Virginia Patton, Last ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Adult Cast Member, Dies at 97

Virginia Patton in It's A Wonderful Life
CBS via Getty Images

Virginia Patton, the last surviving adult cast member of It’s A Wonderful Life, has died. She was 97.

According to Deadline, Patton passed away in an assisted living facility on Thursday, August 18, in Albany, Georgia. Karolyn Grimes, a former child actor who worked with Patton on the beloved holiday film, confirmed the death in a tribute post on her personal Facebook page.

“We have another angel! Virginia Patton Moss. She was 97 years old,” Grimes wrote. “She is now with her beloved Cruse. She will be missed!”

Patton was born on June 25, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the niece of World War II General George Patton. Her acting career began during her time at the University of Southern California (USC), where she started auditioning for acting roles. Her performance during a USC play caught the attention of director Frank Capra, who cast her as Ruth Dakin Bailey, the wife of George Bailey’s younger brother Harry in It’s A Wonderful Life.

While It’s A Wonderful Life did meager numbers at the box office at the time of its 1946 release, it went on to become a cult favorite and a holiday staple. Patton, meanwhile, continued her acting career throughout the 1940s, appearing in the films The Burning Cross, A Double Life, and Black Eagle. However, she retired from acting after a supporting turn in The Lucky Stiff in 1949.

“I couldn’t see me doing that for my life,” Patton said of her movie career in a 2012 interview with the local news outlet Patch. “That isn’t what I wanted. I wanted exactly what I am. Ann Arbor, Michigan, a wonderful husband, wonderful children, a good part of the community. I work hard for the community.”