Virginia Mckenna

 
Talented flaxen-blonde British star combined her deep loves for acting and for wildlife throughout most her adult life. Born in London, her family possessed a sturdy theatrical background.

Virginia and her mother evacuated from England to Cape Town, South Africa due to the London blitz. a move that lasted six years.

Upon her return to England, she acted in a few school plays. Her interest stuck and she auditioned and was accepted into the London School of Central Speech and Drama.

Virginia met second husband, Bill Travers when they appeared together in the play "I Capture the Castle" in London in 1954 and were married three years later.

They signed up to play Joy and George Adamson, noted wildlife welfare preservationists, in a landmark film version of the best-selling novel Born Free. The movie was a massive, international box office smash. The shooting, with the real George Adamson serving as tech advisor, deeply affected the couple so much that for the rest of their lives/careers they dedicated themselves to wildlife causes with many of their subsequent pictures having related themes.