Virginia Gilmore was born as Sherman Virginia Poole in El Monte, California. Her father was a retired officer of the British Army. She began her stage career in San Francisco at the age of 15, but moved to Los Angeles in 1939 to pursue work in films. When her movie career was not progressing, Gilmore mustered the nerve to approach Samuel Goldwyn at his home. As a result of their meeting, he promised her a screen test. She did soon land some small movie roles. Her better known film appearances both occurred in 1941: Western Union, directed by Fritz Lang, and Swamp Water directed by Jean Renoir.
When her movie role options began to dwindle, Gilmore left Los Angeles for New York City and started working on Broadway. In 1943, Gilmore played in Those Endearing Young Charms and The World’s Full of Girls. In 1944, she played the title role in Dear Ruth, which was directed by Moss Hart. Starting in the late 1940s, Gilmore had many television roles. In 1949, she and her husband, Yul Brynner, were featured on We’re On, an NBC television series. Between 1966 and 1968, she taught drama at Yale University. In her later years, Gilmore was a leader in Alcoholics Anonymous.
In 1944, she married Yul Brynner. The couple had one son, Yul "Rock" Brynner, born on December 23, 1946. They divorced in 1960.
She died from emphysema at her home in Santa Barbara, California in 1986, aged 66.
