- She died from burns she suffered after inadvertently dropping a lit cigarette into the pocket of her flammable sleepwear. Reputedly dependent on alcohol and sleeping medication, Viertel woke one night in her Los Angeles home and while in the bathroom lit a cigarette that she then dropped inadvertently into the pocket of her dressing gown, causing her immolation. She died from the burns she suffered a month later.
Nickname: Jigee. - She married Budd Schulberg on New Year's Eve 1936. They divorced in 1942 and she married Peter Viertel. Peter subsequently left her for the fashion model Bettina Graziani. After Graziani left him for Prince Aly Khan, Peter ended his relationship with Viertel and later became involved with Deborah Kerr.
- She had a daughter Victoria (born 1940) by her first husband, Budd Schulberg.
- Mother, with Peter Viertel, of daughter, Christine Viertel, born in 1952.
- Ex-sister-in-law of Stuart Schulberg.
- She has been said to be the inspiration for the Barbra Streisand character in "The Way We Were".
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