Virginia Dale

Virginia Dale, born Virginia Paxton in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1916 or 1917, was an American actress and dancer whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television. She died on October 3, 1994, in Burbank, California, from complications of emphysema, at the age of 77.

Dale began studying toe dancing at age nine, a pursuit she later described as one she endured reluctantly. Her toe dancing career ended when blood poisoning in one of her feet necessitated a skin graft using lamb's skin, which permanently reduced the foot's flexibility. As a teenager, she won a beauty contest in Charlotte that had been organized by Earl Carroll, and that connection facilitated her entry into professional performance in New York City. She and her sister Frances worked as a dancing duo, completing an eight-month engagement at the Hollywood Restaurant and performing in other cities along the eastern United States. During her time in New York, Darryl F. Zanuck discovered her and signed her to a contract with 20th Century Fox.

Her Broadway career took shape in 1928, when she appeared in two productions: Him and The Final Balance. Her film work concentrated in the late 1930s and 1940s, with one of her most prominent roles coming in Holiday Inn (1942), in which she performed alongside Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. She became closely identified with musical productions throughout this period. In the 1950s, Dale transitioned primarily to television, with appearances in series including The Adventures of Kit Carson (1951–1952), Highway Patrol (1957), and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1957–1958). She stepped away from the entertainment industry in 1958 before returning to take on several film roles in the 1980s.