Date of Birth

5 January 1917, St. Joseph, Missouri, USA

Date of Death

10 September 2007, Palm Springs, California, USA

Birth Name

Sarah Jane Mayfield

Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on January 5, 1917, in St. Joseph, Missouri (she was also known later as Sarah Jane Fulks). When she was only eight years old, and after her parents filed for divorce, she lost her father prematurely. After graduating high school she attempted, with the help of her mother, to break into films, but to no avail. In 1932, after attending the University of Missouri, she began a career as a radio singer, which led to her first name change to Jane Durrell. In 1936 she signed a contract with Warner Bros. Pictures and that led to another name change, the more familiar one of Jane Wyman. Under that name she appeared in "A" and "B" pictures at Warners, including two with her future husband, Ronald Reagan: Brother Rat (1938) and its sequel, Baby Be Good (1940). In the early 1940s she moved into comedies and melodramas and gained attention for her role as Ray Milland's long-suffering wife in The Lost Weekend (1945). The following year she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for her role as Ma Baxter in The Yearling (1946), and won the coveted prize in 1949 as deaf-mute rape victim Belinda MacDonald in Johnny Belinda (1948). She followed that with a number of appearances in more prestigious films, such as Alfred Hitchcock's Stage Fright (1950), Frank Capra's Here Comes the Groom (1951), Michael Curtiz's The Story of Will Rogers (1952) and the first movie version of The Glass Menagerie (1950). She starred opposite Bing Crosby in the musical Just for You (1952). She was Oscar-nominated for her performances in The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). She also starred in the immensely popular So Big (1953), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Miracle in the Rain (1956). In addition to her extensive film career, she hosted TV's "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre" (1955) and starred in most of the episodes of the show, which ran for three seasons. She came back to the big screen in Holiday for Lovers (1959), Pollyanna (1960) and her final film, How to Commit Marriage (1969). Although off the big screen, she became a presence on the small screen and starred in two made-for-TV movies, including The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel (1979) (TV). In early 1981, in the 49th year of her career, she won the role of conniving matriarch Angela Channing Erikson Stavros Agretti in the movie "The Vintage Years", which was the unaired pilot for the prime-time soap opera "Falcon Crest" (1981), later in the year. For nine seasons she played that character in a way that virtually no other actress could have done, and became the moral center of the show. The show was a ratings winner from its debut in 1981, and made stars out of her fellow cast members Robert Foxworth, Lorenzo Lamas, Abby Dalton and Susan Sullivan. At the end of the first season the storyline had her being informed that her evil son, played by David Selby, had inherited 50% of a California newspaper company, and the conflicts inherent in that situation led to even bigger ratings over the next five years. Wyman was nominated six times for a Soap Opera Digest Award, and in 1984 she won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series Drama. By the show's eighth season, however, she was emotionally drained and the strain of constantly working to keep up the quality of a hit show took its toll on her. In addition, there was friction on the set among cast members. All of these events culminated in her departure from the show after the first two episodes of the ninth season (her character was hospitalized and slipped into a coma) for health reasons. After a period of recuperation, she believed that she had recovered enough to guest-star in the last three episodes of the season (her doctor disagreed, but she did it anyway). She then guest-starred as Jane Seymour's mother on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" (1993) and three years later appeared in Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick (1995). In the late 1990s she purchased a home in Rancho Mirage, California, where she's still living in retirement. Her daughter, Maureen Reagan (who died in August 2001), was a writer who also involved herself in political issues and organized a powerful foundation. Also, she placed her 3200-sq.-ft. Rancho Mirage condominium on the market.

Her Best Actress Oscar for Johnny Belinda (1948) makes her the only wife of a future U.S. President (Ronald Reagan) ever to win such an award.

Adopted mother of nationally syndicated radio talk show host Michael Reagan.

Her name changed to "Jane Faulks" when she was unofficially "adopted" by the Faulks family, middle-aged neighbors of her single mother. Moved to So. California with Mrs. Faulks when she was widowed in 1928

Several sources have given her date of birth as January 4, 1914, which would mean she was one of the first (and one of the very few) actresses to make herself older. She is a serious convert to Roman Catholicism, attending Mass with good friend Loretta Young.

Apparently broke up with Ronald Reagan over her love for Lew Ayres, but that relationship failed in the long run.

Mother of Maureen Reagan and Michael Reagan.

Daughter, with third husband - actor/former president Ronald Reagan - Maureen Reagan dies of malignant melanoma (skin cancer) at her Sacramento-area home. [8 August 2001]

Holds the record for the longest screen kiss, with Regis Toomey in You're in the Army Now (1941), at 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

Was once a switchboard operator.

Had taken a break on the ninth and final season of "Falcon Crest" (1981), during the third episode, due to the health problems she was suffering, but came back for the last three episodes of the series.

Was a diabetic.

Was always good friends with Loretta Young.

Has 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Would never talk about Ronald Reagan in an interview.

Daughter, Maureen Reagan, was admitted to the John Wayne Cancer Institute for malignant melanoma. [11 December 2000]

Appeared in every episode of "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre" (1955) and was nominated for an Emmy twice.

Was a chorus girl before being a successful actress.

She was good friends with: Alexis Smith, Ann Doran, Barbara Stanwyck, Loretta Young, Eddie Albert and Agnes Moorehead.

Replaced Gracie Allen for an evening of "The Burns and Allen Radio Show" when Gracie had a migraine. It turned out to be the only time Gracie missed their show in all the years Burns and Allen performed together.

She would never talk about Ronald Reagan in an interview, but voted for him three times and attended his funeral.

In Italy, most of her films were dubbed by either Lidia Simoneschi or Dhia Cristiani. She was occasionally dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta, Renata Marini, Rina Morelli or Giovanna Scotto.

Was a close friend of USC School of Cinematic Arts professor Drew Casper.

She attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri.

She dropped out of Lafayette High School, during her freshman year, and took on odd jobs such as a waitress and manicurist.

She had 10 hobbies: landscape painting, golfing, dancing, collecting CDs, listening to music, playing piano, singing, philanthropy, reading and politics.

Was the recipient of the Charles B. Harding Award in 1977, which was the highest national award given by The Arthritis Foundation.

Began her career as a contract player for Warner Bros. in 1936.

Her "Falcon Crest" (1981) co-stars, Susan Sullivan and Lorenzo Lamas, both went to visit her in the hospital, while the ninth and final season was filming.

Her "Falcon Crest" (1981) co-star, Susan Sullivan, won the 1998 Jane Wyman Award at the Arthritis Foundation.

Her father, Manning Jefferies Mayfield, died when she was only 5.

In 1991, she received the Golda Meir Award from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.

Wyman had appeared in almost every episode of "Falcon Crest" (1981) from 1981 to 1989, before she missed 16 episodes in the final season. Against her doctor's advice, she came back for the series' final three shows, for a total of 208 of the 227 episodes of the series.

Lived in a retirement home in Palm Springs, California, before she resided at the Rancho Mirage Country Club, where she died.

Ex-husband Ronald Reagan, who was elected for president at that time, encouraged her to audition for "Falcon Crest" (1981), after her old friend Barbara Stanwyck turned down the role of Angela Channing.

Met Lorenzo Lamas's father, Fernando Lamas, on an episode of "Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre" (1955), when at the time of filming, Lorenzo was a 3 month old infant. By the time Lorenzo Lamas was 21, he persistently auditioned for a co-starring role in the long-running TV series, "Falcon Crest" (1981), opposite Wyman, as her grandson. His persistence paid off, and he won the role.

Was a fan of "Murder, She Wrote" (1984).

On an episode of "Falcon Crest" (1981), Wyman's movie The Blue Veil (1951), showed flashback scenes when her character reminisces about being told in the hospital that her newborn son had died.

Was a spokesperson for the National Arthritis Foundation from the mid-1970s.

Was hospitalized with a liver ailment and diabetes after she collapsed on the set of "Falcon Crest" (1981)'s ninth season. [20 February 1989].

Remained good friends with Susan Sullivan, during and after "Falcon Crest" (1981).

Her parents were Gladys Hope Christian, an a doctor's stenographer and office assistant and Manning Jefferies Mayfield, a meal-company laborer.

Was a staunch Republican.

Her best friend Esther Williams is the stepmother of "Falcon Crest" (1981), co-star, Lorenzo Lamas, whose father was Fernando Lamas, who married Williams on New Years' Eve, 1969, till his death in 1982. Ironically, Wyman, Lamas and Williams, knew each other for many years, before.

She had been battling health problems for years, so producers thought they rewrote the scripts in such a way that her character didn't do most of the walking on the "Falcon Crest" (1981) set, by the time she collapsed on the show, she was ordered not to work anymore. Against her doctor's advice, she came back for the show's final three episodes.

Before she was a successful actress, she had lots of jobs, especially that of a radio singer.

The first actress ever to have lots of name changes. After she took the name of Sarah Jane Fulks, she dropped her first name and used Jane, as her middle name, hence, she legally changed her name to Jane Durrell, however, she was asked to change her last name to Wyman, the same last name as her adoptive siblings - her mother had first been married to a Dr. Weymann.

Began singing and dancing at an early age.

The youngest of three children.

Future "Falcon Crest" (1981) co-star, David Selby, said Wyman was his childhood television heroine.

Was raised in the same city as Ruth Warrick, who also attended the same high school as Wyman.

She died only 9 months before her "Falcon Crest" (1981) co-star Mel Ferrer.

Was a heavy smoker for years.

Ranks fourth behind Mickey Rooney, Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis, but in front of Eddie Albert and Ernest Borgnine, in appearances of movies, she was featured in over 80 films.

Former sister-in-law of Neil Reagan.

Her ex-husband, Ronald Reagan, died of complications of Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia. [5 June 2004].

After her father's death and the divorce of her mother, she lived with her foster mother, when she was a little girl.

Survived by two grandchildren and one adopted grandchild.

Interred at Forest Lawn Mortuary and Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California, USA.

Had met her first husband, Ronald Reagan, on the set of Brother Rat (1938).

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