Jane Wyman (WY-MEN; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 â€"
September 10, 2007) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and
philanthropist. Her career spanned more than seven decades. She was
the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1948 film
Johnny Belinda. She was also the first wife of actor Ronald Reagan
(later the 40th president of the United States). They married in 1940
and divorced in 1948. Wyman's professional career began at age 16 in
1933, when she signed with Warner Bros. Wyman followed common practice
at the time when 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 was a three-time winner of a Golden Globe Award. She
achieved continuing success in the television soap opera Falcon Crest
(1981â€"1990), in which Wyman played the lead role of villainous
matriarch Angela Channing.Sarah Jane Mayfield was born on January 5,
1917 in St. Joseph, Missouri to Gladys Hope (née Christian;
1895â€"1960) and Manning Jeffries Mayfield (1895â€"1922). Her father
was a meal company laborer and her mother was a doctor's stenographer
and office assistant. Wyman was an only child; when giving information
as an adult, she would consider herself the youngest of three
siblings. This was in reference to her foster parents' two older
children.Wyman's biological parents were married in March 1916 in
Jackson County, Missouri, and Wyman was born in January 1917. The 1920
census showed her to be the only child from the marriage, and aged
three years old on January 15, 1920, and living in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.For many years, Wyman's birthdate was widely reported to
be January 4, 1914, but research by biographers and genealogists
indicated that she was actually born three years later.
September 10, 2007) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and
philanthropist. Her career spanned more than seven decades. She was
the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for the 1948 film
Johnny Belinda. She was also the first wife of actor Ronald Reagan
(later the 40th president of the United States). They married in 1940
and divorced in 1948. Wyman's professional career began at age 16 in
1933, when she signed with Warner Bros. Wyman followed common practice
at the time when 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 was a three-time winner of a Golden Globe Award. She
achieved continuing success in the television soap opera Falcon Crest
(1981â€"1990), in which Wyman played the lead role of villainous
matriarch Angela Channing.Sarah Jane Mayfield was born on January 5,
1917 in St. Joseph, Missouri to Gladys Hope (née Christian;
1895â€"1960) and Manning Jeffries Mayfield (1895â€"1922). Her father
was a meal company laborer and her mother was a doctor's stenographer
and office assistant. Wyman was an only child; when giving information
as an adult, she would consider herself the youngest of three
siblings. This was in reference to her foster parents' two older
children.Wyman's biological parents were married in March 1916 in
Jackson County, Missouri, and Wyman was born in January 1917. The 1920
census showed her to be the only child from the marriage, and aged
three years old on January 15, 1920, and living in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.For many years, Wyman's birthdate was widely reported to
be January 4, 1914, but research by biographers and genealogists
indicated that she was actually born three years later.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.