Wyman, Jane (1914–)

American actress. Name variations: Jane Durrell. Born Sarah Jane Fulks, Jan 4, 1914, in St. Joseph, Missouri; dau. of Richard (city official, died 1929) and Emma (Reise) Fulks; m. Myron Futterman (dress manufacturer), 1937 (div.); m. Ronald Reagan (actor and president of US), Jan 26, 1940 (div. 1948); m. Fred Karger (bandleader), Nov 1, 1952 (div. 1955, remarried Mar 1961, div. 1965); children: (2nd m.) Maureen Reagan (1941–2001, singer-actress turned political activist); (adopted) Michael Edward Reagan.

Actress who won an Academy Award for her wordless performance in Johnny Belinda and was married to Ronald Reagan long before he became president, began career as a radio vocalist under name Jane Durrell; made film debut in Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936); following a featured role in My Man Godfrey (1936), signed with Warner Bros.; for 8 years, played leads and 2nd leads in a string of light comedies, but came to prominence in The Lost Weekend (1945); nominated for Oscar for The Yearling (1946); won Academy Award for Best Actress for Johnny Belinda (1948); received 2 additional Oscar nominations, for The Blue Veil (1951) and Magnificent Obsession (1954); other films include Stage Struck (1937), Brother Rat (1938), You're in the Army Now (1941), Night and Day (1946), The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949), Stage Fright (1950), The Glass Menagerie (1950), Here Comes the Groom (1951), So Big (1953), Lucy Gallant (1955), All That Heaven Allows (1956), Miracle in the Rain (1956), Pollyanna (1960) and How to Commit Marriage (1969); starred on tv in "The Jane Wyman Theater." Won Golden Globe Award (1984), for Best Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic Series, for Falcon Crest.

See also Women in World History.