Her son, Robert, by Broadway conductor Robert Emmett Dolan was born in 1939; a second son, Michael, was born to her from her second marriage to Stanley Briggs, an inventor and professional tennis player.
In 1948, she married tennis player Stanley Briggs and the couple had a son, Michael. She also had a son, Robert Dolan.
Longtime dance teacher and co-owner of the Ebsen School of Dancing in Pacific Palisades, California along with her sister, Helga. The school was once featured in a 1948 Life magazine cover story. It continued to run until the mid-1990s.
Retired for marriage.
She and Buddy were a sensation performing "Ain't Misbehavin' in Atlantic City when they were reviewed by columnist Walter Winchell, whose rave put them on the map, going on to performing at the legendary Palace Theatre.
She and older brother Buddy Ebsen were a popular vaudeville and supper club dance couple once known as "The Baby Astaires." Some of their top New York shows included "Whoopee!" with Eddie Cantor, "Flying Colors" with Clifton Webb and Patsy Kelly, and the "Ziegfeld Follies of 1934."
She returned to New York after her brief Hollywood stay and performed in the musical comedy "Between the Devil" from 1937 to 1938.
Sister of Buddy Ebsen
The duo was approached by MGM in 1936 for a screen test and awarded a contract for two years with a two-year option beginning at $1,500 a week each. Vilma's only movie was Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) in which they danced to "Sing Before Breakfast" and "On a Sunday Afternoon." Due to a contract glitch, Vilma was not kept on after the film's success and she quickly retired.
Was once the director of the dance department at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, USA.
Was the fourth of five children. Her father established the first Ebsen School of Dancing in Orlando, Florida.