Vilma Bánky (1901 - 1991)

Actress. Born Konsics Bánky Vilma in Nagydorog near Budapest Hungary. Her father was a bureau chief under the Franz Josef Austro-Hungarian Empire. She was raised and educated in Budapest and had 2 younger siblings-a brother, Guyla and a sister, Agnes. Renown for her beauty and grace her friends suggested she take up acting. A Hungarian […]

Vilmos Aba-Novak (1894 - 1941)

Artist. He was one of Hungary’s leading painters between World Wars I and II. Born in Budapest, he studied at the College of Fine Arts from 1912 to 1914, and served in the Hungarian Army on the Eastern Front during World War I. From 1928 to 1931 he lived in Rome, Italy on a scholarship […]

Vilmos Zsigmond (1930 - 2016)

Vilmos Zsigmond was born in Szeged, Hungary, the son of Bozena (née Illichman), an administrator, and Vilmos Zsigmond, a celebrated soccer player and coach. He studied cinema at the Academy of Drama and Film in Budapest. He received an MA in cinematography. He worked for five years in a Budapest feature film studio becoming “director […]

Vince Barnett (1902 - 1977)

Vince Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Luke Barnett, a well-known comedian who specialized in insulting and pulling practical jokes on his audiences. (Luke’s professional nickname was “Old Man Ribber” and “the King of Ribbing”.) Barnett graduated from Duquesne University Prep School and Carnegie Institute of Technology. An avid amateur […]

Vince Bushey (1922 - 1988)

Stage and screen actor. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Vince Edwards (1928 - 1996)

Edwards was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York, to Julia and Vincento Zoino. He and his twin brother, Anthony, were the youngest of seven children. He was a standout on his high school swim team and went on to study at Ohio State University on an athletic scholarship. He […]

Vincent Alo (1904 - 2001)

Organized Crime Figure. Born in Harlem, New York, Alo started working on Wall Street at age 14. As a young man, Alo was convicted of armed robbery and sent to state prison (either at Sing Sing or Dannemora state prisons).  In 1926, Alo became a made man, or full member, of Giuseppe Masseria‘s powerful New York […]

Vincent Astor (1891 - 1959)

Financier, Businessman, Philanthropist. The son of Colonel John Jacob Astor IV, he entered Harvard University only to leave after the death of his father in the sinking of the “RMS Titanic”‘. He was the first Astor, in several generations, to take active control of the family investments, with interests in automobiles, shipping and air transportation, […]

Vincent Bugliosi (1934 - 2015)

American Attorney, Prosecutor and Author. Bugliosi will best be remembered for successfully prosecuting Charles Manson and his accomplices for the seven Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. Bugliosi graduated from the University of Miami, which he attended on a tennis scholarship. In 1964, he received his law degree from UCLA, where he was president of his graduating […]

Vincent Coll (1908 - 1932)

Organized Crime Figure. An Irish-born gangster in New York City, he regaled in the media attention for his violent activities, preferring short-term, violent solutions to his problems with gang rivalry. His attacks on the major New York City gangs left him with the nickname “Mad Dog,” for daring to take on the other mobsters. In […]

Vincent de Moro-Giafferi (1878 - 1956)

Criminal Lawyer. Vincent served in the French army in World War I, and was an officer of the Legion of Honor. He held the Croix de guerre. One of the most famous criminal lawyers of his era, he acquired a reputation that was global in scope. Courtrooms were packed with other lawyers, and the general […]

Vincent Drucci (1898 - 1927)

Mafia figure. He was a hated sicilian gangster who was in the West Side Irish gang under Dion O’Bannion of Chicago. He was killed in a police car by Detective Danny Healy. Four bullets struck and killed him. He was buried in typical gangland fashion. His silver casket cost $10,000 and more than $30,000 in […]

Vincent Gardenia (1970 - 1992)

Actor. Born Vincenzo Scognamiglio in Naples Italy and raised in New York, he didn’t begin acting until the late 1950s when he was in his mid 30s. He landed supporting roles on Broadway in “Volpone”(1957) and “Only in America”(1959), and also in films. In 1961, he appeared in “The Hustler” as a bartender and “Mad […]

Vincent George Marotta, Sr (1924 - 2015)

American Inventor, Real Estate Developer and Philantropist. Marotta, a former pro football player who had also signed with Major League Baseball’s St. Louis Cardinals, was a co-creator of the Mr. Coffee machine that eventually replaced the standard percolator found in most American homes. A star athlete, he was signed as a center fielder by the […]

Vincent Gigante (1928 - 2005)

Vincent Gigante Vincent Gigante, gangster: born New York 29 March 1928; married 1950 Olympia Grippa (two sons, three daughters), (one son, two daughters with Olympia Esposito); died Springfield, Missouri 19 December 2005. In his heyday, Vincent “Chin” Gigante was considered the most powerful Mafia don in the United States. But you wouldn’t have guessed it […]

Vincent Hugo Bendix (1881 - 1945)

Inventor, Industrialist. Born in Moline, Illinois, he was noted as a pioneer for his developments in the automobile and aircraft industry. In the early 1900s, he designed his own car, the Bendix Motor Buggy and his Bendix mechanical starters and brakes were the auto industry’s standard by the 1930s. During World War II, he developed […]

Vincent John Fuller (1931 - 2006)

Attorney. He was a prominent defense lawyer whose clients included boxer Mike Tyson, fight promoter Don King and union leader Jimmy Hoffa. His most notable case occurred in 1982 representing John Hinckley Jr., accused in the March 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. During the eight week trial he successfully argued on behalf of […]

Vincent Rao (1898 - 1988)

Organized Crime Figure. Consigliere of the Luchese Organized Crime Family during the reign of Family Boss Thomas (Three Finger Brown) Luchese. He operated out of 107th Street in Manhattan, New York from the 1920’s until the early 1970’s. He retired to Florida and died there of natural causes in 1988, at the age of 90.

Vincent Sardi, Sr (1885 - 1969)

Businessman. He founded “Sardi’s Restaurant” in Manhattan, New York City, New York, which became famous as a popular destination for celebrities.

Vincent Sherman (1906 - 2006)

Vincent Sherman was born Abraham Orovitz, to Jewish parents. He was born and grew up in the small town of Vienna, Georgia, where his father was a dry-goods salesman. Not long after graduating from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, he became a professional actor. Vincent Sherman arrived in New York to sell a play and soon became […]

Vincent Van Gogh (1853 - 1890)

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Post-Impressionist painter of Dutch origin whose work—notable for its rough beauty, emotional honesty, and bold color—had a far-reaching influence on 20th-century art. After years of painful anxiety and frequent bouts of mental illness, he died aged 37 from a gunshot wound, generally […]

Vincente Minnelli (1903 - 1986)

Vincente Minnelli born and baptized as Lester Anthony Minnelli in Chicago, he was the youngest of four known sons, only two of whom survived to adulthood, born to Marie Émilie Odile Lebeau (stage name: Mina Gennell) and Vincent Charles Minnelli. His father was musical conductor of Minnelli Brothers’ Tent Theater. His Chicago-born mother was of […]

Vincenzo Cerami (1940 - 2013)

Novelist, Screenwriter. He will be best remembered for the script of the Oscar-winning film “Life Is Beautiful” (1997). In 1976, he published his first novel “Un borghese piccolo piccolo”, ferocious satire about middle-class frustrations of the italian in the seventies which was followed by a successful film adaptation starring Alberto Sordi. During a literary career […]

Vincenzo Genna (1970 - 1970)

Gangster. Fled to Sicily with Peter and Sam after their brothers’ murders. They returned to Chicago, and divorced themselves from the rackets to run an olive oil importing firm.

Viola Dana (1897 - 1987)

Viola Dana Viola Dana was born Virginia Flugrath on June 26, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York. She we was the third child born to Emil, a printer, and Mary Flugrath. The couple already had a daughter Edna (b. 1893) and a son, LeRoy (1895-1901). Youngest daughter, Leonie (Shirley Mason) was born in 1900. Emil Flugrath […]

Viola Adele Porter (1879 - 1942)

Actress. She was a frontier stage entertainer in the late 1800s to early 1900s. She is best known for being a part of western actor Jack Langrishe’s theater troupe which performed at the Langrishe Theatre in Deadwood, South Dakota and later in all the states on the west coast. (bio by: John “J-Cat” Griffith)

Viola Allen (1867 - 1948)

Allen was born in Huntsville, Alabama in 1867 (some sources say 1869 see discussion), the daughter of actors C. Leslie Allen and Sarah Lyon. She moved to Boston at three years of age and later moved with her family to Toronto. She was educated at the Bishop Strachan School, her brothers being educated at Trinity […]

Viola Allen (1869 - 1948)

Actress. Born into a theatrical family, she made her debut at age fifteen in “Esmeralda” with her father, character actor C. Leslie Allen. Over the years she took parts in various Shakespeare plays, including: “Twelfth Night,” “The Winter’s Tale,” “Cymbeline” and “As You Like It.”  Also, she played lead roles in two silents: “The White […]

Viola Barry (1894 - 1964)

Actress. She was born Gladys Viola Wilson in Evanston, Illinois the daughter of Jackson Stitt Wilson. She moved with her family to Berkeley, California. In 1910, Barry signed with the Belasco Theater Company to be their new ingénue. Prior to this, she had four years of stage experience, two of these with Benson’s Shakespearean Company […]

Viola Brown-Walker (1942 - 1993)

Received 1989 Newmast Award for accomplishments as a science educator. Taught for 28 Years.