1932–1936: Early years in Hollywood Jane Wyman began her 60-year show business career as an extra on
The Kid from Spain (1932),
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933),
Elmer, the Great (1933), and
Harold Teen (1934). She had taken classes with Edward Albert Prinz (Dad Prinz) at Prinz’s Dancing Academy back in St. Joseph, Missouri. Dad Prinz’s son
LeRoy Prinz was now a successful Dance Director at
Paramount Pictures. Prinz hired Wyman for the chorus of
College Rhythm (1934),
Rumba (1935), ''
All the King's Horses (1935), Stolen Harmony (1935), Broadway Hostess (1935), and Anything Goes (1936). In between pictures at Paramount she did King of Burlesque (1936) and George White's 1935 Scandals'' (1935) at Fox. She then went to Universal Studios for
My Man Godfrey (1936).
1936–1944: Career at Warner Bros. Jane Wyman signed her first contract with
Warner Bros. in 1936 and stayed for the next two decades.
Miracle in the Rain (1956) would become the last film she completed under contract to the studio. It was released on April 7, 1956 almost exactly twenty years after she signed her inaugural contract. At
Warner Bros, Wyman was in
Freshman Love (1936) and
Bengal Tiger (1936),
Stage Struck (1936),
Cain and Mabel (1936), and
Here Comes Carter (1936). Wyman had her first big role, both singing and dancing in a
Dick Foran Western
The Sunday Round-Up (1936). Wyman had small parts in
Polo Joe (1936), and
Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936) but a bigger one in
Smart Blonde (1936), the first of the
Torchy Blane series. She appeared in
Ready, Willing and Able (1937),
The King and the Chorus Girl (1937), and
Slim (1937). She had the lead in
Little Pioneer (1937), a short, and parts in
The Singing Marine (1937). By the time Wyman starred in
Public Wedding (1937), a "B" picture, she was already divorced from first husband Ernest Wyman. She retained use of the surname for the remainder of her career. Wyman did
Larceny, Inc. (1942) with
Edward G. Robinson, and
My Favorite Spy (1942) with
Kay Kyser. At
Twentieth Century Fox, Wyman was a supporting actor to
Betty Grable in
Footlight Serenade (1942) then back at Warners supported Olivia de Havilland in ''
Princess O'Rourke'' (1943). Warners teamed Wyman with Jack Carson in
Make Your Own Bed (1944) and
The Doughgirls (1944), then she was top billed in
Crime by Night (1944). She was one of many stars to cameo in
Hollywood Canteen (1944).
1945–1956: Leading roles and critical acclaim in
The Yearling in 1946 on set for
All That Heaven Allows (1955), one of her last major roles Wyman finally gained critical attention with
The Lost Weekend (1945), made by the team of
Billy Wilder and
Charles Brackett. Wilder had wanted Katharine Hepburn or Barbara Stanwyck for the female lead but Brackett had been impressed by Wyman’s performance in ''
Princess O'Rourke''. Wyman called it "a small miracle". Wyman remained a supporting actor in
One More Tomorrow (1946), and
Night and Day (1946). However Wyman was borrowed by MGM for the female lead in
The Yearling (1946), and was nominated for the 1946
Academy Award for Best Actress. She was leading lady for Dennis Morgan in
Cheyenne (1947) and James Stewart in RKO's
Magic Town (1947). Her breakthrough role was playing a deaf-mute rape victim in
Johnny Belinda (1948). Wyman spent over six months preparing for the film which was an enormous hit and won Wyman a
Best Actress Oscar. Wyman was now a top-billed star. She did two comedies,
A Kiss in the Dark (1948) with
David Niven and
The Lady Takes a Sailor (1949) with Morgan, then made a thriller in England,
Stage Fright (1950) for
Alfred Hitchcock. She played Laura in
The Glass Menagerie (1950), and went to MGM for
Three Guys Named Mike (1951), a popular comedy. Frank Capra used her as
Bing Crosby's leading lady in
Here Comes the Groom (1951) at Paramount, then she had the lead role in RKO's
The Blue Veil (1951), a melodrama that was a big box office hit and earned her an Oscar nomination. Wyman was one of many stars in Warner Bros'
Starlift (1951). She was the female lead in
The Story of Will Rogers (1952) and Paramount reunited her and Crosby in
Just for You (1952). Wyman expressed interest around this time of doing no more "weepy" roles. Columbia cast her in a musical, ''
Let's Do It Again (1953) with Ray Milland, then at Warners she was in So Big'' (1953), a melodrama. Wyman had a huge success when producer
Ross Hunter cast her alongside
Rock Hudson in
Magnificent Obsession (1954). It earned her another Oscar nomination. Wyman and Hudson were promptly reteamed on
All That Heaven Allows (1955).
Pine-Thomas Productions put Wyman in
Lucy Gallant (1955) with
Charlton Heston. She did
Miracle in the Rain (1956) with
Van Johnson. Wyman was meant to follow this with
Annabella but it appears to have not been made.
1951–1953: Recording career Jane Wyman's brief recording career with
Decca Records extended between 1951 and 1953. She recorded a few solo tracks along with duets and novelty songs achieving three
Billboard top 30 hits and appearing on one #1 album. ;Decca Albums •
Selections from the Paramount Picture "Just for You" (1952):
Bing Crosby, Jane Wyman,
The Andrews Sisters,
Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires and the
Dave Barbour Orchestra •
Studio cast recording of the music from the film
Just for You (1952) •
Danny Kaye sings Hans Christian Andersen (1952):
Danny Kaye with Jane Wyman,
Gordon Jenkins and his Chorus and Orchestra • This
studio cast recording of the music from the film
Hans Christian Andersen (1952) spent 17 weeks at #1 on the
Billboard “Best Selling Popular Albums Chart” in 1953. Wyman is featured most prominently duetting with Kaye on the track "No Two People" and is also credited with contributing vocals to other tracks. ;Decca Singles • "
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening"/"Misto Cristofo Colombo" (1951): Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman with
Matty Matlock's All Stars and the Four Hits and a Miss, from the film
Here Comes the Groom (1951) • "In the Cool..." peaked at #11 on the
Billboard charts.
Hoagy Carmichael (music) and
Johnny Mercer (lyrics) won the 1951
Academy Award for Best Original Song. Jane Wyman and
Danny Kaye performed it at the
24th Academy Awards. • "How d'ye Do and Shake Hands"/"
Black Strap Molasses" (1951):
Danny Kaye,
Jimmy Durante, Jane Wyman and
Groucho Marx with the
Sonny Burke Orchestra • "Black Strap..." peaked at #29 on the
Billboard charts. • "Why Didn't I?"/"Blow Out the Candle" (1951) • "I Love That Feelin'"/"It Was Nice While the Money Rolled In" (1951): with The Four Hits and the
Dave Barbour Orchestra • "Checkin' My Heart"/"He's Just Crazy For Me" (1952): with the
Dave Barbour Orchestra, from the film
Just for You (1952) • "
Zing a Little Zong"/"The Maiden of Guadalupe" (1952): Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman with
Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires and the
Nathan Van Cleave Orchestra, from the film
Just for You (1952) • "Zing a..." peaked at #18 on the
Billboard charts and #10 on the UK Singles charts.
Harry Warren (music) and
Leo Robin (lyrics) were nominated for the 1952
Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Peggy Lee and
Johnny Mercer performed it at the
25th Academy Awards on
NBC. • "I Never Heard You Say"/"Doodle Bug Rag" (1952): with
Hoagy Carmichael • "I'm Takin' a Slow Burn"/"It Was Great While It Lasted" (1953): with the
Sonny Burke Orchestra, from the film ''
Let's Do It Again'' (1953)
1955–1967: Career in television Wyman's television acting debut was the 1955 episode "Amelia" of the anthology series
General Electric Theater produced by
MCA Inc.'s
Revue Studios and hosted by her former husband Ronald Reagan. On August 30, 1955 just a year after
Magnificent Obsession became Wyman's biggest hit and her first #1 film at the weekly box office her eponymous weekly television anthology series made its debut on NBC. Wyman announced her first TV series
The Jane Wyman Show (1955–58) in 1955. In its first season it was known as
Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre then the
Jane Wyman Theatre and finally
The Jane Wyman Show. Wyman hosted every episode, acted in half, and was a producer. Wyman continued to guest star on TV shows like
Checkmate,
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre,
The Investigators,
Wagon Train, and
Insight. "Something happened in the sixties," she later said. "it seemed that the time didn't permit women to be part of it except in a sort of secondary sort of way which I resented. I kept telling myself 'I didn't want to play
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane." She returned to films with
How to Commit Marriage (1969). Wyman continued to work in the 1970s, guest starring on
My Three Sons;
The Bold Ones: The New Doctors;
The Sixth Sense; and
Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law and her first film for television,
The Failing of Raymond (1971). She starred in a pilot for a TV series
Amanda Fallon but it was not picked up. She was offered roles of "murderers, old ladies that were senile – they were awful. The weirdest kind of writing." Then relatively unknown
Lorenzo Lamas appeared as Angela's irresponsible grandson, Lance Cumson. The on- and off-screen chemistry between Wyman and Lamas helped fuel the series' success. For her role as Angela Channing, Wyman was nominated for a
Soap Opera Digest Award five times (for Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role and for Outstanding Villainess: Prime Time Serial), and was also nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1983 and 1984. She won in 1984 for Best Performance By an Actress in a TV Series. Later in the show's run, Wyman suffered several health problems. In 1986 abdominal surgery caused her to miss two episodes. She was plagued with fatigue during the 1988–1989 season, and her health continued to deteriorate. Later in 1989 she collapsed on the set and was hospitalized due to problems with
diabetes and a
liver ailment. Her doctors told her that she should end her acting career. Wyman was absent for most of the ninth and final season of
Falcon Crest in 1989–1990. Against her doctor's advice, she returned for the final three episodes in 1990, even writing a
soliloquy for the series finale. Wyman appeared in 208 of the show's 227 episodes. After
Falcon Crest, Wyman acted only once more, playing
Jane Seymour's screen mother in a 1993 episode of
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In all, Wyman had starred in 83 movies and two successful TV series, and was nominated for an Academy Award four times, winning once. ==Personal life==