Jane Wyman: Full obit
Posted: Monday, September 10th, 2007 5:25 pm
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — Jane Wyman, the Oscar-winning actress who was Ronald Reagan’s first wife and starred in the popular 1980s television drama “Falcon Crest,” died on Monday at age 90, her longtime manager said.
Wyman married fellow actor and future U.S. President Reagan in 1940 but divorced him in 1948. She died at her home in Palm Springs, California, having been in failing health for several years, business manager Michael Mesnick said in a statement.
Known as “one-take Wyman” for her professional work ethic, Wyman appeared in more than 80 films during a career spanning four decades. …
Starting out as a radio singer, the Missouri-born Wyman broke into the movies in the 1930s as a Goldwyn Girl and signed with Warner Bros. studio in 1936. Her film acting debut came with a bit part in “Gold Diggers of 1937.”
Initially typecast as a perky, sometimes flaky or tart-tongued blonde, Wyman toiled for a decade in mostly B-movie fare and supporting roles in bigger films. She gained notice in 1945 for her role as the girlfriend of a chronic alcoholic in Billy Wilder’s drama “The Lost Weekend.” …
She won the Oscar as best actress for her 1948 role — played when she was 34 — as a teenage deaf-mute raped in “Johnny Belinda.” She and Reagan, once hailed by the Hollywood publicity machine as the ideal couple, saw their marriage collapse. …
She was herself married a total of four times to three different men, divorcing the last in 1965. … Read full obituary
