Jane Wyatt

She was directly descended, on her mother's side, from the van Renssalaer family, one of the earliest Dutch families to settle in the Colonies, as early as 1638, and which at one time owned most of what is now New York City. Renssalaer County in upstate New York is named after them. From the same line, she was also a great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Philip Livingston, signer of the Declaration of Independance.

Daughter of Christopher (March 19, 1882-July 30, 1931) and Euphemia (née Waddington) Wyatt (April 1, 1884-January 31, 1978). Both were born and raised in the state of New York.

Born in Campgaw, New Jersey, Jane Waddington Wyatt came from a New York family of social distinction (her father was a Wall Street investment banker and her mother was a drama critic). Jane was raised from the age of three months in New York City and attended the fashionable Chapin School and later Barnard College. After two years of college, she left to join the apprentice school of the Berkshire Playhouse at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where for six months she played an assortment of roles. One of her first jobs on Broadway was as understudy to Rose Hobart in a production of "Trade Winds"--a career move that cost her her slot on the New York Social Register. Wyatt made the transition from stage to screen and was placed under contract at Universal, where she made her film debut in director James Whale's One More River (1934).

Universal placed an ad in movie industry Trade Papers in early 1936 promoting Carl Laemmle's 30th Anniversary Celebration. The ad included a list of planned productions for 1936. One listed title was "Strangers At the Feast", to star Margaret Sullavan. She was soon replaced by Jane Wyatt before the project was canceled and the movie eventually was never made.

She went back and forth between Universal and Broadway (and co-starred in Frank Capra's Columbia film Lost Horizon (1937) on loan out from Universal).

Was an invaluable member of the March of Dimes charitable organization since 1943. Donations were directed toward the March of Dimes at the time of her death.

Joined Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and other Hollywood stars on a flight to Washington in 1947 to protest the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings.

Jean Vander Pyl played the wifely role opposite Robert Young on the "Father Knows Best" radio program in 1949. However, both Young and Eugene B. Rodney, Young's partner in ownership and production of the series, wanted Wyatt to play the role when it went to television.

In the 1950s, she co-starred with Robert Young in Father Knows Best (1954), the classic sitcom chronicling the life and times of the Anderson family in the Midwestern town of Springfield.

Won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Margaret Anderson on Father Knows Best (1954).

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6350 Hollywood Blvd. on February 8, 1960.

She was a devout Catholic, whose late husband died on the day before what would have been their 65th wedding anniversary.

Along with Ricardo Montalban, she was among several established Hollywood actors who has a role on the original Star Trek: The Original Series (1966) series (episode "Journey to Babel") in addition to appearing 20 years later in a feature film (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)).

In 1986 she received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award.

Turned down the role of Old Rose in Titanic (1997) because she wanted to remain in retirement. The role went to Gloria Stuart.

Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards (2007).