Born Virginia Ruth Egnor in Yawkey (Lincoln County), Dagmar grew up in Huntington and went to Huntington High School and Huntington Business College.

During World War II, she moved to New York City with her husband, where she began modeling and acting on Broadway. She started using the stage name Dagmar while working on NBC’s first late-night show, Broadway Open House, in 1950. Her funny, straight-faced style made her a TV star.

Dagmar appeared with stars such as Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra and made the cover of Life magazine in 1951. At her peak, she received 2,000 fan letters a week.

She later had her own short-lived show, Dagmar’s Canteen, and kept performing in clubs and theater. She moved to Ceredo (Wayne County) in 1996.