Karolyn Grimes played the youngest Bailey, 6-year-old Zuzu, in "It's a Wonderful Life." She is known for saying, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings," according to the National Catholic Register. Grimes had already appeared in four films before landing the iconic role, she explains on her official website. And while she starred in 16 movies, Zuzu was her most memorable role. 

But when Grimes was 8 years old, her mother got sick, so she had to stop acting. Her mother died of early-onset Alzheimer's when Grimes was just 14 years old. The following year, her father died in a car accident, so she moved to a small town in Missouri to live with an uncle. Grimes taught Bible School, and after graduating from high school became a medical technologist, a job she held for two decades. Sadly, she endured even more tragedy in her life. Her first husband, whom she had divorced, died in a hunting accident. She remarried, and her youngest child died by suicide at age 18. Her second husband died of lung cancer after 25 years of marriage. 

In the 1990s, Grimes became an unofficial ambassador for "It's a Wonderful Life." She teamed up with several other actors from the film for a reunion tour around the United States. In 1996, she released "Zuzu Bailey's It's A Wonderful Life Cookbook." As of 2021, she still attends screenings, benefits, and conventions related to the film.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunCClm5rcG9frLWiwIyhmKmolaOypXnTqGStoJVisKK%2F02amn2WZqcBurYywpqeclaeztriMpaCfnV2Ws7Wx0WagrWWTlrqmec6uq2g%3D