Virginia Bosler facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Virginia Bosler
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Virginia Bosler headshot circa 1947
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| Born | September 23, 1926 Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Died | August 30, 2020 (aged 93) Ellsworth, Maine, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | “Winkie” |
| Occupation | Actress, dancer |
| Known for | Brigadoon, Oklahoma! and Broadway musicals |
| Spouse(s) | Hubert Alexander Doris (1956–2008; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
Virginia Bosler (born September 23, 1926 – died August 30, 2020) was an American actress and dancer. Her friends called her "Winkie." She became famous for her roles in Broadway musicals and movies like Brigadoon and Oklahoma!.
Contents
Early Life and Dance Beginnings
Virginia Bosler moved around a lot when she was young because her dad was an engineer. When she was seven, her family moved to Great Neck, Long Island. Her mom signed her up for ballet classes to help with her posture.
For three years, Virginia studied ballet with famous teachers like Mikhail Mordkin. After that, her family moved again, and she stopped dancing for a while. She started dancing again when she went to Cherry Lawn High School in Connecticut. There, she focused on modern and folk dancing.
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Learning at Jacob's Pillow
When she was 15, Virginia went to Jacob's Pillow, a famous dance school in Massachusetts. She returned for two more summers as a special scholarship student. At Jacob's Pillow, she danced in the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. She even learned Pilates exercises directly from its creator, Joseph Pilates. The founder of Jacob's Pillow, Ted Shawn, was very impressed with her.
After a difficult year at Barnard College, Virginia decided to leave school. She wanted to focus on becoming a professional dancer. She continued her studies with well-known choreographers like Hanya Holm and Merce Cunningham.
Her big chance came in 1946 when she was cast in the touring show of Bloomer Girl. This musical was choreographed by Agnes de Mille. After watching Virginia perform for nine months, de Mille asked her to audition for a new show called Brigadoon.
Broadway and Film Roles
Virginia Bosler created the role of Jean MacLaren in the original Broadway show Brigadoon in 1947. She played this part for over a year and a half on Broadway. Then, she toured with the show for another year. She even played the same role in the 1954 movie version of Brigadoon, though her part was much smaller in the film.
After Brigadoon, Virginia performed in other Broadway shows. From 1950 to 1951, she was in Out of This World, a musical directed by Agnes de Mille. She also appeared in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Leonard Sillman’s New Faces of 1952.
Movie Musicals
In 1953 and 1954, Virginia was part of the Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre tour. However, she took time off to film Brigadoon from December 1953 to March 1954.
Right after the Brigadoon movie came out in September 1954, Virginia went back to Hollywood. She filmed her scenes for the movie version of Oklahoma!. Agnes de Mille also created the dances for this film. Both Brigadoon and Oklahoma! were special because they were filmed using new widescreen technologies like CinemaScope and Todd-AO.
In the summer of 1955, Virginia went on a European tour of the musical Oklahoma!. They performed in cities like Paris, Rome, and London. She also returned to play Jean MacLaren in several revivals of Brigadoon at New York City Center in 1957 and 1963. Virginia also appeared on TV in shows like Producers' Showcase in 1956.
By 1963, Virginia Bosler mostly stopped performing in public.
Later Career and Family Life
In the late 1970s, Virginia started a new career. She began studying Labanotation. This is a special way to write down and save dance moves on paper. For 10 years, she worked for the Dance Notation Bureau in New York City. She created Labanotation scores for famous choreographers like George Balanchine and Agnes de Mille. These important dance records are kept at the New York Public Library.
In 1997, when she was 70 years old, Virginia started another new career. She became a yoga teacher.
Just before she turned 30, Virginia married Hubert Alexander Doris in 1956. He was a music professor at Barnard College. They had a quiet family life and adopted two children, Alexander and Julia. Her husband passed away in 2008. Virginia "Winkie" Bosler lived a peaceful retirement in Ellsworth, Maine, and she passed away on August 30, 2020.
Performances
Theatre
- Bloomer Girl (National Tour – 1946)
- Brigadoon (Broadway – 1947–1948)
- Brigadoon (National Tour – 1948–1949)
- Out of This World (Broadway – 1950–1951)
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Broadway replacement – closing cast – 1951)
- Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1952 (Broadway – 1952–1953)
- Agnes de Mille Dance Theatre tour (1953–1954)
- Oklahoma! (European Tour – 1955)
- Red Roses for Me (Broadway – 1955)
- Brigadoon (New York City Center – 1957)
- If Five Years Pass (Off-Broadway – 1962)
- Brigadoon (New York City Center – 1963)
- Oklahoma! (New York City Center – 1963)
Film
- Brigadoon (1954) - Jean Campbell
- Oklahoma! (1955) - Dancer
TV
- Producers' Showcase Bloomer Girl (1956)
- Producers' Showcase Jack and the Beanstalk (1956)
- Bell Telephone Hour Cherry Tree Carol (1959)
- Dance On (1984)
