Virginia Ann Marie Patton Moss (June 25, 1925 – August 18, 2022) was an American actress. After appearing in several films in the early 1940s, she was cast in her most well-known role as Ruth Dakin Bailey in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

's '' It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946). In 1949, Patton retired from acting, and her final film credit was ''

The Lucky Stiff ''The Lucky Stiff'' is a 1949 American comedy crime film directed by Lewis R. Foster, starring Dorothy Lamour, Brian Donlevy, and Claire Trevor. The film is based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Craig Rice. ''The Lucky Stiff'' was produc ...

'' (1949).

Early life

Virginia Patton was born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio on June 25, 1925, to Marie (née Cain) and Donald Patton. She was raised in her father's hometown of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, Oregon, where her family moved when she was an infant. She was a great-niece of General George S. Patton Jr.. Patton graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland, and then moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Career

While a student at USC, Patton began to audition for acting parts. She collaborated in plays with screenwriter William C. DeMille while in college. She had several minor supporting film appearances before being cast in Capra's '' It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) as Ruth Dakin Bailey, the wife of George Bailey's younger brother Harry. Although Capra did not know Patton personally, she read the role for him, and he signed her to a contract. Patton later said that she was the only girl the famous director ever signed in his entire career. Patton still gave interviews about ''It's a Wonderful Life'', and she was the last surviving credited member of the adult actors in the film (a number of child actors are still alive). Patton made only four films after ''It's a Wonderful Life'', including her first lead in the B-Western ''

Black Eagle The black eagle (''Ictinaetus malaiensis'') is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Ictinaetus''. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South a ...

'' (1948). She appeared in the drama ''The Burning Cross'' (1946), a film about a World War II veteran who becomes embroiled with the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

upon returning to his hometown.

Personal life

Patton was married to Cruse W. Moss from 1949 until his death in 2018. She gave up acting in the late 1940s to concentrate on raising a family with her husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She later attended the University of Michigan. Patton died on August 18, 2022, at age 97. She was the last surviving adult cast member of ''It's a Wonderful Life''.

Filmography

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

* *
Interview with Virginia Patton in 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Virginia 1925 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses Actresses from Portland, Oregon Jefferson High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni University of Southern California alumni University of Michigan alumni Actresses from Ann Arbor, Michigan Patton family