Virginia Patton Moss, the former actress who was the last cast member of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, died August 18 in Albany, Georgia, at the age of 97.
Moss’ death was confirmed by Legacy. Caroline Grimes, who worked with Moss on It’s a Wonderful Life as a child actress, post a greeting On her personal Facebook page.
“We have another angel! Virginia Patton Moss. She was 97 years old,” Grimes wrote. “She is now with her boyfriend Cruz. We will miss her!”
Moss’ name is attributed to her birth name, Virginia Patton, in a 1946 feature. She played Ruth Dakin Bailey, husband of Harry Bailey to Todd Karns and sister-in-law to protagonist George Bailey, played by star James Stewart. Moss was the last surviving adult member of the holiday classic (a number of the film’s child actors, such as Grimes, are still alive).
Moss began her career as a student at the University of Southern California, where she played small roles in plays. continued To participate in interviews Regarding her life-long experience in making the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.
Moss’ husband, Cruz W. Moss, claimed in 2012: “Virginia was the only girl who directly hired Frank Capra. Everyone else in this movie was loaned from another studio. But Jenny wasn’t with the studio and Frank Capra actually signed her for that picture. “.
Moss acted in four other films, including the lead performance in the 1948 western “Black Eagle,” before retiring from acting. Her last screen credit came in 1949 with the comedy “The Lucky Stiff” starring Dorothy Lamore, Brian Donnelly, and Claire Trevor.
Actress married Cruz Moss in 1949, taking her husband’s family name. The couple moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Moss began her career as a businesswoman, raised a family of three children and worked as a lecturer at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Cruz and Virginia remained married until Cruz’s death in 2018.
“Couldn’t see me do it for my life,” Moss said in 2012, reflecting on her decision to leave acting behind. “I wanted exactly what I am. Ann Arbor, Michigan, wonderful husband, wonderful children, a good part of the community. I work hard for the community.”
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