- Born
- Died
- Birth nameVirginia Lee Ray
- Nickname
- Jigee
- Shortly after her birth Virginia Ray moved with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Whitaker, to East St. Louis, Illinois. From the age of three she was able to perform many popular dances of the day, taught to her by a Negro "mammy." Virginia left East St. Louis and traveled to New York in the winter of 1920. She went to the office of Flo Ziegfield and somehow managed to leapfrog over 50 other girls waiting for an audition. She was hired on the spot. She knew a host of stars from stage and screen because many had been her sidekicks in the chorus line. She also knew actors Malcom St. Clair and Ben Lyons, and director Allan Dwan. She met Rudolph Valentino at Club Lido four days before his death, where she was dining with future husband (1926) Thomas Purcell. Valentino signed Purcell's ukulele, the 138th signature on the instrument, and it was the last thing Valentino ever signed. In 1925 Ray went to Palm Beach, Florida and secured minor riles in several movies. She appeared with Olive Borden, Marie Dressler and Neil Hamilton in The Joy Girl, a Fox production. She first served in the movies as an extra in 1921. Virginia said that her mail sometimes was mixed up with that Kathryn Ray, who was just a year younger and was also from East St. Louis. Kathryn was also a Follies girl and later worked for Earl Carroll's Vanities. Kathryn became a Gotham sensation when she appeared nude on stage while sitting on a giant pendulum that swung back and forth.
- IMDb mini biography by: William (Bill) Nunes
- SpousesPeter Viertel(February 5, 1944 - January 31, 1960) (her death, 1 child)Budd Schulberg(December 31, 1936 - February 1943) (divorced, 1 child)
- She died from burns she suffered after inadvertently dropping a lit cigarette into the pocket of her flammable sleepwear. Reputedly dependent on alcohol and sleeping medication, Viertel woke one night in her Los Angeles home and while in the bathroom lit a cigarette that she then dropped inadvertently into the pocket of her dressing gown, causing her immolation. She died from the burns she suffered a month later.
Nickname: Jigee. - She married Budd Schulberg on New Year's Eve 1936. They divorced in 1942 and she married Peter Viertel. Peter subsequently left her for the fashion model Bettina Graziani. After Graziani left him for Prince Aly Khan, Peter ended his relationship with Viertel and later became involved with Deborah Kerr.
- She had a daughter Victoria (born 1940) by her first husband, Budd Schulberg.
- Mother, with Peter Viertel, of daughter, Christine Viertel, born in 1952.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
