family dog Peggy appeared in many of the films. The Alice shorts became very popular, providing Disney with his first national success. But as the series progressed, Disney became more interested in the animation aspect, which minimized Virginia's live-action role; she only made about thirteen of the Alice shorts before her contract was severed. She later auditioned for the role of voice of Snow White in Disney's film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), but she didn't get the role because her mother refused to accept the frugal salary. Virginia had some small roles in full-length films, including The Harvey Girls (1946), before she left acting to earn a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She later became an editor for the 1950s magazine "Living for Young Homemakers", and in the 1960s she began working for real estate agents in Connecticut and later California. In 1992, interest was renewed in the Alice series. Living in retirement in Montana, Virginia was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of fans seeking to honor her and the remarkable role she played in the birth of Walt Disney Studios. She was the guest of honor at the Pordonone Silent Film Festival in Italy in 1992, and she was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Virginia also became very active in silent film festivals and events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Filmography

Three on a Match

6.2

Three on a Match
1932-10-29

Alice in the Jungle

5

Alice in the Jungle
1925-12-15

Alice Gets in Dutch

5

Alice Gets in Dutch
1924-11-01

Alice and the Three Bears

4.7

Alice and the Three Bears
1924-12-11

Alice's Fishy Story

4.7

Alice's Fishy Story
1924-06-01

Alice Gets Stung

4.9

Alice Gets Stung
1925-02-01

Song of the Islands

6.2

Song of the Islands
1942-03-13

Alice's Day at Sea

4.5

Alice's Day at Sea
1924-03-01

The Man from Red Gulch

0

The Man from Red Gulch
1925-12-13

Alice's Wonderland

6

Alice's Wonderland
1923-01-01

Alice Cans the Cannibals

3.9

Alice Cans the Cannibals
1925-01-01

Alice's Spooky Adventure

5

Alice's Spooky Adventure
1924-04-01

Alice the Peacemaker

5.1

Alice the Peacemaker
1924-07-31

Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis

0

Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis
2005-12-06

College Holiday

5.2

College Holiday
1936-12-19

Alice and the Dog Catcher

4.3

Alice and the Dog Catcher
1924-07-01

Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

9.7

Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
2007-12-11

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

7.7

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story
1999-10-08

Alice's Wild West Show

5.1

Alice's Wild West Show
1924-05-01

3.2

Escort Girl
1941-11-04

Hands Across the Rockies

7.2

Hands Across the Rockies
1941-06-19

Alice the Piper

5.4

Alice the Piper
1924-12-15

Alice Hunting in Africa

4.9

Alice Hunting in Africa
1924-11-15

Alice the Toreador

4.5

Alice the Toreador
1925-01-15

Murder at the Vanities

5.4

Murder at the Vanities
1934-05-18

From Kansas City to Hollywood

6

From Kansas City to Hollywood
2005-12-06

The Greater Glory

0

The Greater Glory
1926-05-02

0

Alice Comedies
2016-12-07

6.8

Street Scene
1931-09-05