Oscar winning actress Jane Wyman, passes on at age 90
Ms. Jane Wyman was quoted as saying, “Non-exposure is better than appearing in the wrong thing.†Her grace and talent made finding and mastering great roles seem simple. This Oscar winning actress’s talent spanned several centuries and touched a number of lives. Jane died at her home in Rancho Mirage this week at the age of 90.
Ms. Wyman won an Oscar for her portrayal of a victimized deaf woman in the 1948 movie Johnny Belinda and received several other nominations for her work in The Glass Menagerie, Magnificent Obsession, The Yearling and The Blue Veil. I will remember her best as Aunt Polly on my childhood favorite, Pollyanna.
Perhaps Jane will best be known to later generations for her role as Angela Channing, the heavy-handed matriarch on the 1980s successful drama Falcon Crest.
Though her film and television credits are full and rich, spanning from the 1930s to the 1990s, they were not the only thing for which she was well-known. Jane was also famous for her marriage to Ronald Reagan whom she met in the late 1930s while filming Brother Rat. Their marriage lasted only a few years but she lived her life known as Ronald Reagan’s first wife.
Ms. Jane Wyman’s life is truly fascinating. Her childhood story, her career and her later thoughts on life truly amaze me. I wish I had the privilege to meet her. There are many people and celebrities like that, you know. People you wish you knew more about when you had the opportunity to really get to know them. All you can do now is celebrate their lives, learn about them and pass on their stories through pictures, words, online tributes, and home movies.
Read Jane Wyman’s NY Times Obiturary and stay tuned for memorial information about this great woman.