August 19, 2013
Obituaries

Virginia Gibson, Film and Television Actress, Host of Docu Series Discovery

A prolific actress in the 1950s and 60s, Gibson appeared on numerous TV series and in films such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Virginia Gibson, an actress who worked widely in film and television during the 1950 and ’60s, and later hosted the documentary series Discovery, died April 25, 2013, in Newtown, Pennsylvania. She was 85. Born Virginia Gorski on April 9, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, she began performing on the stage and made her Broadway debut in 1943 as a dancing girl in Richard Rodgers’ A Connecticut Yankee and went on to appear in several musicals, including Billion Dollar Baby and High Button Shoes. In 1957 she received a Tony nomination for best featured actress in a musical for her Happy Hunting, which starred Ethel Merman. She began appearing on television in the late 1940 with roles in the programs The Ford Theatre Hour and Manhattan Showcase. In the 1950s she was under contract with Warner Bros. movie studio and appeared in such films as Tea for Two and Goodbye, My Fancy. Her other movies included Painting the Clouds with Sunshine, She’s Back on Broadway, Funny Face and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Throughout the ’50s and ’60s she worked in television as well, including roles in such series as The Man Behind the Badge, Studio 57, The Colgate Comedy Hour, City Detective, Lux Video Theatre, The Ford Television Theatre, Armstrong Circle Theatre, The Johnny Carson Show and The Millionaire. She was a regular on the 1955 series So This Is Hollywood. Later, she shifted gears when she became co-host of Discovery, a popular documentary program for children that aired on ABC from 1962-70. In 1964 it won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Children's Programming. More about Gibson is available at: Hollywood Reporter

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