Jane Wyatt Jane Wyatt was the Emmy award - winning American actress who played Amanda Grayson , wife to Vulcan Ambassador Sarek and mother of Spock , in the episode and again in the movie . She filmed her scenes for " Journey to Babel " between Monday and Thursday at Desilu Stage 9 . Outside of " Star Trek " , she is best remembered for her roles in the 1937 film " Lost Horizon " and the television series . Biography . Personal life . Born in Campgaw , New Jersey , Jane Waddington Wyatt was the daughter of Christopher Billop Wyatt , Jr . , a Wall Street investment banker of English and Irish heritage , and the former Euphemia Van Rensselaer Waddington , a drama critic and descendant of early Dutch colonists . Jane graduated from in New York City . She later attended , but did not graduate from , before becoming a professional actress . Wyatt married investment broker Edgar Bethune Ward on 9 November 1935 . They had three sons together , although one son died as an infant . They remained married until Ward ' s death on 8 November 2000 , one day before their 65th wedding anniversary . Early career . Wyatt searched Broadway for an acting job , ultimately landing a role in a production of A . A . Milne ' s " Give Me Yesterday " in 1931 . After roles in several other Broadway plays ( including " Conquest " in 1933 , starring Dame Judith Anderson ) , she made the transition to film in 1934 , with supporting roles in " One More River " and " Great Expectations " . Perhaps Wyatt ' s most famous film role is that of the female lead in Frank Capra ' s classic , Academy Award - winning 1937 drama " Lost Horizon " , which also featured Leonard Mudie . Nearly five decades later , Wyatt worked with Capra ' s grandson , Frank Capra III , on the set of " Star Trek IV " . Wyatt went on to have roles in such acclaimed films as " None But the Lonely Heart " ( 1944 ) , Elia Kazan ' s " Boomerang ! " and " Gentleman ' s Agreement " ( both released in 1947 , with the latter co - starring Dean Stockwell ) , " Task Force " ( 1949 , with Kenneth Tobey ) , and Fritz Lang ' s " House by the River " ( 1950 , co - starring Peter Brocco ) . She made her first appearance on television in a 1950 episode of " Robert Montgomery Presents " with Richard Derr . Wyatt ' s career in film began to stagnate during the 1950s , having become one of the many Hollywood celebrities to be blacklisted for supposed Communist activities . In Wyatt ' s case , she was blacklisted for protesting at the hearings of the Un - American Activities Committee in Washington , DC , in 1951 . She then moved to New York City and focused her attention on television , after which she only occasionally returned to film . Post - blacklist career . Wyatt returned to Hollywood three years later for quite possibly her most well - known role . From 1954 through 1960 , Wyatt played Margaret Anderson on the popular television sitcom " Father Knows Best " , which also starred Elinor Donahue as Anderson ' s daughter . Wyatt won three consecutive Emmy Awards for her performance on this series from 1958 through 1960 . She reprised this role for the " Father Knows Best : Home for Christmas " television special in 1977 . After " Father Knows Best " ended , Wyatt made guest appearances on such programs as " Wagon Train " , " Alcoa Premiere " ( with John Anderson ) , " Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre " ( with Nehemiah Persoff ) , " The Alfred Hitchcock Hour " ( with Janet MacLachlan ) , " The Virginian " ( with Brooke Bundy ) , " Insight " ( two episodes , including one with Sally Kellerman ) , " Love , American Style " ( two episodes , including one directed by Jud Taylor ) , and , of course , " Star Trek " . Her role on the latter series ( and her subsequent reprisal of that role on " Star Trek IV " ) has acquired her a great deal of recognition amongst " Star Trek " fans . Of her role on " Star Trek " , Wyatt stated : " " I get fan mail from " Father Knows Best " and " Lost Horizon " , but the " Star Trek " mail gets more and more . " " Wyatt did work on the occasional film during the 1950s and 1960s . Her first film since being blacklisted was the 1957 romantic drama " Interlude " , which also featured Keith Andes . Her next film was the 1961 family comedy " The Two Little Bears " , which co - starred Theodore Marcuse . She then had a supporting role in the 1965 comedy " Never Too Late " . Later career . Throughout the 1970s , Wyatt appeared in several made for television movies . These include " Amelia Earhart " ( with Stephen Macht , Susan Oliver , Garry Walberg , and Dallas Mitchell ) , " Superdome " ( with Michael Pataki and Susan Howard ) , " A Love Affair : The Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story " ( with William Wellman , Jr . , David Ogden Stiers , and Gail Strickland ) , " The Nativity " ( 1978 , with John Rhys - Davies and W . Morgan Sheppard ) , and " The Millionaire " ( 1979 , with Edward Laurence Albert ) . Wyatt also continued to make episodic guest appearances , with credits including a return to " The Virginian " ( directed by Marc Daniels ) and " Here Come the Brides " ( with series - regular Mark Lenard , though they shared no scenes ) . She also appeared in episodes of " Owen Marshall : Counselor at Law " ( with David Soul , Rudy Solari , Tom Troupe , and Bill Zuckert ) , " Medical Center " ( with Darleen Carr ) , " Fantasy Island " ( starring Ricardo Montalban , in an episode with Theodore Bikel and George D . Wallace ) , and " The Love Boat " ( in an episode with Julie Newmar ) . She also co - starred with Robert Foxworth , Robert DoQui , Logan Ramsey , and Rex Holman in the 1976 adventure film " Treasure of Matecumbe " . Throughout the 1980s , Wyatt had a recurring role as Katherine Auschlander , the wife of Norman Lloyd ' s character , in the television series " St . Elsewhere " . She had previously worked with Lloyd in the 1948 film " No Minor Vices " . During her time on " St . Elsewhere " , Wyatt also worked with the likes of Chad Allen , Ed Begley , Jr . , Ronny Cox , France Nuyen , Deborah May , Jennifer Savidge , Brian Tochi , and Alfre Woodard . Her other TV credits during the 1980s included guest spots on " Happy Days " , " Quincy , M . E . " ( with Robert Ito and Garry Walberg ) , another episode of " The Love Boat " ( this one with William Windom ) , another episode of Ricardo Montalban ' s series " Fantasy Island " ( with Adrienne Barbeau ) , " Hotel " ( two episodes , one with Robert Pine and another with Brenda Strong ) , and " Starman " ( with Jeff Corey ) . She also appeared in the TV movies " Missing Children : A Mother ' s Story " ( 1989 , with John Anderson and Noble Willingham ) and " Amityville : The Evil Escapes " ( 1989 , with Aron Eisenberg , Norman Lloyd , and Warren Munson ) . Retirement and death . Retired from acting , Wyatt is reported to have suffered a mild stroke in the 1990s from which she recovered well . She died of natural causes in Bel Air , California , in 2006 at the age of 96 . She is buried next to her husband at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Los Angeles . She was survived by two sons .