Karolyn Grimes - wikipedia Karolyn Grimes Karolyn Grimes Grimes in It 's a Wonderful Life, 1946 ( 1940 - 07 - 04 ) July 4, 1940 ( age 77 ) Hollywood, California, U.S. Occupation Actress Years active 1945 -- 1954 2015 -- present ( acting ) Notable work It 's a Wonderful Life ( 1946 ) Karolyn Grimes ( born July 4, 1940 ) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Zuzu Bailey in the classic 1946 Frank Capra film It 's a Wonderful Life. She also played Debbie in the 1947 film The Bishop 's Wife. Contents 1 Personal life 2 Career 3 Filmography 4 References 5 External links Personal Life Grimes was born in Hollywood, California. At age 5, she studied piano and violin at the Boyd School for Actors. Grimes ' parents, Mr. and Mrs. La Van Grimes, were teachers in Kansas City, Missouri. Her mother pushed her into acting, but her acting career declined with her mother 's health. The latter died from illness when Grimes was 14, and she lost her father from a car crash a year later. A court ruling sent her from Hollywood to Osceola, Missouri, where she lived in what she called a `` bad home '' with her aunt and uncle. She went to college in Warrensburg, Missouri at the University of Central Missouri, married, raised children, and became a medical technologist. Grimes ' first marriage ended in divorce, after which her ex-husband was killed in a hunting accident. Her 18 - year - old son committed suicide in 1989, and her second husband died from cancer in 1994. Career Donna Reed, Jimmy Stewart and Karolyn Grimes in It 's a Wonderful Life ( 1946 ) Grimes ' film debut came when she was 6 months old. She `` first attracted attention with a role in Pardon My Past. Zuzu had been a part of Grimes ' past but as It 's a Wonderful Life gained more attention, she gave local interviews in the 1980s and national interviews in the 1990s. After she suffered a serious financial setback during the early 2000s recession, she made a career of her advocacy for the film. Grimes tours big - screen showings of It 's a Wonderful Life at dinner theatres worldwide, signing autographs, sharing tidbits, and pointing out small errors. She also produced a cookbook inspired by that role and marketed a limited line of `` Zuzu Dolls ''. Grimes was honored as a famous Missourian with a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame in Marshfield, Missouri. She also received the city 's highest honor, the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative in 2007 at the annual Marshfield cherry blossom festival. Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1945 That Night with You Orphan Uncredited 1945 Pardon My Past Stephanie Pemberton 1946 Sister Kenny Carolyn Scenes deleted 1946 Blue Skies Mary Elizabeth Adams 1946 It 's a Wonderful Life Zuzu Bailey 1947 Sweet and Low Tammie Short film 1947 Vance 's Gamble Pat Roberts Uncredited 1947 The Private Affairs of Bel Ami Laurine de Marelle 1947 Mother Wore Tights Iris Uncredited 1947 Unconquered Little Girl Uncredited 1947 The Bishop 's Wife Debby Brougham 1948 Albuquerque City Myrtle Walton Also known as Silver City 1949 Lust for Gold Martha Bannister Also known as For Those Who Dare 1950 Rio Grande Margret Mary 1951 Honeychile Effie 1952 Hans Christian Andersen Copenhagen Match Girl Uncredited References ^ Jump up to : `` Behind the Scenes in Hollywood ''. Indiana, Valparaiso. The Vidette - Messenger. August 28, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved March 13, 2016 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` Joan Caulfield Wins Star Role In New Edward Robinson Film ''. New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 21, 1947. p. 12. Retrieved March 14, 2016 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ Nudd, Tim ( December 24, 2013 ). `` Karolyn Grimes, Actress Who Played Zuzu Bailey : ' No One Has a Wonderful Life ' ''. People. Retrieved March 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Karolyn Grimes Bids For Moppet Stardom ''. New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 25, 1946. p. 25. Retrieved March 13, 2016 -- via Newspapers.com. Jump up ^ `` It Was n't Always a Wonderful Life for Little Zuzu Bailey ''. Social.entertainment.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2011 - 12 - 08. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ `` As Zuzu Can Attest, Americans Love Hopeful Ring of ' It 's a Wonderful Life ' ''. Jump up ^ Zuzu Bailey 's It 's a Wonderful Life Cookbook. Jump up ^ `` It Was a Wonderful Part ''. Jump up ^ `` Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival Homepage ''. External links Karolyn Grimes on IMDb official site `` Karolyn Grimes - Zuzu today '' On a Wing and a Prayer Lane, Raymond M. ( December 2, 2011 ). `` For Zuzu of ' It 's a Wonderful Life, ' it was n't such a wonderful life afterward ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 4, 2011. LCCN : n96062369 VIAF : 75582229 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karolyn_Grimes&oldid=828666607 '' Categories : 1940 births Living people 20th - century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses People from Osceola, Missouri Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 4 March 2018, at 00 : 25 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who played zuzu in it's a wonderful life
Answer: Karolyn Grimes