Virginia Fox

Virginia Fox Zanuck (April 2, 1902 – October 14, 1982) was an American actress who starred in many silent films of the 1910s and 1920s.

This article is about the silent film actress. For the member of Congress, see Virginia Foxx.
Virginia Fox
Fox in The Blacksmith (1922)
Born
Virginia Oglesby Fox

(1902-04-02)April 2, 1902
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
DiedOctober 14, 1982(1982-10-14) (aged 80)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeBuried next to her husband in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActress
Years active1915–1929
Spouse(s)Darryl F. Zanuck (1924–1979)
Children3, including Richard Darryl Zanuck (1934–2012)
RelativesDean Zanuck (grandson)

Life and career

Fox was born as Virginia Oglesby Fox in Wheeling, West Virginia (though her grave erroneously lists Charleston, W.Va. as her place of birth), the daughter of Marie (née Oglesby) and Frederick Fox.[1]

While on vacation from boarding school, Fox traveled to visit a friend in Los Angeles. The two made a casual stop by the studio of Mack Sennett, where she was hired on the spot and made a bathing beauty in the studio's films. Fox went on to star as leading lady in many of the early films of Buster Keaton, including 1920's highly regarded "Neighbors."[2]

In 1924 she married film producer Darryl F. Zanuck, with whom she had three children, Darrylin (1931–2015), Susan Marie (1935–1980), and Richard Darryl (1934–2012). Fox retired from acting, but was known as a behind-the-scenes influence on her husband's business decisions. The couple separated in 1956 over the studio mogul's affairs with other women, though they were never legally divorced; but according to Zanuck biographers, she cared for him at their home from the time he became mentally incapacitated in the early 1970s until his death in 1979. She was buried near Darryl Zanuck at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, Los Angeles.[3]

Despite some Internet accounts to the contrary, Virginia Fox was not related to William Fox, whose name is preserved in the 20th Century Fox film studio, which Darryl Zanuck created and led for decades. William Fox founded Fox Studios, but had lost control of it by the time Zanuck acquired it and merged it into his own empire.

Virginia Fox Zanuck's tomb in Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, Los Angeles, California

Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1915 A Submarine Pirate
1920 Down on the Farm uncredited
Neighbors The Bride
1921 The Haunted House Bank President's Daughter
Hard Luck Virginia
The Goat Chief's daughter
The Playhouse Twin Uncredited
1922 The Paleface Indian Maiden Uncredited
Cops Mayor's Daughter
1922 The Blacksmith Horsewoman
The Electric House Girl Uncredited
1923 The Love Nest The Girl
1926 The Caveman Party Girl
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References
  1. Harris, Marlys J. (1989). The Zanucks of Hollywood: the dark legacy of an American dynasty. Crown Publishers. ISBN 9780517570203.
  2. VIRGINIA F. ZANUCK, SILENT MOVIE STAR, Obituary, The New York Times, Oct. 15, 1982, https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/15/obituaries/virginia-f-zanuck-silent-movie-star.html
  3. The New York Times


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