A lovely leading lady with an attractively broad, open face and softly curled brunette hair, Jane Wyatt carved a very respectable niche for herself in the Hollywood of the 1940s as a second-string Myrna Loy, a "perfect wife" to a number of prominent male stars. Her relaxed and serene charm made her a natural for TV, and she won the Emmy Award three years in a row for her most famous part, happy homemaker Margaret Anderson on the landmark family sitcom, "Father Knows Best" (CBS, 1954-55; NBC, 1955-58; CBS, 1958-60). If, in retrospect, the show's patriarchal attitudinizing is most compelling as
Broadway acting debut as understudy, aged 19, to Rose Hobart in the play, "Tradewinds"; that same year, also understudied Katherine Wilson in the play, "The Vinegar Tree"
1932
Stage breakthrough: played ingenue lead in "Give Me Yesterday"
1933
Took over Margaret Sullavan's role in the hit Broadway play "Dinner at Eight" after Sullavan left the cast
1934
Signed by Universal Studios; first film, "One More River"
1934
Played first female lead in a film, "Great Expectations"
