Jane Wyman

American actress

Also known as: Sarah Jane Fulks, Sarah Jane Mayfield

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Original name:: Sarah Jane Mayfield

Also known as:: Sarah Jane Fulks

Born:: January 5, 1917, St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.

Died:: September 10, 2007, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. (aged 90)

Also Known As:: Sarah Jane Fulks; Sarah Jane Mayfield

Movies/Tv Shows (Acted In):: "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (1993); "Falcon Crest" (1981–1990); "Charlie's Angels" (1980); "The Love Boat" (1980); "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law" (1974); "The Bold Ones: The New Doctors" (1972–1973); "The Sixth Sense" (1972); "My Three Sons" (1970); "How to Commit Marriage" (1969); "The Red Skelton Show" (1968); "Insight" (1962–1967); "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre" (1966); "Wagon Train" (1958–1962); "Bon Voyage!" (1962); "The Investigators" (1961); "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" (1960); "Checkmate" (1960); "Pollyanna" (1960); "Holiday for Lovers" (1959); "Lux Playhouse" (1959); "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre" (1955–1958); "Miracle in the Rain" (1956); "Lucy Gallant" (1955); "All That Heaven Allows" (1955); "General Electric Theater" (1955); "Summer Playhouse" (1954); "Magnificent Obsession" (1954); "So Big" (1953); "Let's Do It Again" (1953); "Just for You" (1952); "The Story of Will Rogers" (1952); "Starlift" (1951); "The Blue Veil" (1951); "Here Comes the Groom" (1951); "Three Guys Named Mike" (1951); "The Glass Menagerie" (1950); "Stage Fright" (1950); "The Lady Takes a Sailor" (1949); "A Kiss in the Dark" (1949); "Johnny Belinda" (1948); "Magic Town" (1947); "Cheyenne" (1947); "The Yearling" (1946); "Night and Day" (1946); "One More Tomorrow" (1946); "The Lost Weekend" (1945); "Hollywood Canteen" (1944); "Crime by Night" (1944); "The Doughgirls" (1944); "Make Your Own Bed" (1944); "Princess O'Rourke" (1943); "Footlight Serenade" (1942); "My Favorite Spy" (1942); "Larceny, Inc." (1942); "You're in the Army Now" (1941); "The Body Disappears" (1941); "Bad Men of Missouri" (1941); "Honeymoon for Three" (1941); "Tugboat Annie Sails Again" (1940); "My Love Came Back" (1940); "Gambling on the High Seas" (1940); "Flight Angels" (1940); "An Angel from Texas" (1940); "Brother Rat and a Baby" (1940); "Private Detective" (1939); "Kid Nightingale" (1939); "Torchy Blane.. Playing with Dynamite" (1939); "The Kid from Kokomo" (1939); "Tail Spin" (1939); "Brother Rat" (1938); "The Crowd Roars" (1938); "Wide Open Faces" (1938); "He Couldn't Say No" (1938); "The Spy Ring" (1938); "Mr. Dodd Takes the Air" (1937); "Public Wedding" (1937); "The Singing Marine" (1937); "Slim" (1937); "The King and the Chorus Girl" (1937); "Ready, Willing and Able" (1937); "Smart Blonde" (1937)

Jane Wyman (born January 5, 1917, St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.—died September 10, 2007, Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.) was an American actor who had a long, distinguished career in film and television, but was perhaps equally well known as the first wife (1940–48) of former president Ronald Reagan.

Wyman’s father died when she was a small child, and she was placed in the care of neighbours, whose last name she took. Determined to have a career in show business, Wyman moved to California and became a chorus girl. She spent several years as a singer on the radio, appearing in the choruses of movie musicals and in bit parts, and starring in a number of B movies before her portrayal of an alcoholic’s girlfriend in The Lost Weekend (1945) proved to be her breakthrough as a dramatic actress.

After starring in The Yearling (1946), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination, Wyman won the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948); she also won Oscar nominations for her roles in The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). Other notable films included The Glass Menagerie (1950) and All That Heaven Allows (1955).

Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema).

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Wyman then branched out into television with the anthology series Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre (1955–58); she often hosted and starred in various episodes of the show. She semiretired but made a few more motion pictures, including Pollyanna (1960), and occasional guest appearances on television. Wyman returned to prominence and found a new audience with the TV series Falcon Crest (1981–90), in which she starred as the domineering matriarch Angela Channing, owner of a California winery.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.