Jane Waddington Wyatt(/ˈwaɪət/WY-ət;August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress. She starred in a number of Hollywood films, such asFrank Capra'sLost Horizon,but is likely best known for her role as homemaker and mother Margaret Anderson on theCBSandNBCtelevision comedy seriesFather Knows Best,and asAmanda Grayson,the human mother ofSpockon thescience-fictiontelevision seriesStar Trek.Wyatt was a three-timeEmmy Award–winner.
Jane Wyatt | |
|---|---|
 Wyatt in the 1930s | |
| Born | Jane Waddington Wyatt August 12, 1910 |
| Died | October 20, 2006(aged 96) |
| Alma mater | Barnard College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1931–1996 |
| Spouse |
Edgar Bethune Ward
(m.1935; died 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Emmy Award(1958, 1959, 1960) |
Early life
editWyatt was born on August 12, 1910, inCampgaw,a neighborhood inFranklin Lakes, New Jersey,and raised inManhattan.[1]Her father, Christopher Billopp Wyatt, was a broker. Her mother was Euphemia Van Rensselaer Wyatt. Wyatt had two sisters and a brother.[2]
Education
editWhile in New York City, Wyatt attendedMiss Chapin's School,where she had roles asJoan of Arcand asShylock.She later attended two years ofBarnard College.[3]After leaving Barnard, she joined the apprentice school of the Berkshire Playhouse atStockbridge, Massachusetts,where for six months she played a variety of roles.
Stage and film
edit
One of her first jobs onBroadwaywas as understudy toRose Hobartin a production ofTrade Winds—a career move that cost her her listing in the New YorkSocial Register(she later was relisted upon her marriage). Receiving favorable notices on Broadway and celebrated for her understated beauty, Wyatt made the transition from stage to screen and was placed under contract byUniversal Pictures.
She made her film debut in 1934 inOne More River.[4]In arguably her most famous film role, she co-starred asRonald Colman's character's love interest in Frank Capra'sColumbia PicturesfilmLost Horizon(1937). She reflected onLost Horizonsixty years later inSt. Anthony Messengermagazine:
During thewar,they cut out all thepacifistparts of the film—the High Lama talking about peace in the world. All that was cut because they were trying to inspire those G.I.'s to get out there and go "bang! bang! bang!" which sort of ruined the film.[5]
Other film appearances includedGentleman's AgreementwithGregory Peck,None but the Lonely HeartwithCary Grant,BoomerangwithDana Andrews,andOur Very OwnwithFarley Granger.Wyatt co-starred in the crime dramasPitfallandHouse by the River,and withRandolph Scottin a Western,Canadian Pacific.She played the wife ofGary Cooperin the war storyTask Force.
Her film career suffered due to her outspoken opposition to SenatorJoseph McCarthy,the chief figure in theanti-Communist investigationsof that era, and was temporarily derailed for having assisted in hosting a performance by theBolshoi Balletduring theSecond World War,though it was at the request ofPresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.[6]Wyatt returned to her roots on the New York stage for a time and appeared in such plays asLillian Hellman'sThe Autumn Garden,oppositeFredric March.
Television
editFor many people, Wyatt is best remembered as Margaret Anderson onFather Knows Best,which aired from 1954 to 1960. She played oppositeRobert Youngas the devoted wife and mother of the Anderson family in the small town ofSpringfield.This role won consecutiveEmmy Awardsfor her in 1958, 1959 and 1960 forbest actress in a comedy series.[7]AfterFather Knows Best,Wyatt guest-starred in several other series.
On June 13, 1962, she was cast as the lead in "The Heather Mahoney Story" on NBC'sWagon Train.In 1963, she portrayed Kitty McMullen in "Don't Forget to Say Goodbye" on theABCdramaGoing My Way,withGene KellyandLeo G. Carroll,a series about the Catholic priesthood in New York City. In 1964 Wyatt appeared as Mrs. Sarah Brynmar onThe Virginianin the episode "The Secret of Brynmar Hall". In 1965, Wyatt was cast as Anne White in "The Monkey's Paw – A Retelling" on CBS'sThe Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Wyatt portrayedAmanda Grayson,Spock's mother and AmbassadorSarek's (Mark Lenard) wife, in the 1967 episode "Journey to Babel"of the original NBC seriesStar Trek(credited as Miss Jane Wyatt), and the 1986 filmStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home.[8]Wyatt was once quoted as saying her fan mail for these two appearances in this role exceeded that ofLost Horizon.
In 1969, she made a guest appearance onHere Come the Brides,but did not have any scenes with Mark Lenard, who was starring on the show as sawmill owner Aaron Stemple.[citation needed]Also in 1969, Wyatt appeared as a concerned mother in the first episode of the ABC comedy anthology seriesLove, American Stylein a segment titled "Love and the Pill."
In 1970, Wyatt guest-starred in the episode "Wedding Day?????" (the five question marks being part of the title) in the second season of the TV sitcomThe Ghost & Mrs. Muir,which played on ABC (the first season having played on NBC). She portrayed Emily Williams, the mother of Mrs. Muir.[citation needed]
In 1976, she guest-starred in an episode ofGibbsville,and she appeared asAnna,mother of theVirgin Mary,in the 1978 television filmThe Nativity.Late in her career, she appeared in a recurring role in the 1980s medical dramaSt. Elsewhere,as Katherine Auschlander, wife of hospital administrator Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd).[citation needed]
Personal life
editWyatt was married to investment broker Edgar Bethune Ward[3]from November 9, 1935, until his death on November 8, 2000. The couple met in the late 1920s when both were weekend houseguests of Franklin D. Roosevelt atHyde Park, New York.[citation needed]
Ward later converted to the Catholic faith of his wife. Wyatt suffered a mildstrokein the 1990s but recovered well. She remained in relatively good health for the rest of her long life.[9]
Death
editWyatt died on October 20, 2006, at her home inBel-Air, California,aged 96.[10]Wyatt's family included three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1934 | One More River | Dinny Cherrell |
| Great Expectations | Estella | |
| 1935 | We're Only Human | Sally Rogers |
| 1936 | The Luckiest Girl in the World | Pat Duncan |
| 1937 | Lost Horizon | Sondra Bizet |
| 1940 | Girl from God's Country | Anne Webster |
| 1941 | Kisses for Breakfast | Laura Anders |
| Hurricane Smith | Joan Bradley | |
| Weekend for Three | Ellen | |
| 1942 | Army Surgeon | Elizabeth "Beth" Ainsley |
| The Navy Comes Through | Myra Mallory | |
| 1943 | Buckskin Frontier | Vinnie Marr |
| The Kansan | Eleanor Sager | |
| 1944 | None but the Lonely Heart | Aggie Hunter |
| 1946 | Strange Conquest | Dr. Mary Palmer |
| The Bachelor's Daughters | Marta Jordan | |
| 1947 | Boomerang | Madge Harvey |
| Gentleman's Agreement | Jane | |
| 1948 | Pitfall | Sue Forbes |
| No Minor Vices | Miss Darlington | |
| 1949 | Bad Boy | Mrs. Maud Brown |
| Canadian Pacific | Dr. Edith Cabot | |
| Task Force | Mary Morgan | |
| 1950 | House by the River | Marjorie Byrne |
| Our Very Own | Mrs. Fred (Lois) Macaulay | |
| My Blue Heaven | Janet Pringle | |
| The Man Who Cheated Himself | Lois Frazer | |
| 1951 | Criminal Lawyer | Maggie Powell |
| 1957 | Interlude | Prue Stubbins |
| 1961 | The Two Little Bears | Anne Davis |
| 1965 | Never Too Late | Grace Kimbrough |
| 1976 | Treasure of Matecumbe | Aunt Effie |
| 1986 | Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home | Amanda Grayson |
Television films
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | See How They Run | Augusta Flanders |
| 1970 | Weekend of Terror | Sister Frances |
| 1973 | You'll Never See Me Again | Mary Alden |
| 1975 | Katherine | Emily Alman |
| 1976 | Amelia Earhart | Amy Earhart |
| 1978 | Superdome | Fay Bonelli |
| The Nativity | Anna | |
| 1989 | Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes | Alice Leacock |
Radio appearances
edit| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Family Theater | Pas de Deux[11] |
| 1952 | Hollywood Sound Stage | Boomerang[12] |
| 1953 | Theatre Guild on the Air | A Square Peg[13] |
References
edit- ^Longo, Rosalie."Actress Invited to Write Memoirs on Her Native Campgaw",Herald News,July 26, 2001. Accessed March 30, 2021, viaNewspapers.com."Jane Wyatt would be stunned if she returned to her childhood stomping grounds in North Jersey. When she romped through the apple orchards at her familys home years back, the Campgaw native encountered more deer; town, the actress could provide members of the Franklin Lakes Historical Society with a wealth of information about life in the borough years back, particularly when the sparsely populated, countrified community served as an oasis for city dwellers trying to escape the summer heat."
- ^"Jane Wyatt, Stage Star, In 'Great Expectations'".The Mason City Globe-Gazette.Mason City, Iowa. December 10, 1934. p. 7.RetrievedJune 1,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^abMcManus, Margaret (October 19, 1958)."Television World".The San Bernardino County Sun.San Bernardino, California. p. 22.RetrievedMay 31,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Jane Wyatt: About This Interview".Archive of American Television.RetrievedFebruary 10,2012.
- ^"Jane Wyatt: Witness to Family Values".St. Anthony Messenger.June 1997. Archived fromthe originalon March 9, 2001.RetrievedJuly 23,2015– via americancatholic.org.
- ^"Jane Wyatt".web.engr.illinois.edu.Archived fromthe originalon July 23, 2015.RetrievedJuly 23,2015.
- ^Katz, Ephraim (1979).The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume.Perigee Books. p. 1250.ISBN0-399-50601-2.
- ^"Star trek: The original series 2.05b – Journey to Babel".Cinematic Intelligence Agency.Archived fromthe originalon September 9, 2006.RetrievedOctober 26,2006.
- ^"Actress Jane Wyatt dies at 96".TODAY.Associated Press.October 26, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon October 4, 2020.RetrievedJuly 23,2015.
- ^Bernstein, Adam (October 23, 2006)."Jane Wyatt, 96".The Washington Post.Archived fromthe originalon August 18, 2020.RetrievedJune 20,2020.
- ^Kirby, Walter (February 10, 1952)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Sunday Herald and Review.Decatur, Illinois. p. 38.RetrievedJune 2,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Kirby, Walter (February 24, 1952)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Sunday Herald and Review.Decatur, Illinois. p. 38.RetrievedMay 28,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^Kirby, Walter (March 15, 1953)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Sunday Herald and Review.Decatur, Illinois. p. 46.RetrievedJune 25,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
External links
edit
- Jane WyattatIMDb
- Jane Wyattat theInternet Broadway Database
- Jane Wyattat theTCM Movie Database
- Jane WyattatAllMovie
- Jane WyattatFind a Grave
- Jane WyattatMemory Alpha
- Jane Wyatt: Representative of American Liberalism; article by Norman Markowitz,politicalaffairs.net; accessed February 2, 2014.
- "'Father Knows Best' mother Wyatt dead at 96",CNN.com; accessed February 2, 2014.
- Jane WyattatThe Interviews: An Oral History of Television
