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Virginia Davis‌

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1918-12-31

Popularity

star0.4

Virginia Davis

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Virginia Davis

Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Gender

Female

Birthday

calendar1918-12-31

Popularity

star0.4

Biography

Virginia Davis (December 31, 1918 - August 15, 2009) was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Her father was a traveling furniture salesman and spent much time away from home. With her husband gone for weeks at a time, Margaret Davis, a housewife, focused all her attention on her daughter; she began taking Virginia to dancing lessons and modeling auditions when she was 2. A striking child with long curls, Virginia was soon appearing in advertisements that played between films in local theaters. She also entered Georgie Brown's Dramatic School in Kansas City, where she studied drama and dance. In the summer of 1923, 22-year-old Walt Disney, a struggling but ambitious director, saw Virginia in an advertisement in a Kansas City theater and immediately decided to hire her. He quickly contacted Margaret Davis, who was eager to advance her Virginia's career. Alice's Wonderland (1923), the first short film of the Alice series, was filmed at the Davis home in Kansas City; both Margaret Davis and Walt Disney made brief appearances (which marked Disney's first live appearance in one of his own cartoons). After filming, Disney returned to Hollywood and began to build his movie empire with only forty dollars and one short film starring little Virginia Davis. The Davis family soon followed Disney to Hollywood, although their daughter's career was not the only reason for the move; Virginia had suffered pneumonia and other health problems, and her doctor told her parents that she would be healthier in a drier, warmer climate. Virginia signed her first contract with Disney for a salary of $100 a month, and she began filming the Alice shorts in Walt Disney's first studio, his uncle's garage. His brother Roy O. Disney was the cameraman, and the Disney family dog Peggy appeared in many of the films. The Alice shorts became very popular, providing Disney with his first national success. But as the series progressed, Disney became more interested in the animation aspect, which minimized Virginia's live-action role; she only made about thirteen of the Alice shorts before her contract was severed. She later auditioned for the role of voice of Snow White in Disney's film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), but she didn't get the role because her mother refused to accept the frugal salary. Virginia had some small roles in full-length films, including The Harvey Girls (1946), before she left acting to earn a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. She later became an editor for the 1950s magazine "Living for Young Homemakers", and in the 1960s she began working for real estate agents in Connecticut and later California. In 1992, interest was renewed in the Alice series. Living in retirement in Montana, Virginia was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of fans seeking to honor her and the remarkable role she played in the birth of Walt Disney Studios. She was the guest of honor at the Pordonone Silent Film Festival in Italy in 1992, and she was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1998. Virginia also became very active in silent film festivals and events at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Movie Credits

Three on a Match

Three on a Match‌
star6.2
calendar 1932

Alice in the Jungle

Alice in the Jungle‌
star5.0
calendar 1925

Alice Gets in Dutch

Alice Gets in Dutch‌
star5.0
calendar 1924

Alice's Fishy Story

Alice's Fishy Story‌
star4.7
calendar 1924

Alice and the Three Bears

Alice and the Three Bears‌
star4.7
calendar 1924

Alice Gets Stung

Alice Gets Stung‌
star4.9
calendar 1925

Song of the Islands

Song of the Islands‌
star6.2
calendar 1942

Alice's Day at Sea

Alice's Day at Sea‌
star4.5
calendar 1924

The Man from Red Gulch

The Man from Red Gulch‌
star0.0
calendar 1925

Alice's Wonderland

Alice's Wonderland‌
star6.0
calendar 1923

Alice Cans the Cannibals

Alice Cans the Cannibals‌
star3.9
calendar 1925

Alice's Spooky Adventure

Alice's Spooky Adventure‌
star5.0
calendar 1924

Alice the Peacemaker

Alice the Peacemaker‌
star5.1
calendar 1924

Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis

Alice's Cartoon World: An Interview with Virginia Davis‌
star0.0
calendar 2005

College Holiday

College Holiday‌
star5.2
calendar 1936

Alice and the Dog Catcher

Alice and the Dog Catcher‌
star4.3
calendar 1924

Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Walt Disney Treasures: The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit‌
star9.7
calendar 2007

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story‌
star7.7
calendar 1999

Alice's Wild West Show

Alice's Wild West Show‌
star5.1
calendar 1924

Escort Girl

Escort Girl‌
star3.2
calendar 1941

Hands Across the Rockies

Hands Across the Rockies‌
star7.2
calendar 1941

Alice Hunting in Africa

Alice Hunting in Africa‌
star4.9
calendar 1924

Alice the Piper

Alice the Piper‌
star5.4
calendar 1924

Alice the Toreador

Alice the Toreador‌
star4.5
calendar 1925

Murder at the Vanities

Murder at the Vanities‌
star5.4
calendar 1934

From Kansas City to Hollywood

From Kansas City to Hollywood‌
star6.0
calendar 2005

The Greater Glory

The Greater Glory‌
star0.0
calendar 1926

Alice Comedies

Alice Comedies‌
star0.0
calendar 2016

Street Scene

Street Scene‌
star6.8
calendar 1931

Tv Credits