Jane Wyman
Active - 1932 - 1995 | Born - Jan 5, 1917 in St. Joseph, MO | Died - Sep 10, 2007 in Rancho Mirage, CA | Genres - Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance | Height: 5’ 5½”
Born Sarah Jane Fulks, Jane Wyman tried to break into films as a child but was unsuccessful despite encouragement from her mother. A decade later, she began her show business career as a radio singer, using the name Jane Durrell. In 1936, she began appearing in films as a chorus girl and bit player. Eventually, she moved into secondary roles and occasional leads, usually playing brassy blondes in comic relief.
She broke out of this mold with her performance in The Lost Weekend (1945), in which she demonstrated her talents as a serious actress; this led to better roles as a major star. For her work in The Yearling (1946), she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination, then won an Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). She went on to star in many films, demonstrating her versatility in both comedies and tearjerkers.
She was twice more nominated for Oscars, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). After 1956, her screen work was infrequent. She returned from retirement in the early ‘80s to play a regular role on the TV series Falcon Crest. From 1940 to 1948, she was married to Ronald Reagan; their daughter, Maureen Reagan, was a singer-actress. After a long period of inactivity, Wyman died at age 93 in early September 2007.
Available Films:
Active - 1932 - 1995 | Born - Jan 5, 1917 in St. Joseph, MO | Died - Sep 10, 2007 in Rancho Mirage, CA | Genres - Comedy, Drama, Musical, Romance | Height: 5’ 5½”
Born Sarah Jane Fulks, Jane Wyman tried to break into films as a child but was unsuccessful despite encouragement from her mother. A decade later, she began her show business career as a radio singer, using the name Jane Durrell. In 1936, she began appearing in films as a chorus girl and bit player. Eventually, she moved into secondary roles and occasional leads, usually playing brassy blondes in comic relief.
She broke out of this mold with her performance in The Lost Weekend (1945), in which she demonstrated her talents as a serious actress; this led to better roles as a major star. For her work in The Yearling (1946), she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination, then won an Oscar for her portrayal of a deaf-mute rape victim in Johnny Belinda (1948). She went on to star in many films, demonstrating her versatility in both comedies and tearjerkers.
She was twice more nominated for Oscars, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954). After 1956, her screen work was infrequent. She returned from retirement in the early ‘80s to play a regular role on the TV series Falcon Crest. From 1940 to 1948, she was married to Ronald Reagan; their daughter, Maureen Reagan, was a singer-actress. After a long period of inactivity, Wyman died at age 93 in early September 2007.
Available Films:
Trivia:
When Sarah Jane was age 15, she landed a job as dancer in the chorus of Busby Berkeley’s The Kid from Spain (1932) at MGM. Other dancers and unfamiliar actresses on the lot included Lucille Ball, Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard.
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.
Had met her first husband, Ronald Reagan, on the set of Brother Rat (1938).
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.
When Sarah Jane was age 15, she landed a job as dancer in the chorus of Busby Berkeley’s The Kid from Spain (1932) at MGM. Other dancers and unfamiliar actresses on the lot included Lucille Ball, Betty Grable and Paulette Goddard.
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.
Had met her first husband, Ronald Reagan, on the set of Brother Rat (1938).
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.