Biography
Born Sarah Jane Mayfield Fulks on 4 January 1914 in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA, and passing away on 10 September 2007 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA, Wyman first encountered rejection when attempting to enter motion pictures, prompting her to work instead as a band vocalist. Her renewed efforts in Hollywood yielded only supporting parts throughout the 1930s, among them appearances in King Of Burlesque (1935), Cain And Mabel (1936), and the cluster of 1937 releases comprising Gold Diggers Of 1937, The King And The Chorus Girl, Mr Dodd Takes The Air, The Singing Marine, and Ready, Willing And Able, the last of which is chiefly recalled for its elaborate sequence of dancers performing atop an oversized typewriter keyboard. The following decade opened similarly, with Wyman cast in minor capacities for My Favorite Spy (1942), a vehicle built around Kay Kyser and his comedy-dance band (distinct from the unrelated 1951 Bob Hope feature), and Footlight Serenade (1942), which starred Betty Grable alongside John Payne and Phil Silvers.
She also joined the array of performers assembled for Hollywood Canteen (1944) and the Cole Porter biopic Night And Day (1945). Stardom arrived in 1945 once she secured principal roles in dramatic features such as The Lost Weekend (1945), The Yearling (1946) that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and Johnny Belinda (1948) for which she received the Oscar. Between 1940 and 1948 she was married to Ronald Reagan, and both appeared, along with their daughter Maureen Reagan, among the many guest stars of It’s A Great Feeling (1949). During the 1950s she starred in Here Comes The Groom (1951) opposite Bing Crosby, Starlift (1951) that featured numerous Warner Bros. contract players, Just For You (1952) again with Crosby, and All That Heaven Allows (1955). Although her screen work diminished in the early 1960s, she sustained visibility through television, most prominently via the series Falcon Crest (1981).
She also joined the array of performers assembled for Hollywood Canteen (1944) and the Cole Porter biopic Night And Day (1945). Stardom arrived in 1945 once she secured principal roles in dramatic features such as The Lost Weekend (1945), The Yearling (1946) that earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and Johnny Belinda (1948) for which she received the Oscar. Between 1940 and 1948 she was married to Ronald Reagan, and both appeared, along with their daughter Maureen Reagan, among the many guest stars of It’s A Great Feeling (1949). During the 1950s she starred in Here Comes The Groom (1951) opposite Bing Crosby, Starlift (1951) that featured numerous Warner Bros. contract players, Just For You (1952) again with Crosby, and All That Heaven Allows (1955). Although her screen work diminished in the early 1960s, she sustained visibility through television, most prominently via the series Falcon Crest (1981).