Virginia Christine

Virginia Christine (born Virginia Christine Ricketts, March 5, 1920 – July 24, 1996) was an American stage, radio, film, television, and voice actress whose career spanned more than three decades. Born in Stanton, Iowa, to Swedish‑descent parents, she moved several times during childhood, eventually settling in California where she attended the University of California, Los Angeles and began working in radio while still a student. Her early work included an extensive run on the radio version of Gunsmoke, appearing in twenty‑three episodes between 1954 and 1961, which honed her skill for vivid character work. In 1940 she married character actor Fritz Feld, and the couple remained together until his death in 1993, raising two sons, Steven and Danny. Christine made her theatrical debut in 1942 with Hedda Gabler in Los Angeles, a performance that caught the eye of a Warner Bros. talent scout and launched her film career with a supporting role in Edge of Darkness (1943). Though briefly dropped by Warner Bros., she quickly signed with Universal Pictures, appearing in such titles as The Mummy’s Curse (1944) and the film‑noir classic The Killers (1946), where she portrayed Lilly Harman Lubinsky opposite Ava Gardner’s understudy role. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s she became a favored character actress of producer Stanley Kramer, contributing to landmark films including High Noon (1952), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967). Perhaps her most culturally recognizable role was the warm‑hearted “Mrs. Olson” of Folgers Coffee commercials, a persona she embodied for over twenty years, delivering comforting lines that entered the national lexicon and earning parodies from such stars as Carol Burnett and Johnny Carson. Christine’s television résumé is equally extensive, with guest appearances on The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Bonanza, and The Fugitive, and a final voice‑over credit on the animated series Scooby‑Doo and Scrappy‑Doo (1979). After retiring, she devoted time to volunteer work with Planned Parenthood, served as a judge for the American College Theatre Festival, and was honored as the honorary mayor of Brentwood, Los Angeles, where she lived until her death from cardiovascular disease in 1996. Her legacy endures as a versatile character actress whose warm presence defined both classic cinema and iconic advertising.