Wyatt, Jane (1911–)

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Wyatt, Jane (1911–)

American actress. Born August 10, 1911, in Campgaw, New Jersey; dau. of Christopher Billop Wyatt (lawyer) and Eupemia Van Rensselaer (Waddington) Wyatt (writer for Commonweal and Catholic World); attended Barnard College, 1928–30, and Apprentice School of Berkshire Playhouse, 1930; m. Edgar Bethune Ward, Nov 9, 1935; children: Christopher, Michael.

Best known for role as Margaret Anderson, the quintessential 1950s housewife, in tv series "Father Knows Best" (1954–60), made professional stage debut as a walk-on in Trade Winds in Philadelphia (1930); made NY debut as Freda Mannock in A. A. Milne's Give Me Yesterday (1931); on Broadway, replaced Margaret Sullivan in Dinner at Eight (1933); also appeared in Save Me the Waltz (1938), Night Music (1940), Quiet Please (1940) and Hope for the Best (1945); made film debut in One More River (1934), followed by Great Expectations (1934); came to prominence in Lost Horizon (1937); other films include None but the Lonely Heart (1944), Gentlemen's Agreement (1947), My Blue Heaven (1950), The Man Who Cheated Himself (1951), Never Too Late (1965), Treasure of Matacumbe (1976), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) and Amityville IV: The Evil Escapes (1990). Won Emmy Awards for "Father Knows Best" (1958–60).

See also Women in World History.