Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo ( November 30 1920 – January 17 2005 ) was an American film actress . Beginnings She was born in Virginia Clara Jones in St . Louis , Missouri . Tutored by a series of dancing instructors engaged by her aunt , she appeared in the St . Louis Municipal Opera chorus and then appeared with six other girls at an act at the Jefferson Hotel . There she was recruited by vaudeville performer Andy Mayo to appear in his act ( as ringmaster for two men in a horse suit ) , taking his surname as as her stage name . She appeared in vaudeville for three years in the act , appearing with Eddie Cantor on Broadway in 1941 's Banjo Eyes . Hollywood Mayo continued her career as a dancer , then signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn and appeared in several of Goldwyn 's movies . With Danny Kaye she made comedies including Wonder Man ( 1945 ) , The Kid from Brooklyn ( 1946 ) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( 1947 ) . In 1949 's White Heat she took on the role of `` Verna Jarrett , `` opposite James Cagney ) . Mayo later claimed in interviews that she was occasionally genuinely frightened by Cagney during the filming of the picture , because Cagney 's acting was so realistic and natural . She was cast against type in The Best Years of Our Lives , in which she gave a performance that garnered much acclaim . Her film career continued through the 1950s and 1960s , frequently in B-moviewesterns and adventure films . While she also appeared in musicals , Mayo 's singing voice was always dubbed . Mayo has a star on the Walk of Fame , for her work in television , at 1751 Vine Street . In 1996 she received a star on the St . Louis Walk of Fame . Personal life In 1947 , she married actor Michael O'Shea , who died in 1973 . They had one child , Mary Catherine O'Shea ( born in 1953 ) . The O'Shea family lived for several decades in Thousand Oaks , California . In the 1990s , Mayo donated her extensive collection of Hollywood memorabilia to the Thousand Oaks Library . She died of natural causes in Los Angeles in 2005 at the age of 84 . Filmography Follies Girl ( 1943 ) Jack London ( 1943 ) Up in Arms ( 1944 ) Seven Days Ashore ( 1944 ) The Princess and the Pirate ( 1944 ) Wonder Man ( film ) ( 1945 ) The Kid from Brooklyn ( 1946 ) The Best Years of Our Lives ( 1946 ) Out of the Blue ( 1947 ) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ( 1947 ) Smart Girls Do n't Talk ( 1948 ) A Song Is Born ( 1948 ) Flaxy Martin ( 1949 ) Colorado Territory ( 1949 ) The Girl from Jones Beach ( 1949 ) White Heat ( 1949 ) Red Light ( 1949 ) Always Leave Them Laughing ( 1949 ) Backfire ( 1950 ) The Flame and the Arrow ( 1950 ) The West Point Story ( 1950 ) Captain Horatio Hornblower ( 1951 ) Along the Great Divide ( 1951 ) Painting the Clouds with Sunshine ( 1951 ) Starlift ( 1951 ) ( Cameo ) Screen Snapshots : Hollywood Night Life ( 1952 ) ( short subject ) She 's Working Her Way Through College ( 1952 ) The Iron Mistress ( 1952 ) She 's Back on Broadway ( 1953 ) South Sea Woman ( 1953 ) Devil 's Canyon ( 1953 ) King Richard and the Crusaders ( 1954 ) The Silver Chalice ( 1954 ) Pearl of the South Pacific ( 1955 ) Great Day in the Morning ( 1956 ) The Proud Ones ( 1956 ) Congo Crossing ( 1956 ) The Big Land ( 1957 ) The Story of Mankind ( 1957 ) The Tall Stranger ( 1957 ) Fort Dobbs ( 1958 ) Westbound ( 1959 ) Revolt of the Mercenaries ( 1960 ) Jet Over the Atlantic ( 1960 ) Young Fury ( 1965 ) Castle of Evil ( 1966 ) Fort Utah ( 1967 ) Fugitive Lovers ( 1975 ) Won Ton Ton , the Dog Who Saved Hollywood ( 1976 ) French Quarter ( 1977 ) The Haunted ( 1979 ) Evil Spirits ( 1990 ) Midnight Witness ( 1993 ) The Man Next Door ( 1997 ) External links Virginia Mayo at the Internet Movie Database Official website Denny Jackson 's Virginia Mayo page Brian 's Drive-In Theater St . Louis Walk of Fame Categories : 1920 births | 2005 deaths | American actors | Film actors | Television actors | St . Louis Walk of Fame | Deaths from cardiovascular disease In other languages : Deutsch | Español | Français | Nederlands | 日本語 | Polski | Suomi | Svenska 0562920 Virginia Mayo 