Wyman was born as Sarah Jane Mayfield in Saint Joseph, Missouri, to Manning J. Mayfield, the town's mayor, and to Le Jerne Pichelle, a struggling actress. In 1921, one year after entering first grade at Noyes School, her parents divorced. Her father died unexpectedly the following year. She later took the name Sarah Jane Fulks in honor of the neighbor family who unofficially adopted her after her father died. In 1928, she moved to southern California, where her mother tried to start her own acting career. When that was unsuccessful, she turned to her daughter as an alternative but neither was able to find work. The two moved back to Missouri, where Sarah Jane attended school. In 1930, she began a radio singing career, calling herself Jane Durrell, and possibly (if the 1917 year of birth is accurate) adding years to her birthdate to work legally since she would have been underage.
By 1932, she was in Hollywood, obtaining small parts in The Kid from Spain (as a "Goldwyn Girl") (1932), My Man Godfrey (1936) and Cain and Mabel (1936). After legally changing her last name from Durrell to Wyman, she began her career as a contract player with Warner Brothers in 1936. Her big break came the following year, when she received her first big role in Public Wedding (1937), and her movie career took off.
IMDb: Jane Wyman - Filmography, profile, television appearances, and photograph gallery.
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Jane Wyman - Fan tribute featuring rare, unusual photos, a biography, filmography, and a poll.
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