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01
Never discussed Ronald Reagan in interviews, but she voted for him three times and attended his funeral.
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02
She and third husband Ronald Reagan had a daughter Christine, born June 26, 1947, who lived only nine hours.
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03
Replaced Gracie Allen for an evening of The Burns and Allen Radio Show when Gracie had a migraine; it was the only time Gracie missed their show in all their years performing together.
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04
Mother of Maureen Reagan and Michael Reagan.
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05
Apparently broke up with Ronald Reagan over her love for Lew Ayres, but that relationship failed in the long run.
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06
Ranks fourth behind Mickey Rooney, Barbara Stanwyck, and Bette Davis, but ahead of Eddie Albert and Ernest Borgnine, in movie appearances; she was featured in over 80 films.
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07
Appeared in almost every episode of Falcon Crest from 1981 to 1989, missed 16 episodes in the final season, but returned for the final three shows against her doctor’s advice, totaling 208 of 227 episodes.
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08
Jack Benny gave her the nickname Minnie Mouse because he believed she resembled what the Disney character would look like if human.
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09
Before becoming a successful actress, she was a switchboard operator and a chorus girl.
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10
Held the record for the longest screen kiss, with Regis Toomey in You’re in the Army Now 1941, at 3 minutes and 5 seconds, later broken by Big Top Pee-wee 1988 and Kids in America 2005.
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11
Met Lorenzo Lamas’s father, Fernando Lamas, on an episode of Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre when Lorenzo was three months old; years later, Lorenzo persistently auditioned for a co-starring role on Falcon Crest as her grandson, and won the role.
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12
While under contract at Warner Bros., she first met Ronald Reagan on the set of Brother Rat 1938. She was 21, he was 27. They married in 1940 and divorced in 1949, but remained on good terms until his death in 2004.
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13
Appeared in four films selected for the National Film Registry: Gold Diggers of 1933 1933, My Man Godfrey 1936, The Lost Weekend 1945, and All That Heaven Allows 1955.
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14
She was a spokesperson for the National Arthritis Foundation from the mid-1970s.
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15
After her guest-starring role on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 1993, she retired from acting at age 76.
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16
Wrote a soliloquy for the series finale of Falcon Crest.
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17
She and Eddie Albert were best friends from 1938 until his death in 2005.
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18
Dropped out of Lafayette High School during her freshman year and took odd jobs such as waitress and manicurist.
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19
Her best friend Esther Williams was the stepmother of Falcon Crest co-star Lorenzo Lamas, who married Esther Williams in 1969.
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20
Several sources give her date of birth as January 4, 1914, which would mean she made herself older. She was a serious convert to Roman Catholicism, attending Mass with good friend Loretta Young.
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21
She was buried as a third-degree nun, as revealed by her son Michael Reagan in a 2012 interview.
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22
Reported that she died of natural causes in her sleep.
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23
She was actually the first and only choice for the role of Angela Channing on Falcon Crest; Barbara Stanwyck was rumored to have turned it down, but she was never offered the part.
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24
At age 15, she landed a job as a dancer in the chorus of Busby Berkeley’s The Kid from Spain 1932 at MGM, alongside Lucille Ball, Betty Grable, and Paulette Goddard.
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25
Her Best Actress Oscar for Johnny Belinda 1948 makes her the only wife of a future U.S. President ever to win such an award.
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26
Remained good friends with Susan Sullivan and Lorenzo Lamas during and after Falcon Crest.
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27
Lived in a retirement home in Palm Springs before residing at the Rancho Mirage Country Club, where she died.
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28
She was considered for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind 1939.
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29
Had taken a break on the ninth and final season of Falcon Crest due to health problems, but returned for the last three episodes.
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30
Recipient of the Charles B. Harding Award in 1977, the highest national award given by the Arthritis Foundation.
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31
Her name changed to Jane Faulks when she was unofficially adopted by the Faulks family, middle-aged neighbors of her single mother; moved to Southern California with Mrs. Faulks when she was widowed in 1928.
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32
Has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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33
Studied music at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.
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34
Created the character of Angela Channing on Falcon Crest, wanting her to represent women in business and show she was capable of love.
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35
After she won the Oscar, Jack Warner announced Wyman for A Streetcar Named Desire and Ethan Frome, but those films were never made with her.
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36
Is one of only 11 so-called honorary U.S. first ladies — wives who were married to a U.S. President at a different time than their presidency.
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37
She was always good friends with Loretta Young.
