Biography

Virginia Van Upp was a producer and screenwriter who worked her way up in the film industry after having been a script reader, script editor, casting director, and agent. She was married with one child when she was named Executive Producer of Columbia Pictures by Harry Cohn in 1945. A woman would not hold this post again for another thirty-one years.
- IMDb mini biography by: Ally Acker - Reel Women: Pioneers of the Cinema and Morganalee

Virginia Van Upp began her Hollywood career as a mildly successful child actress and then moved behind the scenes as assistant casting director and assistant agent. She took a job as a secretary to Horace Jackson, a writer working on projects for Pathe and Paramount. This led to her finishing scripts when he was indisposed, due to drinking problems. She was fortunate that Paramount recognised her gifts and swiftly offered her a contract of her own. She made a name for herself at the studio by creating roles for leading comediennes Carol Lombard and Madelaine Carroll, among others. Her productive association with Rita Hayworth began when she wrote the screenplay for Cover Girl, which was intended as a starring vehicle for Rita. The two became friends and Rita began to rely heavily on her for advice and support. She used her power to demand that Virginia also produce the films that she was writing the scripts for, the most successful of which was Gilda. Virginia resigned from being executive producer for personal reasons. Although she returned to writing for Columbia, she was never to have the success of her earlier career.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5