'Falcon Crest': A Look Back At Jane Wyman's Amazing Career

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'Falcon Crest' star Jane Wyman

Jane Wyman (1917-2007) was the star of popular '80s soap opera Falcon Crest. She played ruthless matriarch "Angela Channing" for nine seasons (1981-1990), winning awards and acclaim in the process.

But in Wyman's career, Falcon Crest was actually one of her final roles. She'd enjoyed a lengthy run as a Hollywood film star and Oscar winner going back to the 1930s and '40s. She was also married to Ronald Reagan in his acting days and had a family with him.

This gallery looks back at Jane Wyman's storied career, from her days as a teenage actress to Oscar winner and eventual Falcon Crest star. Enjoy!

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Jane Wyman b. 1917

Jane Wyman was born Sarah Jane Mayfield on Jan. 5, 1917 in Saint Joseph, Missouri. At age 16, she began to act uncredited in early 1930s films. She had dozens of small parts until her career began to take off in the late '30s and early '40s. She's seen here in 1937 film Mr. Dodd Takes the Air, a musical comedy that was one of her earliest support roles.

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Ronald Reagan Marriage

In addition to her acting career, Wyman is well-known for being the first wife of actor Ronald Reagan, who would become the 40th U.S. President decades after their marriage. The couple of 8 years co-starred in the Brother Rat films and married in 1940. Reagan was Wyman's third husband, and she'd marry twice more after their 1949 divorce.

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Jane Wyman's Family

Wyman had her only children while married to Reagan. The couple welcomed daughter Maureen in 1941, adopted son Michael in 1945, and sadly lost prematurely-born daughter Christine one day after her birth in 1947.

Maureen passed away from melanoma in 2001. Michael Reagan is 75 years old today and has two children.

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'Johnny Belinda'

Jane Wyman's acting also reached a critical highpoint in 1948, the same year she filed for divorce from Reagan. For her role in drama Johnny Belinda, Wyman won the Academy Award for Best Actress as well as the Golden Globe Award in the same category.

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Oscar Win

Here's Jane Wyman with her 1948 Oscar win for Johnny Belinda. Lew Ayres co-starred in the film, based on the Broadway play of the same name. Wyman's Oscar was the film's only win out of 12 nominations at the 21st Academy Awards.

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'Stage Fright'

The 1940s and '50s saw Wyman star in notable crime, film noir, and drama works. Highlights include The Lost Weekend and (pictured here) Alfred Hitchcock's 1950 film Stage Fright.

RELATED: The Best Hitchcock Movies

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'All That Heaven Allows'

Wyman is also remembered well for her collaborations with director Douglas Sirk and actor Rock Hudson. In the 1950s, the duo co-starred in Magnificent Obsession—netting Wyman another Oscar nomination—and the melodrama classic All That Heaven Allows, both directed by Sirk.

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'Falcon Crest' Cast

By the 1960s, Wyman had shifted more to TV roles. Thereafter, she was semi-retired for a time, appearing only in occasional films and TV shows for several decades. But she returned in a big way in the '80s, landing the lead role of "Angela Channing" on CBS soap Falcon Crest.

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Golden Globe Win

Wyman's Falcon Crest role revived her popularity and earned her two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Television Drama — winning once in 1984 (pictured here). The star played the role for nine seasons (1981-1990), in what was one of her final roles.