PressPlayX
Jane Wyatt

Jane Wyatt

From Wikipedia Jane Wyatt (August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress best known for her role as the housewife and mother on the NBC and CBS television comedy series, Father Knows Best, and as Amanda Grayson, the human mother of Spock on the science fiction television series Star Trek. Wyatt was a three-time Emmy Award-winner. Jane Waddington Wyatt was born on August 12, 1910 in Mahwah, New Jersey, but raised in Manhattan. Her father, Christopher Billopp Wyatt, Jr., was a Wall Street investment banker, and her mother, the former Euphemia Van Rensselaer Waddington, was a drama critic for the Catholic World. Both of her parents were Roman Catholic converts. She made her film debut in 1934 in One More River. In arguably her most famous role, she co-starred as Ronald Colman's character's love interest in Frank Capra's Columbia Pictures film Lost Horizon (1937). Other film appearances included Gentleman's Agreement with Gregory Peck, None but the Lonely Heart with Cary Grant, Boomerang with Dana Andrews, and Our Very Own. Her film career suffered because of her outspoken opposition to Senator Joseph McCarthy, the chief figure in the anti-Communist investigations of that era, and was temporarily derailed for having assisted in hosting a performance by the Bolshoi Ballet during the Second World War, even though it was at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Wyatt returned to her roots on the New York stage for a time and appeared in such plays as Lillian Hellman's The Autumn Garden, opposite Fredric March. For many people, Wyatt is best remembered as Margaret Anderson on Father Knows Best, which aired from 1954 to 1960. She played opposite Robert Young as the devoted wife and mother of the Anderson family in the Midwestern town of Springfield. This role won Wyatt three Emmy Awards for best actress in a comedy series. After Father Knows Best, Wyatt guest starred in several other series. On June 13, 1962, she was cast in the lead in "The Heather Mahoney Story" on NBC's Wagon Train. In 1963, she portrayed Kitty McMullen in "Don't Forget to Say Goodbye" on the ABC drama, Going My Way, with Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll, a series about the Catholic priesthood in New York City. In 1965, Wyatt was cast as Anne White in "The Monkey's Paw – A Retelling" on CBS's The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Wyatt was married to investment broker Edgar Bethune Ward from November 9, 1935, until his death on November 8, 2000, just one day short of the couple's 65th wedding anniversary. The couple reportedly met in the late 1920s when both were weekend houseguests of Franklin D. Roosevelt at Hyde Park, New York. Ward later converted to the Catholic faith of his wife. Wyatt suffered a mild stroke in the 1990s, but recovered well. She remained in relatively good health for the rest of her life Jane Wyatt died on October 20, 2006 of natural causes at her home in Bel-Air, California, aged 96. She was interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, next to her husband.

Born: 1910-08-12 • Campgaw, New Jersey, USA • 51 titles

Known For

Known For

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
en
Movie•1986

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Gentleman's Agreement
en
Movie•1947

Gentleman's Agreement

The Millionaire
en
Movie•1978

The Millionaire

The Luckiest Girl in the World
en
Movie•1936

The Luckiest Girl in the World

Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas
en
Movie•1977

Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas

Neighbors
en
Movie•1971

Neighbors

Tom Sawyer
en
Movie•1976

Tom Sawyer

Strange Conquest
en
Movie•1946

Strange Conquest

Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist
en
Movie•1987

Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist

The Father Knows Best Reunion
en
Movie•1977

The Father Knows Best Reunion

Missing Children: A Mother's Story
en
Movie•1982

Missing Children: A Mother's Story

The Silent Feminists: America's First Women Directors
en
Movie•1993

The Silent Feminists: America's First Women Directors

Hurricane Smith
en
Movie•1941

Hurricane Smith

Girl from God's Country
en
Movie•1940

Girl from God's Country

Army Surgeon
en
Movie•1942

Army Surgeon

The Nativity
en
Movie•1978

The Nativity

Amelia Earhart
en
Movie•1976

Amelia Earhart

Superdome
en
Movie•1978

Superdome

See How They Run
en
Movie•1964

See How They Run

No Minor Vices
en
Movie•1948

No Minor Vices