Vern Gosdin (1934 - 2009)

Vern Gosdin Country singer/songwriter Vern Gosdin, known as “The Voice” for his distinctive tone and heart-wrenching way with a lyric, died Monday night in Nashville following a recent stroke. He was 74. Born in Woodland, Alabama, Gosdin’s singing and writing style was influenced most by the Louvin Brothers. He came from a musical family, which […]

Vern Mikkelsen (1928 - 2013)

Mikkelsen was born in Parlier, California and was raised in the Danish-American community of Askov, Minnesota. His father, Michael, was an immigrant from Denmark who became a Lutheran pastor in Askov. in a town of primarily Danish-Americans.  Mikkelsen entered Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota on a basketball scholarship at the age of 16. In […]

Verna Felton (1890 - 1966)

Verna Felton was born in Salinas, California. Her father, a doctor, died when she was seven years old. When going over his accounts after his death, Felton’s mother discovered that though her husband had a large medical practice in San Jose, there were no records of his patients’ payments for treatment and no cash in […]

Verne Hedges Winchell (1915 - 2002)

Verne Winchell was the founder of Winchell’s Doughnuts in 1948. He later sold the business to Denny’s Restaurants and lead a successful life breeding horses. (bio by: Joe Walker)  Family links:  Parents:  Verne Winchell (1887 – 1963)  Marie Augusta Stautz Winchell (1890 – 1950)  Siblings:  Verne Hedges Winchell (1915 – 2002)  Robert William Winchell (1923 […]

Vernon Baker (1919 - 2010)

Baker was born on December 17, 1919, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the youngest of three children. After his parents died in a car accident when he was four, he and his two sisters were raised by their grandparents. His grandfather Joseph S. Baker, a railroad worker in Cheyenne, taught him to hunt in order to feed […]

Vernon Bigelow Stouffer (1901 - 1974)

Business Magnate.  After graduating from Wharton School of Business in 1923, Stouffer and his father Abraham opened a restaurant called Stouffer’s Lunch located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  They went public in 1929 and founded the Stouffer Corporation, a national chain of restaurants, motor inns, and food service operations.  Vernon Stouffer later expanded his company to […]

Vernon Cansino (1922 - 1974)

Actor. Born in New York City, he was best known for being the younger brother of actress Rita Hayworth. He began his career as a Broadway dancer with his sister and brother Eduardo Cansino, Jr., booked as The Dancing Cansinos. Going into films, he appeared in “Last of the Redman” (1947), “The Lady from Shanghai” […]

Vernon Dalhart (1883 - 1948)

Vernon Dalhart Vernon Dalhart came to country music from outside the tradition, becoming a national star in the years just before more indigenous kinds of country music found their place in the machinery of the music industry. A 1924 recording by Dalhart became country music’s first million-selling record; pairing a train song (“Wreck of the […]

Vernon Dent (1895 - 1963)

In the early 1920s, Vernon Dent was a fixture at the Mack Sennett studio, working with comedians Billy Bevan, Andy Clyde, and especially Harry Langdon. Dent alternately played breezy pals and blustery authority figures opposite Langdon’s timid character. Sennett voided all contracts when it came time to retool his studio for sound, and Dent moved […]

Veronica Cooper (1913 - 2000)

Actress. Wife of screen legend Gary Cooper, “Rocky” was a devoted wife and mother to their only child, Maria. Prior to her 1933 marriage, she embarked upon a brief career in film using the screen name of Sandra Shaw. One of the films in which she was briefly featured was the classic King Kong. A […]

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973)

Veronica Lake Actress. Known for her peek-a-boo hairstyle, she is probably best remembered for her role in “Sullivan’s Travels” (1942) and for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd, during the 1940s. Her career spanned five decades, from films, to stage, and television beginning in 1939 until 1970. Born Constance Frances Marie […]

Verree Teasdale (1904 - 1987)

Actress. Apearred in motion pictures from the 1920s to the 1940s. Married to actor Adolphe Menjou. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  Adolphe Menjou (1890 – 1963)* *Calculated relationship

Vessie Farrell (1970 - 1935)

Stage actress who also appeared in 6 films in 1934-35. (bio by: TLS)

Vesta Tilley (1864 - 1952)

Actress. Born Matilda Alice Powles, she appeared in the film, “The Girl Who Loves A Soldier” (1916), playing the role of ‘Vesta Beaumont.’ She was also a noted Music Hall Star in Britain, performing as a male impersonator.

Vestal Goodman (1929 - 2003)

Vestal Goodman Born Vestal Freeman, she grew up in Alabama, dreaming of a career as an opera singer. All that changed when she met Howard “Happy” Goodman at a revival in Albertville, Ala. The two were married Nov. 7, 1949 and were nearly inseparable until his death in November 2002 at 81. During the 50s, […]

Vibeke Mowinckel Falk (1918 - 2011)

Actress. A star of the Norwegian stage and screen for more than 60 years, she shall probably be remembered for her film debut as Anna Reinche in 1939’s classic crime drama “Gjest Baardsen”. Raised in Bergen, she got her start in show business at her home city’s National Scene and in 1939 got a major […]

Vic Chesnutt (1964 - 2009)

Around 1985, Vic Chesnutt moved to Athens and joined the band, La-Di-Das, with future member of the Dashboard Saviors Todd McBride. After leaving that group, he began performing solo on a regular basis at the 40 Watt Club; it was there that he was spotted by Michael Stipe of R.E.M.. Stipe went on to produce […]

Vic Gentils (1919 - 1997)

Painter and Sculptor. The son of a french father and a flemish mother. Born in Ilfracombe, Devon. His father returned with his family to Belgium in 1925, settling in Antwerp. Vic trained as a painter and decorator, his father’s profession, and Vic’s skills in woodworking and gilding were a crucial part of his later practice […]

Vic Gordon (1911 - 2003)

Actor. Gordon is best remembered for his television roles as ‘Sergeant Albert Kennedy’ on “Matlock Police” from 1971 to 1976, and ‘Jack Lambert’ on “Young Ramsay” from 1977 to 1980. He also starred in the television shows, “Pugwall” in 1989, “Prisoner” in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1986, “Bluey” in 1977, “The Bluestone Boys” […]

Vic Tayback (1930 - 1990)

Victor “Vic” Tayback (January 6, 1930 – May 25, 1990) was an American actor. Vic Tayback was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, the son of Helen (née Hanood) and Najeeb James Tayback. His parents were immigrants from Aleppo, Syria. Vic Tayback moved with his family to Burbank, California, during his teenage years and […]

Vicente Beltrán Grimal (1896 - 1963)

Artist. He was born in Sueca, Valencia. Son of peasants, he studied in Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Carlos with Vicente Ballester Marco, among others. In 1922, he moved to Roma where obtained big success with sculptures such as “Aurora” and “Aretusa.” Also he was married with radio host Anita Ricci. In 1928, he […]

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez (1867 - 1928)

Author,  Politician.  He was sometimes called “The Spanish Zola” because his early,  realistic novels dealt with the poor and oppressed in his native Valencia.  Later he turned to writing best sellers that brought him international fame,  though at the expense of his literary reputation.  Most popular were the bullfighting story “Blood and Sand” (1909) and […]

Vicente Coello (1915 - 2006)

Screenwriter, Journalist. A native of Valencia, Coello was one of the most prolific screenwriters in Spanish cinema. He is probably best remembered for his scripts for Paco Martínez Soria’s films, among them “El Abuelo Tiene un Plan” (1972) and “Estoy Hecho un Chaval” (1975). His other credits,  many of them popular comedies,  include “Pequeñeces” (1950), […]

Vicente Pío Marcelino Cirilo Aleixandre y Merlo (1898 - 1984)

Poet. He was awarded the the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977. Among his books are “La Destrucción o el Amor,” “Poemas de la Consumación,” and “Diálogos del Conocimiento.”

Vicente Pío Marcelino Cirilo Aleixandre y Merlo (1898 - 1984)

Poet. He was awarded the the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1977. Among his books are “La Destrucción o el Amor,” “Poemas de la Consumación,” and “Diálogos del Conocimiento.”

Vicki Morgan (1952 - 1983)

Vicki Morgan Vicki Morgan had a disadvantaged childhood, a lack of education tied into having become an unwed mother as a teenager after a years long relationship, and, it could be argued, had only beauty as an asset, so what hope did she have to escape her past, especially because she spoke with a lisp? She’d […]

Victor “Vic” Aldridge (1893 - 1973)

Born in Indian Springs, Indiana, Vic Aldridge attended Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana, and taught school in Miami County. He was married to Cleta B. Wadsworth of Indian Springs.  Aldridge was a dependable second or third starter throughout most of his career. He was known for his curveball and pinpoint accuracy. Aldridge batted and […]

Victor Argo (1934 - 2004)

Actor. Tough-guy actor who played heavies, hoodlums and detectives in films like “Mean Streets” (1973) with Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel. The Martin Scorsese “Taxi Driver” (1976)(as the deli owner), “King of New York” (1990) as Roy Bishop with Christopher Walken, David Caruso, Laurence Fishburne, Wesley Snipes, and Steve Buscemi, and “Ghost Dog: The […]

Victor Balasz Balasic, Jr (1897 - 1943)

Entertainer. He was a member of the Balasic Family Acrobats and Vaudeville Performers. He is buried in the National Vaudeville Association section of Kensico Cemetery. (bio by: Mark Balasi)

Victor Borge (1909 - 2000)

Rosenbaum was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, into a Jewish family. His parents, Bernhard and Frederikke (Lichtinger) Rosenbaum, were both musicians—his father a violist in the Royal Danish Orchestra and his mother a pianist. Like his mother, Borge began piano lessons at the age of two, and it was soon apparent that he was a prodigy. […]