Birthday: 1940-12-24

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Wiki Biography: Janet began her stage career right out of high school at the legendary Kansas City Starlight Theatre, appearing in many many musicals including: "Hello Dolly", "Guys and Dolls"," Mame", "Gypsy", "South Pacific", "Pajama Game", "Carousel" and many others. Janet continued her stage work in California for many years, starring opposite Cloris Leachman in A Couple of White Chicks, Starred with Lynn Redgrave and John Lithgow in "Lady Windemere's Fan" among other productions. Janet made her Broadway debut in "Little Women" alongside Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern. Her big break in films came when she was cast as Tom Cruise' mother in "Risky Business". From there she went on to star in numerous films, working almost non stop till last year. Her films include: "Family Business", "Memories of Me", " Forces of Nature","The Killing Time", "Enough"," Talent for the Game","My Guaranteed Student Loan" among many others. Her television career was just as business with recurring roles or lead roles in: "The Bronx Zoo", "Murphy Brown"," Melrose Place", "Married With Children", "The Bonnie Hunt Show", and guest appearances on: "Brothers and Sisters", "Scrubs", "Designing Women", "Third Rock from the Sun","Mary" etc. Her co stars includes such luminaries as: Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman,Celeste Holm, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Billy Crystal, Alan King, Ben Affleck, Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Brad Pitt, Matthew Broderick, Billy Campbell, Lorraine Braccho and Edward James Olmos to name a few. Janet won the coveted Los Angeles Drama Logue Critics Award for outstanding achievement in theatre for Ezzra Pound's Electra. For eight years she was the Artistic Director of The Jazz Series at The Simi Valley Curtural Arts Center, Janet was the co founder of The Victory Ball in Westport CT, annually benefiting ALS Foundation(Lou Gehrig's Disease). She served on the Executive Board of Directors of Ginny Mancini's Society of Singers as VP of Development. Her ashes will be spread in the Edgebrook Lutheran Church Memorial Garden in Chicago, Illinois in a ceremony to be determined at a later date.