Jane Wyman

Academy Award winning actress Jane Wyman began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948), and later achieved success during the 1980s for her leading role in the television series Falcon Crest.

Born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917 in St. Joseph, Missouri to Manning Jefferies Mayfield, a meal-company laborer, and (Gladys) Hope Christian, a doctor's stenographer and office assistant.(Although her birth date has been widely reported for many years as January 4, 1914, research by biographers and genealogists indicate that she was born on January 5, 1917.) The most likely reason for the 1914 date is that she added to her age when beginning her career as a minor, so that she could work. After Wyman's death, a release posted on her official website confirmed these details. In October 1921, her mother filed for divorce, and her father died unexpectedly the following year at age 27. After her father's death, her mother moved to Cleveland, Ohio, leaving her to be reared by foster parents, Emma and Richard D. Fulks, the chief of detectives in Saint Joseph. She took their surname unofficially, including in her school records and, apparently, her first marriage certificate.

In 1928, Wyman moved to southern California where she attempted, with the help of her mother, to break into films. Unable to find work, they moved back to Missouri two years later.

After attending the University of Missouri; she began a career as a radio singer, which led her to another name change to Jane Durrell. She then changed Durrell to Wyman and made her first film in 1935 as a chorus dancer in the musical King of Burlesque. Wyman signed with Warner Bros. studio in 1936 and made her film acting debut the next year with a bit part in Gold Diggers of 1937.

Wyman toiled for a decade in mostly B-movie fare and supporting roles in bigger films. But she gained notice in 1945 for her role as the girlfriend of a chronic alcoholic in Billy Wilder's drama The Lost Weekend. Wyman went on to give a string of Oscar-nominated performances, beginning with The Yearling opposite Gregory Peck in 1946.

She won the Oscar as best actress for her 1948 role as a teenage deaf-mute raped in Johnny Belinda, the first person in the sound era to win an acting Oscar without speaking a line of dialogue.

Two more Oscar nominations came for the 1951 drama Blue Veil with Charles Laughton and the 1954 Douglas Sirk-directed romance Magnificent Obsession, opposite Rock Hudson. Wyman's film career stretched to 1969's How to Commit Marriage, co-starring Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason. Other notable films included The Glass Menagerie (1950) and All That Heaven Allows (1955).

Wyman also began a television career in the 1950s, hosting the drama anthology series Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre. And from 1981 to 1990 she played the tough, empire-building matriarch Angela Channing in the CBS melodrama Falcon Crest.

Jane Wyman died on September 10, 2007, at her home in Rancho Mirage, California at the age of 90.

MARRIAGES

• In 1937, Wyman married a wealthy manufacturer of children's clothes, Myron Futterman, in New Orleans. They divorced the following year, declaring she wanted children and he did not.
• The actress married another Warner studio contract actor, Ronald Reagan, in 1940. The following year she gave birth to a daughter, Maureen. They later adopted a son, Michael, who became a conservative radio host. The couple also had a daughter who was born several months premature in June 1947 and died a day later.
• Jane Wyman and Reagan divorced in 1948. Their daughter Maureen died in August 2001 after a battle with cancer. Wyman attended the funeral but Reagan, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was not well enough to attend.
• In 1952 Wyman married Fred Karger, a studio music director. They divorced, later remarried and divorced the second time in 1965.

Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Wyman
• http://www.biography.com/articles/Jane-Wyman-245894
• http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800039836/bio

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Jane Wyman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Not to be confused with Jane Wyatt. Jane Wyman Promotional photograph of Jane Wyman.jpg Wyman in a promotional photo (1947) Born Sarah Jane Mayfield January 5, 1917 Saint Joseph, Missouri, U.S. Died September 10, 2007 (aged 90) Rancho Mirage, California, U.S. Cause of death Natural causes Occupation Actress Years active 1932–1993 Spouse(s) Myron Futterrman (m. 1937–1938; divorced) Ronald Reagan (m. 1940–1948; divorced) Fred Karger (m. 1952–1955, 1961–1965; divorced twice) Children Maureen Reagan Christine Reagan Michael Reagan Website http://www.jane-wyman.com Jane Wyman (born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007)[1] was an American singer, dancer, and film/television actress. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948), and later achieved renewed success in the 1980s as Angela Channing on Falcon Crest. She was the first wife of Ronald Reagan; they married in 1940 and divorced on June 28, 1948; Reagan was still a Democrat and had not yet made his first run for public office. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Early career 2.2 Recognition and acclaim 2.3 Television 2.3.1 Falcon Crest 3 Personal life 3.1 Marriages 3.1.1 Myron Martin Futterman 3.1.2 Ronald Reagan 3.1.3 Fred Karger 3.2 Later life 4 Death 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 6 Awards and nominations 6.1 Academy Awards 6.2 Emmy Awards 6.3 Golden Globe Awards 7 References 8 External links Early life[edit]

Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield in St. Joseph, Missouri. Although her birthdate has been widely reported for many years as January 4, 1914, research by biographers and genealogists indicates she was born on January 5, 1917.[2][3][4] The most likely reason for the 1914 year of birth is that she added to her age so as to be able to work and act while still a minor. She may have moved her birthday back by one day to January 4 so as to share the same birthday as her daughter, Maureen (born January 4, 1941).[5] The 1920 census, on the other hand, has her at 3 and living in Philadelphia, Pa. After Wyman's death, a release posted on her official website confirmed these details.[1]

Birthplace in St. Joseph Her parents were Manning Jefferies Mayfield (c.1885–1922), a meal-company laborer, and Gladys Hope Christian (c.1891–1960), a doctor's stenographer and office assistant. In October 1921, her mother filed for divorce, and her father died unexpectedly the following year at age 27. After her father's death, her mother moved to Cleveland, Ohio, leaving her to be reared by foster parents, Emma (1866–1951)[6] and Richard D. Fulks (1862–1928), the chief of detectives in Saint Joseph.[7] She took their surname unofficially, including in her school records and, apparently, her first marriage certificate. Her unsettled family life resulted in few pleasurable memories. Wyman later said, "I was raised with such strict discipline that it was years before I could reason myself out of the bitterness I brought from my childhood.[8] In 1928, aged 11, she moved to southern California with her foster mother, but it is not known for certain if she attempted a career in motion pictures at this time, or if the relocation was due to the fact that some of Fulks' children also lived in the area. In 1930, the two moved back to Missouri, where Sarah Jane attended Lafayette High School in Saint Joseph. That same year she began a radio singing career, calling herself "Jane Durrell" and adding years to her birthdate to work legally since she would have been under age. Career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Jane Wyman on the beach, 1935, at age 18

Wyman in her Academy Award-winning role in Johnny Belinda (1948) After dropping out of Lafayette in 1932, at age 15, she returned to Hollywood, taking on odd jobs as a manicurist and a switchboard operator, before obtaining small parts in such films as The Kid from Spain (as a "Goldwyn Girl"; 1932), My Man Godfrey (1936) and Cain and Mabel (1936). After changing her name from Jane Durrell to Jane Wyman, she began her career as a contract player with Warner Bros. in 1936 at age 19. Her big break came the following year, when she received her first starring role in Public Wedding.[citation needed] Recognition and acclaim[edit]

Jane Wyman in 1953. In 1939, Wyman starred in Torchy Plays With Dynamite. In 1941, she appeared in You're in the Army Now, in which she and Regis Toomey had the longest screen kiss in cinema history: 3 minutes and 5 seconds,.[9] Wyman finally gained critical notice in the film noir The Lost Weekend (1945). She was nominated for the 1946 Academy Award for Best Actress for The Yearling (1946), and won two years later for her role as a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). She was the first person in the sound era to win an acting Oscar without speaking a line of dialogue. In an amusing acceptance speech, perhaps poking fun at some of her long-winded counterparts, Wyman took her statue and said only, "I accept this, very gratefully, for keeping my mouth shut once. I think I'll do it again."[10] The Oscar win gave her the ability to choose higher profile roles, although she still showed a liking for musical comedy. She worked with such directors as Alfred Hitchcock on Stage Fright (1950), Frank Capra on Here Comes the Groom (1951) and Michael Curtiz on The Story of Will Rogers (1952). She starred in The Glass Menagerie (1950), Just for You (1952), Let's Do It Again (1953), The Blue Veil (1951) (another Oscar nomination), the remake of Edna Ferber's So Big (1953), Magnificent Obsession (1954) (Oscar nomination), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955), and Miracle in the Rain (1956). She replaced the ailing Gene Tierney in Holiday for Lovers (1959), and next appeared in Pollyanna (1960), Bon Voyage! (1962), and her final big screen movie, How to Commit Marriage (1969).[citation needed] Television[edit] Her first guest-starring television role was on a 1955 episode of General Electric Theater. This appearance led to roles on Summer Playhouse, Lux Playhouse, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Checkmate, The Investigators, and Wagon Train. She guest starred in 1959 on The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford on NBC. She was hostess of The Bell Telephone Hour and Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre. She had telling roles in both The Sixth Sense and Insight, among other programs.[citation needed] She hosted an anthology television series, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theater, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1957. During her tenure as host, however, ratings steadily declined, and the show ended after three seasons. She was later cast in two unsold pilots during the 1960s and 1970s. After those pilots were not picked up, Wyman went into semi-retirement and remained there for most of the 1970s, although she did make guest appearances on Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat. Falcon Crest[edit] In the spring of 1981, Wyman's career enjoyed a resurgence when she was cast as the scheming Californian vintner and matriarch Angela Channing in The Vintage Years, which was retooled as the primetime soap opera Falcon Crest. The series, which ran from December 1981 to May 1990, was created by Earl Hamner, who had created The Waltons a decade earlier. Also starring on the show was an already established character actress, Susan Sullivan, as Angela's niece-in-law, Maggie Gioberti, and the relatively unknown actor Lorenzo Lamas as Angela's irresponsible grandson, Lance Cumson. The on- and off-screen chemistry between Wyman and Lamas helped fuel the series' success. In its first season, Falcon Crest was a ratings hit, behind other 1980s prime-time soap operas, such as Dallas and Knots Landing, but initially ahead of rival soap opera Dynasty. Cesar Romero appeared from 1985 to 1987 on Falcon Crest as the romantic interest of Angela Channing.[citation needed] For her role as Angela Channing, Wyman was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award five times (for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role and for Outstanding Villainess: Prime Time Serial), and was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1983 and 1984. Her 1984 Golden Globe nomination resulted in a win for Wyman, who took home the award for Best Performance By an Actress in a TV Series. Later in the show's run, Wyman suffered several health problems. In 1986, she had abdominal surgery which caused her to miss two episodes (her character simply "disappeared" under mysterious circumstances). In 1988, she missed another episode due to ill-health and was told by her doctors to avoid work. However, she wanted to continue working and she completed the rest of the 1988-1989 season while her health was still deteriorating. Months later in 1989, Wyman collapsed on the set and was hospitalized due to problems with diabetes and a liver ailment. Her doctors told her that she should end her acting career. Wyman was absent for most of the ninth and final season of Falcon Crest in 1989-1990 (her character was written out of the series by being comatose in a hospital bed following an attempted murder). Against her doctor's advice, she returned for the final three episodes in 1990, even writing a soliloquy for the series finale. Wyman ultimately appeared in almost every episode up until the beginning of the ninth and final season, for a total of 208 of the show's 227 episodes. After Falcon Crest, Wyman only acted once more, playing Jane Seymour's screen mother in a 1993 episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.[11] Following this, she retired from acting permanently. Wyman had starred in 83 movies, two successful TV series, and was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning once. Personal life[edit]

Marriages[edit] Wyman married four times.[12] Myron Martin Futterman[edit] Wyman married Myron Martin Futterman (1900–1965), a dress manufacturer, in New Orleans on June 29, 1937. As Wyman wanted children but Futterman did not, they separated after only three months of marriage[13] and divorced on December 5, 1938.[14] Ronald Reagan[edit]

Twenty-five-year-old Wyman with husband and fellow actor, Ronald Reagan, at the premiere of the partially controversial Tales of Manhattan in Los Angeles, August 1942. This was almost two years after the birth of their daughter, Maureen. Thirty-one-year-old Army Air Force Second Lieutenant Reagan was assigned to Culver City's First Motion Picture Unit (18th AAF Base Unit) at this time, which was some three months after his voluntary transfer from the Army Cavalry, and five years after having been commissioned from the enlisted ranks of the U.S. Army Reserve in Iowa. Wyman was already a 10-year Hollywood veteran. In 1938, Wyman co-starred with Ronald Reagan in Brother Rat (1938), and its sequel Brother Rat and a Baby (1940). They were engaged at the Chicago Theatre,[15] and married on January 26, 1940, at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather Church, Glendale, California.[16] She and Reagan had three children; Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (1941–2001), their adopted son Michael Edward Reagan (born March 18, 1945), and Christine Reagan (born prematurely on June 26, 1947 and died later the same day).[17] This event soured their marriage irreparably. Wyman stated that their break up was due to a difference in politics (Ronald Reagan was still a Democrat at the time).[18] She filed for divorce in 1948; the divorce was finalized in 1949. Ronald Reagan is the only U.S. president to have been divorced, thus Wyman is, to date, the only ex-wife of a United States president. Although she remained silent during Reagan's political career, she told a newspaper interviewer in 1968 that this was not because she was: “ bitter or because I don't agree with him politically. I've always been a registered Republican. But it's bad taste to talk about ex-husbands and ex-wives, that's all. Also, I don't know a damn thing about politics. ” A few days after Reagan died on June 5, 2004, she broke her silence: “ America has lost a great president and a great, kind, and gentle man.[19] ” Fred Karger[edit] Following her divorce from Reagan, Wyman married German American Hollywood music director and composer Frederick M. "Fred" Karger (1916–1979) on November 1, 1952, at El Montecito Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara. They separated on November 7, 1954 and were granted an interlocutory divorce decree on December 7, 1954; the divorce was finalized on December 30, 1955. They remarried on March 11, 1961, and Karger divorced her again on March 9, 1965. According to The New York Times report of the divorce, the bandleader charged that the actress "had walked out on him."[20] Wyman had a stepdaughter, Terry, by Karger's first marriage to Patti Sacks.[21] Wyman, who had converted to Catholicism in 1953, never remarried.[22] She was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.[23] Later life[edit] After Falcon Crest ended, Wyman made a guest appearance on the CBS series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and then completely retired from acting, spending her retirement painting and entertaining friends. A recluse, Wyman made only a few public appearances in her last years in part due to suffering from diabetes and arthritis, although she did attend her daughter Maureen's funeral in 2001 after the latter's death from cancer. (Ronald Reagan was unable to attend due to his Alzheimer's disease). She also attended the funeral of her long-time friend Loretta Young in 2000. Wyman broke her silence about her ex-husband upon his death in 2004, attending his funeral and issuing an official statement that read "America has lost a great president and a great, kind, and gentle man."[11] After retiring, Wyman bought a house in Rancho Mirage, California. It was reported that she had moved to a retirement community in Palm Springs in April 2003, but after her death, it was confirmed that she died in her home on the grounds of the Rancho Mirage Country Club.[citation needed] Death[edit]

Wyman died at the age of 90[1] at her Rancho Mirage home on September 10, 2007.[24] Wyman's son, Michael Reagan, released a statement saying: “ I have lost a loving mother, my children Cameron and Ashley have lost a loving grandmother, my wife Colleen has lost a loving friend she called Mom and Hollywood has lost the classiest lady to ever grace the silver screen.[25] ” It was reported that Wyman died in her sleep of natural causes. A member of the Dominican Order (as a lay tertiary) of the Roman Catholic Church, she was buried in a nun's habit.[26] She was interred at Forest Lawn Mortuary and Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.[1] Filmography[edit]

Film[edit] Year Title Role Notes 1932 The Kid from Spain Goldwyn Girl Uncredited 1933 Elmer, the Great Game Spectator Uncredited 1933 Gold Diggers of 1933 Gold Digger Uncredited 1934 All the King's Horses Chorine Uncredited 1934 College Rhythm Chorine Uncredited 1935 Rumba Chorus Girl Uncredited 1935 George White's 1935 Scandals Chorine Uncredited 1935 Stolen Harmony Chorine Uncredited 1936 King of Burlesque Dancer Uncredited 1936 Freshman Love Co-Ed Uncredited 1936 Anything Goes Chorus Girl Uncredited 1936 Bengal Tiger Saloon Girl Uncredited 1936 My Man Godfrey Socialite Uncredited 1936 Stage Struck Bessie Funfnick Uncredited 1936 Cain and Mabel Chorus Girl Uncredited 1936 Here Comes Carter Nurse Uncredited 1936 The Sunday Round-Up Butte Soule Short film 1936 Polo Joe Girl at Polo Field Uncredited 1936 Gold Diggers of 1937 Chorus Girl Uncredited 1937 Smart Blonde Dixie the Hat Check Girl 1937 Ready, Willing and Able Dot 1937 The King and the Chorus Girl Babette Latour 1937 Slim Stumpy's Girl 1937 Little Pioneer Katie Snee Short film 1937 The Singing Marine Joan 1937 Public Wedding Florence Lane Burke 1937 Mr. Dodd Takes the Air Marjorie Day 1937 Over the Goal Co-Ed Uncredited 1938 The Spy Ring Elaine Burdette 1938 He Couldn't Say No Violet Coney 1938 Fools for Scandal Party Guest Uncredited 1938 Wide Open Faces Betty Martin 1938 The Crowd Roars Vivian 1938 Brother Rat Claire Adams 1939 Tail Spin Alabama 1939 The Kid from Kokomo Marian Bronson 1939 Torchy Blane... Playing with Dynamite Torchy Blane 1939 Kid Nightingale Judy Craig 1939 Private Detective Myrna 'Jinx' Winslow 1940 Brother Rat and a Baby Claire Terry 1940 An Angel from Texas Marge Allen 1940 Flight Angels Nan Hudson 1940 Gambling on the High Seas Laurie Ogden 1940 My Love Came Back Joy O'Keefe 1940 Tugboat Annie Sails Again Peggy Armstrong 1941 Honeymoon for Three Elizabeth Clochessy 1941 Bad Men of Missouri Mary Hathaway 1941 The Body Disappears Joan Shotesbury 1941 You're in the Army Now Bliss Dobson 1942 Larceny, Inc. Denny Costello 1942 My Favorite Spy Connie 1942 Footlight Serenade Flo La Verne 1943 Princess O'Rourke Jean Campbell 1944 Make Your Own Bed Susan Courtney 1944 The Doughgirls Vivian Marsden Halstead 1944 Crime by Night Robbie Vance 1945 The Lost Weekend Helen St. James 1946 One More Tomorrow Frankie Connors 1946 Night and Day Gracie Harris 1946 The Yearling Orry Baxter Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress 1947 Cheyenne Ann Kincaid 1947 Magic Town Mary Peterman 1948 Johnny Belinda Belinda McDonald Academy Award for Best Actress Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama 1949 A Kiss in the Dark Polly Haines 1949 The Lady Takes a Sailor Jennifer Smith 1950 Stage Fright Eve Gill 1950 The Glass Menagerie Laura Wingfield 1951 Three Guys Named Mike Marcy Lewis 1951 Here Comes the Groom Emmadel Jones 1951 The Blue Veil Louise Mason Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress 1952 The Story of Will Rogers Betty Rogers 1952 Just for You Carolina Hill 1953 Three Lives Commentator Short film 1953 Let's Do It Again Constance 'Connie' Stuart 1953 So Big Selina DeJong 1954 Magnificent Obsession Helen Phillips Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actress 1955 All That Heaven Allows Cary Scott 1955 Lucy Gallant Lucy Gallant 1956 Miracle in the Rain Ruth Wood 1959 Holiday for Lovers Mrs. Mary Dean 1960 Pollyanna Aunt Polly 1962 Bon Voyage! Katie Willard 1969 How to Commit Marriage Elaine Benson 1971 The Failing of Raymond Mary Bloomquist Television film 1973 Amanda Fallon Dr. Amanda Fallon Television film 1979 The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel Granny Arrowroot Television film Television[edit] Year Title Role Notes 1955 G.E. True Theater Dr. Amelia Morrow Episode: "Amelia" 1955–1958 Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre Various 49 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (1957, 1959) 1958 Wagon Train Dr. Carol Ames Willoughby Episode: "The Doctor Willoughby Story" 1959 Lux Video Theatre Selena Shelby Episode: "A Deadly Guest" 1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Dr. Kate Episode: "Dr. Kate" 1960 Startime Host Episode: "Academy Award Songs" 1960 Checkmate Joan Talmadge Episode: "Lady on the Brink" 1961 The Investigators Elaine Episode: "Death Leaves a Tip" 1962 Wagon Train Hannah Episode: "The Wagon Train Mutiny" 1964 Insight Marie Episode: "The Hermit" 1966 Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Addie Joslin Episode: "When Hell Froze" 1967 Insight Auschwitz Victim Episode: "Why Does God Allow Men to Suffer?" 1968 The Red Skelton Hour Clara Appleby Episode: "18.9" 1970 My Three Sons Sylvia Cannon Episode: "Who Is Sylvia?" 1972 The Sixth Sense Ruth Ames Episode: "If I Should Die Before I Wake" 1972 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Dr. Amanda Fallon Episode: "Discovery at Fourteen" 1973 The Bold Ones: The New Doctors Dr. Amanda Fallon Episode: "And Other Springs I May Not See" 1974 Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law Sophia Ryder Episode: "The Desertion of Keith Ryder" 1980 The Love Boat Sister Patricia Episode: "Another Day, Another Time" 1980 Charlie's Angels Eleanor Willard Episode: "To See an Angel Die" 1981–1990 Falcon Crest Angela Channing 228 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama 1993 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Elizabeth Quinn Episode: "The Visitor" Awards and nominations[edit]

Academy Awards[edit] Nominated: Best Actress, The Yearling (1946) Won: Best Actress, Johnny Belinda (1948) Nominated: Best Actress, The Blue Veil (1951) Nominated: Best Actress, Magnificent Obsession (1954) Emmy Awards[edit] Nominated: Best Lead Actress - Drama Series, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1957) Nominated: Best Lead Actress - Drama Series, Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre (1959) Golden Globe Awards[edit] Won: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, Johnny Belinda (1949) Won: Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama, The Blue Veil (1952) Nominated: Best Actress - Drama Series, Falcon Crest (1983) Won: Best Actress - Drama Series, Falcon Crest (1984) Wyman has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; one for motion pictures at 6607 Hollywood Boulevard and one for television at 1620 Vine Street. References[edit]

^ Jump up to: a b c d Actress, Philanthropist Jane Wyman Dies. Retrieved September 10, 2007. Jump up ^ Edwards, Anne. Early Reagan: The Rise to Power. William Morrow & Co (November 1990); ISBN 0-688-06050-1. Jump up ^ Bubbeo, Daniel. The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies. McFarland & Company (October 2001); ISBN 0-7864-1137-6. Jump up ^ Colacello, Bob. Ronnie and Nancy: Their Path to the White House – 1911 to 1980. Warner Books; 1st Warner Books Edition (2004); ISBN 0-446-53272-X. Jump up ^ Wyman is listed in the U.S. Census taken in April 1930 as being 18 years old, when she was actually 13. U.S. Census, April 1, 1930, State of California, County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, enumeration district 328, p. 13A, family 503. Jump up ^ U.S. Census, April 15, 1910, State of Missouri, County of Buchanan, enumeration district 54, p. 5-A, family 99. California death index, 1940–1997. Jump up ^ Jane Wyman, 90, Star of Film and TV, Is Dead, The New York Times, September 11, 2007. Fulks' position was upgraded to mayor of Saint Louis by the Warner Bros. publicity department when his foster daughter became a successful actress. Source: Jane Wyman (obituary), The Times (London), September 11, 2007. Jump up ^ Jane Wyman (obituary). The Independent (London), September 11, 2007. Jump up ^ [1], quoting Guinness Book of World Records Jump up ^ Jane Wyman's Oscar acceptance speech, 1948 on YouTube ^ Jump up to: a b Silverman, Stephen (September 10, 2007). "Falcon Crest Star Jane Wyman Dies at 93". People. Retrieved 2011-01-15. Jump up ^ http://jane-wyman.com/biography.html Jump up ^ Jane Wyman biography. Official Jane Wyman website. Jump up ^ "Film Actress Wins Divorce," Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1938, p. 3. Jump up ^ "Dispute Over Theatre Splits Chicago City Council". The New York Times. May 8, 1984. Retrieved 2007-05-17. Jump up ^ Oliver, Marilyn (March 31, 1988). "Locations Range From the Exotic to the Pristine". The Los Angeles Times. Jump up ^ "Biography". Jane Wyman. Retrieved 2011-09-05. Jump up ^ "Reagan: Home". HBO. Retrieved 2011-09-05. Jump up ^ Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan's first wife, dies at 93, Politico.com Jump up ^ "Jane Wyman Divorced", The New York Times, March 10, 1965. Jump up ^ "Frederick M. Karger, 63, Arranger and Composer", The New York Times, August 6, 1979. Jump up ^ Paul Kengor, God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life. Harper Collins Publishers (2004). p. 50. Jump up ^ Church of the Good Shepherd: Our History Jump up ^ "Johnny Belinda Actress Jane Wyman Dies", USA Today, September 10, 2007. Jump up ^ Oscar-Winner Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan's First Wife, Dead at 93. Fox News. September 10, 2007. Jump up ^ Alan Petrucelli, Morbid Curiosity: The Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous. Penguin Group (2009). p. 5. External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jane Wyman. Jane Wyman Official website Jane Wyman, 90, Star of Film and TV, Is Dead Jane Wyman at the Internet Movie Database Jane Wyman at the TCM Movie Database Tough Love Reminisces by Michael Reagan Obituary in the Boston Globe Jane Wyman at Virtual History

Wyman's career began in 1932 when she signed with Warner Bros. at age 16. (As was common practice at the time, she added three years to her age.) A popular contract player, she frequently played the leading lady, her roles including starring alongside William Hopper in Public Wedding (1937), Ronald Reagan and Eddie Albert in Brother Rat (1938) and its sequel Brother Rat and a Baby (1940), Dennis Morgan in Bad Men of Missouri (1941), Marlene Dietrich in Stage Fright (1950), and Sterling Hayden in So Big (1953). She was also featured opposite Rock Hudson in Magnificent Obsession (1954) and All That Heaven Allows (1955), both directed by Douglas Sirk. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948), and was a three-time winner of a Golden Globe. She achieved continuing success in the television soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1990), in which Wyman played the lead role of villainous matriarch, Angela Channing.

Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917 in St Joseph, Missouri, to Gladys Hope (née Christian) and Manning Jeffries Mayfield. Her father was a meal company laborer and her mother was a doctor's stenographer and office assistant. Wyman was the only child of this union and had no biological siblings.

Although her birthdate has been widely reported for many years as January 4, 1914, research by biographers and genealogists indicates she actually was born 3 years later. The most likely reason for the 1914 year of birth is that she added to her age so as to be able to work and act while still a minor. She may have moved her birthday back by one day to January 4 so as to share the same birthday as her daughter, Maureen. The 1920 census, though, has her at three and living in Philadelphia. After Wyman's death, a release posted on her official website confirmed these details.

In October 1921, her mother filed for divorce, and her father died unexpectedly the following year at age 27. After her father's death, her mother moved to Cleveland, Ohio, leaving her to be reared by foster parents, Emma (née Reiss; 1866–1951) and Richard D. Fulks, the chief of detectives in Saint Joseph. She took their surname unofficially, including in her school records and on her first marriage certificate.

Her unsettled family life resulted in few pleasurable memories. Wyman later said, "I was raised with such strict discipline that it was years before I could reason myself out of the bitterness I brought from my childhood." In 1928, aged 11, she moved to southern California with her foster mother. In 1930, the two moved back to Missouri, where Sarah Jane attended Lafayette High School in Saint Joseph. That same year, she began a radio singing career, calling herself "Jane Durrell" and adding years to her birthdate to work legally, as she would have been underaged.[cit

After dropping out of Lafayette in 1932, at age 15, she returned to Hollywood, taking on odd jobs as a manicurist and a switchboard operator, before obtaining small parts in such films as The Kid from Spain (as a "Goldwyn Girl"; 1932), My Man Godfrey (1936), and Cain and Mabel (1936). She signed a contract with Warner Brothers in 1936. By the time she starred in Public Wedding in 1937, she had already changed her professional name to match the name she had acquired from her first marriage; Jane Wyman. In 1939, Wyman starred in Torchy Plays With Dynamite. In 1941, she appeared in You're in the Army Now, in which Regis Toomey and she had the longest screen kiss in cinema history: 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

Wyman finally gained critical notice in the film noir The Lost Weekend (1945). She was nominated for the 1946 Academy Award for Best Actress for The Yearling (1946), and won two years later for her role as a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). She was the first person in the sound era to win an acting Oscar without speaking a line of dialogue. In an amusing acceptance speech, perhaps poking fun at some of her long-winded counterparts, Wyman took her statue and said only, "I accept this, very gratefully, for keeping my mouth shut once. I think I'll do it again."[13] The Oscar win gave her the ability to choose higher-profile roles, although she still showed a liking for musical comedy. She worked with such directors as Alfred Hitchcock on Stage Fright (1950), Frank Capra on Here Comes the Groom (1951), and Michael Curtiz on The Story of Will Rogers (1952). She starred in The Glass Menagerie (1950), Just for You (1952), Let's Do It Again (1953), The Blue Veil (1951) (another Oscar nomination), the remake of Edna Ferber's So Big (1953), Magnificent Obsession (1954) (Oscar nomination), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955), and Miracle in the Rain (1956). She replaced the ailing Gene Tierney in Holiday for Lovers (1959), and next appeared in Pollyanna (1960), Bon Voyage! (1962), and her final big screen movie, How to Commit Marriage (1969). Her first guest-starring television role was on a 1955 episode of General Electric Theater, a show hosted by her former husband Ronald Reagan. This appearance led to roles on Summer Playhouse, Lux Playhouse, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Checkmate, The Investigators, and Wagon Train. She guest-starred in 1959 on The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford on NBC. She was hostess of The Bell Telephone Hour and Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre. She had telling roles in both The Sixth Sense and Insight, among other programs. She hosted an anthology television series, Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theater, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1957. The ratings steadily declined, however, and the show ended after three seasons. She was later cast in two unsold pilots during the 1960s and 1970s. After those pilots were not picked up, Wyman went into semi-retirement and remained there for most of the 1970s, although she did make guest appearances on Charlie's Angels and The Love Boat. Against her doctor's advice, she returned for the final three episodes in 1990, even writing a soliloquy for the series finale. Wyman ultimately appeared in almost every episode until the beginning of the ninth and final season, for a total of 208 of the show's 227 episodes. After Falcon Crest, Wyman acted only once more, playing Jane Seymour's screen mother in a 1993 episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Following this, she retired from acting permanently. Wyman had starred in 83 movies and two successful TV series, and was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning once.[citation needed]

Wyman married five times and had four husbands. Wyman married salesman Ernest Eugene Wyman (1906-1970) in Los Angeles, California on April 8, 1933. Wyman recorded her name as 'Jane Fulks' on the wedding certificate. She also listed foster parents Emma and Richard Fulks as her parents. In keeping with the tendency of making herself older than she really was, she gave her age as 19 on the document. Truthfully, she had turned 16 just 3 months prior. The couple would divorce after 2 years. Wyman kept her first husband's surname professionally for the remainder of her life.

Wyman married Myron Martin Futterman (1900–1965), a dress manufacturer, in New Orleans on June 29, 1937. As Wyman wanted children but Futterman did not, they separated after only three months of marriage[17] and divorced on December 5, 1938.[18]

In 1938, Wyman co-starred with Ronald Reagan in Brother Rat (1938), and its sequel Brother Rat and a Baby (1940). They were engaged at the Chicago Theatre, and married on January 26, 1940, at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather Church, Glendale, California. She and Reagan had three children; Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (1941–2001), their adopted son Michael Edward Reagan (born March 18, 1945), and Christine Reagan (born prematurely on June 26, 1947, and died later the same day). This event soured their marriage irreparably. Wyman, who was a registered Republican, stated that their break-up was due to a difference in politics (Ronald Reagan was still a Democrat at the time). She filed for divorce in 1948; the divorce was finalized in 1949. Ronald Reagan was the first U.S. president to have been divorced, making Wyman the first former wife of a United States president who was still living at the time that her former husband became president. Although she remained silent during Reagan's political career, she told a newspaper interviewer in 1968 that this was not because she was bitter or because she didn't agree with him politically. "I've always been a registered Republican. But it's bad taste to talk about former husbands and former wives, that's all. Also, I don't know a damn thing about politics."

Following her divorce from Reagan, Wyman married German-American Hollywood music director and composer Frederick M. "Fred" Karger (1916–1979) on November 1, 1952, at El Montecito Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara. They separated on November 7, 1954, and were granted an interlocutory divorce decree on December 7, 1954; the divorce was finalized on December 30, 1955. They remarried on March 11, 1961, and Karger divorced her again on March 9, 1965. According to The New York Times report of the divorce, the bandleader charged that the actress "had walked out on him." Wyman had a stepdaughter, Terry, from Karger's first marriage to Patti Sacks.

Wyman, who had converted to Catholicism in 1953, never remarried. She was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California.

Wyman died at the age of 90 at her Rancho Mirage home on September 10, 2007. Wyman reportedly died in her sleep of natural causes. A member of the Dominican Order (as a lay tertiary) of the Roman Catholic Church, she was buried in a nun's habit. She was interred at Forest Lawn Mortuary and Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California

marriage https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJZ-SM5B

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@R-1694733578@ U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 (Beta) Ancestry.com Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.Original data - Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory titl 1,2469::0

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@R-1312308024@ 7 Jul 1937, Page 15 - at Newspapers.com

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archives.post-gazette.com http://archives.post-gazette.com/image/90301424/?terms=futterman&xi...

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@R-1312308024@ 16 Jul 1936, Page 9 - at Newspapers.com

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