Actress. Born Vivian Ruth Anderson to Norwegian immigrant parents, she started out in vaudeville as a child and made her screen debut in "Destiny: Or, The Soul of a Woman" (1915). She married actor John T. Murray in 1917 and divided her time between movies and Broadway appearances until 1928, when she settled in Hollywood. The vivacious, platinum-blonde Oakland had a penchant for comedy and during the 1930s she was a fixture on the Hal Roach lot, appearing in several shorts opposite Laurel & Hardy and "slow burn" funnyman Edgar Kennedy. Stan and Ollie fans remember her best for her playfully racy drunk scene with them in "Scram!" (1932). Her 140 other credits include "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1927), "Way Out West" (1937), "Island of Lost Men" (1939), "A Chump at Oxford" (1940), "Sister Kenny" (1946), and "Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman" (1947); her last was a Leon Errol short, "Punchy Pancho" (1951). After Murray's death in 1957 Oakland was employed as a saleswoman in a toy store. She died of cancer at the Motion Picture Country Home.
Actress. Born Vivian Ruth Anderson to Norwegian immigrant parents, she started out in vaudeville as a child and made her screen debut in "Destiny: Or, The Soul of a Woman" (1915). She married actor John T. Murray in 1917 and divided her time between movies and Broadway appearances until 1928, when she settled in Hollywood. The vivacious, platinum-blonde Oakland had a penchant for comedy and during the 1930s she was a fixture on the Hal Roach lot, appearing in several shorts opposite Laurel & Hardy and "slow burn" funnyman Edgar Kennedy. Stan and Ollie fans remember her best for her playfully racy drunk scene with them in "Scram!" (1932). Her 140 other credits include "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1927), "Way Out West" (1937), "Island of Lost Men" (1939), "A Chump at Oxford" (1940), "Sister Kenny" (1946), and "Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman" (1947); her last was a Leon Errol short, "Punchy Pancho" (1951). After Murray's death in 1957 Oakland was employed as a saleswoman in a toy store. She died of cancer at the Motion Picture Country Home.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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