One of my grandmother’s favorite actresses died this morning.
Jane Wyman was an Oscar-winner and appeared in a host of big screen musicals and dramas. But, it was her stint on TV’s “Falcon Crest” that endeared her to my grandma. When I was growing up, every Friday night my grandma would have a date with Larry Hagman (on “Dallas”), immediately after seeing what devious dealings J.R. was plotting she would stay tuned for “Falcon Crest.” Whenever Wyman was on I’d hear my grandma say, “I like that lady.” I was never quite sure if she was referring to Wyman’s formidable character Angela Channing or Wyman herself.
Either way if it weren’t for my grandma’s obsession with primetime soaps I would likely not be very familiar with Wyman’s work. After all, it was back in 1948 (long before I was born) that Wyman won her Oscar for her role as the deaf mute in “Johnny Belinda.” Her acceptance speech is often listed as one of the Academy’s best ever: “I won this by keeping my mouth shut,” Wyman said, “and that’s what I’m going to do now.”
Wyman followed the same advice when it came to discussing her failed marriage to Ronald Reagan. The couple married in 1940 and divorced eight years later. They had two children: Maureen, who was born in 1941 (and died of cancer in 2001) and Michael. They also had a third child, Christine, who died shortly after birth.
Wyman was born Sarah Jane Fulks in Missouri. In all she appeared in 83 movies, including “The Glass Menagerie” and the musical “Night and Day.” Her final role before retirement was as the mother of Jane Seymour’s character on TV’s “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” in 1993.
News agencies report Wyman died this morning at her Palm Springs home. The cause of her death was not released. Also, Wyman’s age has been listed as 93 by several media sources, however Wyman’s official family website, says she was 90.
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