23 October 2006

RIP: Jane Wyatt

Jane Wyatt, who played the mother in Father Knows Best, died Friday at the age of 96, according to AP.
Wyatt had a successful film career in the 1930s and '40s, notably as Ronald Colman's lover in 1937's "Lost Horizon." She worked throughout the 1970s and 80s, appearing on TV shows including "St. Elsewhere."

But it was her years as Robert Young's TV wife, Margaret Anderson, on "Father Knows Best" that brought the actress her lasting fame. She gamely delivered lines like "Eat your dinner, dear," or "How did you do in school today?"

She appeared in 207 half-hour episodes from 1954 to 1960 and won three Emmys as best actress in a dramatic series in the years 1958 to 1960. The show began as a radio sitcom in 1949; it moved to television in 1954.

From the Seattle Times:
After "Father Knows Best" ended, Ms. Wyatt continued acting, including an appearance as Spock's mother on TV's "Star Trek."

She also had a recurring role as Norman Lloyd's wife on "St. Elsewhere."

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