Jane Wyatt, best known to science fiction fans as Amanda Grayson, Spock's mother on Star Trek, has died at age 95. She passed away on Friday at her home in Bel Air, California from natural causes.
Wyatt was also known to classic film buffs as Sondra Bizet in 1937's Lost Horizon, her first major role. After starring in dozens of films, she went on to television to star in Father Knows Best as Margaret Anderson, which earned her 3 Emmys. Fans of NBC's St. Elsewhere remember her as Katherine Auschlander.
Wyatt's career suffered in the 1950s due to her opposition of Senator Joseph McCarthy, and retreated to the theater for a time, only to re-emerge on television in the 60s on a number of shows before landing the role of Amanda, which guaranteed her a place in pop culture history.
Wyatt took her role as the human mother to a half-Vulcan son seriously, and her appearance in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home as Amanda provided the focal point for the rebirth of Spock's character, providing the impetus for his more emotional, human side to assert itself in later story arcs, including his appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
She is survived by sons Christopher and Michael Ward, from her 1935 marriage to investment banker Edgar Ward, who passed away in 2000.
