Jane Wyman

Jane Wyman ( ; born Sarah Jane Mayfield; January 5, 1917 – September 10, 2007) was an American actress. She received an Academy Award (1948), four Golden Globe Awards (1948, 1950, 1951 and 1983) and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards (1957 and 1959). Jane Wyman's motion picture career began at age 17 at Paramount Pictures dancing in the chorus for LeRoy Prinz in 1934. She signed her first studio contract with Warner Bros. in 1936 at 19. A popular contract player, she quickly progressed from uncredited bit parts to "B" movies and second leads in her first 8 years at the studio. After an extended apprenticeship she emerged as a dramatic actress and leading lady in 1945 with The Lost Weekend. More starring vehicles followed including Stage Fright (1950), So Big (1953), Magnificent Obsession (1954), and All That Heaven Allows (1955). She received four nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress, winning for Johnny Belinda (1948). In her later years, she achieved continuing success on the prime-time soap opera Falcon Crest (1981–1990), portraying the role of villainous matriarch Angela Channing. Wyman was the first wife of Hollywood actor and the future 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. Early life