Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman dies at age 93

On Monday morning, Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman died at her Palm Springs home at the age of 93. When I saw the title of the link to the story on Yahoo this morning, it made me mad. The title of the link was "First wife of Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman dies at 93". Although it is true that Wyman was married to Bonzo's buddy, her career achievements can stand on their own.

Wyman got her start in Hollywood as a bit player in the early 1930s. In 1936, she signed a long-term contract with Warner Brothers. Although she made a slew of movies for the studio, most of them were undistinguished. It wasn't until she played the loyal girlfriend of Ray Milland's alcoholic character in "The Lost Weekend" in 1945 that she started to make an impact on the big screen.

The following year she received the first of 4 Best Actress Oscar nominations for her work in "The Yearling". In 1948, she won her only Oscar for her role as the deaf mute rape victim in "Johnny Belinda". Her Oscar acceptance speech is reportedly the shortest on record "I won this award by keeping my mouth shut and I think I'll do it again." Some of her other films include 1954's "Magnificent Obsession" (her final Oscar nominated role), "Pollyana" (1960), and "How To Commit Marriage" (1969).

Arguably, Jane's best known role was that of powerful winery owner Angela Channing on the long-running CBS nighttime soap "Falcon Crest". This was a show that I watched all through high school (10:00 Friday nights right after "Dallas"). Jane's portrayal of Angela Channing was quite a departure for her, because she always played sympathetic characters in the movies. I seem to remember her saying on more than one occasion to whichever character was fool enough to cross her, "You'll pay for this!"

Although no information is yet available on their website, Turner Classic Movies will more than likely schedule a marathon spotlighting Jane's work on the big screen.