Janet Munro (born Janet Neilson Horsburgh; 28 September 1934 – 6 December 1972) was a British actress. She won a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for her performance in the film ''

Darby O'Gill and the Little People ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence E ...

'' (1959) and received a

BAFTA Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

nomination for her performance in the film '' Life for Ruth'' (1962). Munro starred in three

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

films: ''

'' (1959), ''

Third Man on the Mountain ''Third Man on the Mountain'' is a 1959 American family adventure film by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur and Janet Munro. Set during the golden age of alpinism, its plot concerns a yo ...

'' (1959) and ''

Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

'' (1960). Other film credits were roles in ''

The Trollenberg Terror ''The Trollenberg Terror'' (released in the U.S. as ''The Crawling Eye'') is a 1958 British science fiction drama film, produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman and directed by Quentin Lawrence. The film stars Forrest Tucker, Laurence Payne, ...

'' (1958) and '' The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' (1961).

Biography

Early life

Born Janet Neilson Horsburgh in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

in 1934, she was the daughter of Scottish comedian Alex Munro (real name Alexander Neilson Horsburgh) and his wife, Phyllis Robertshaw. She used her father's stage name professionally. Munro grew up on the road with her father, often appearing with him on stage. Her mother died when Janet was seven and she was brought up by her father at first. She later recalled "during the war he was head of entertainment for the RAF and I went along with him wherever he happened to be. We entertained the troops. I wore kilts and sang. My voice was even smaller than I was but the boys didn't seem to mind – I was a bit of baggage from home." She moved to the village of Embsay at age ten to live with her aunt and uncle for a time. When her father remarried she was brought up by him and her stepmother. After leaving school she worked in a shoe shop but her goal was to become an actress. "I never had any doubt as to what I wanted to be", she said later.

Early appearances

Munro's father wanted her to join him on his act but she desired to become a legitimate actress. She got a job at a repertory company as a student messenger and "learned as I went along, playing bits, and by the time I was 17 I was stage manager for the company." She worked in towns like Preston, Oldham and Hull and her wage at the time was around £8 a week. Munro appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of ''

I Capture the Castle ''I Capture the Castle'' is the first novel of English author Dodie Smith, written during the Second World War when she and her husband Alec Beesley, an English conscientious objector, moved to California. She longed for home and wrote of a ...

'' (1954), playing the lead part of Rose. She had a small part in the

Gordon Harker William Gordon Harker (7 August 1885 – 2 March 1967) was an English stage and film actor. Harker was one of the sons of Sarah Elizabeth Harker, née Hall, (1856–1927), and Joseph Harker (1855–1927), a much admired set painter for the ...

comedy ''

Small Hotel ''Small Hotel'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and stars Gordon Harker, Marie Lohr, John Loder, and Janet Munro. It is based on the play of the same name by Rex Frost. Premise Albert, a crafty old waiter in a count ...

'' (1957) and started appearing regularly on British TV shows such as ''

ITV Television Playhouse ''ITV Television Playhouse'', often simplified to ''Television Playhouse'', was a British anthology television series produced by and airing on the ITV television network from 1955 through 1963. The series premiered with the teleplay ''Midlevel ...

'' ("One of Us", "Pickup Girl", "Lace on Her Petticoat") and ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canad ...

'' ("Trial by Candlelight", "The Deaf Heart"). Munro could be seen in ingenue parts in the feature films ''

'' (1958), a horror film, and '' The Young and the Guilty'' (1958), a melodrama written by

Ted Willis Edward Henry Willis, Baron Willis (13 January 1914 – 22 December 1992) was an English playwright, novelist and screenwriter who was also politically active in support of the Labour Party. In 1941 he became the General Secretary of the Young Co ...

. She appeared on stage in ''Daughters of Desire'' and was chosen "Miss English Television of 1958".

Disney

Munro's big break came in March 1958 when cast as the female lead in Disney's ''

'' (1959). Although the film was shot in Hollywood it was cast out of London. Disney saw her in "Pick Up Girl" and she was screen tested over a two-day period. Disney liked her so much he signed her to a five-year contract. Disney immediately used her again as the female lead in ''

'' (1959) opposite James MacArthur. Contemporary reports compared her with

June Allyson June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer. Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sig ...

. Munro made her US television debut when she played the romantic lead in a TV adaptation of ''

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

'' (1959) for ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in ...

''. She was directed by George Schaefer and appeared opposite John Kerr. One review said she did "beautiful work." Munro returned to England to play Tommy Steele's love interest in ''

Tommy the Toreador ''Tommy the Toreador'' is a 1959 British musical comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Tommy Steele, Janet Munro, Sid James, Bernard Cribbins, Noel Purcell and Kenneth Williams. Premise A British ship docks in Spain and To ...

'' (1959), then made a third film for Disney, ''

'' (1960), again romancing MacArthur. It was shot in the West Indies over five months. Munro was going to be in '' Bon Voyage'' for Disney with

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American actor. He was primarily a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun aut ...

but it was not made for another few years, with

Deborah Walley Deborah Walley (August 12, 1941May 10, 2001) was an American actress noted for playing the title role in '' Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' (1961) and appearing in several beach party films. Early years Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Ice ...

in the role announced for Munro. Instead she appeared in ''

The Horsemasters ''The Horsemasters'' was a 2 part episode of the ''Disneyland'' TV show from 1961 which screened theatrically in some countries. The film was one of several Disney films that were shot in England. It was Annette Funicello's first co-starring ro ...

'' (1961) for him, shot in England for American television, and released theatrically in some markets. Munro returned to US television with ''

Time Remembered Time Remembered is a modal jazz standard piece by jazz pianist Bill Evans. Jack Reilly says that the work is both influenced by the sixteenth century modal works of the polyphonist masters ( Palestrina, Byrd, Frescobaldi, etc.), and the oeuvre ...

'' (1961) for ''

''.

British films

Munro was the female lead in the science fiction film '' The Day the Earth Caught Fire'' (1961), one of her best remembered parts. She had the female lead role in '' Life for Ruth'' (1962), directed by

Basil Dearden Basil Dearden (born Basil Clive Dear; 1 January 1911 – 23 March 1971) was an English film director. Early life and career Dearden was born at 5, Woodfield Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex to Charles James Dear, a steel manufacturer, and his wife, Fl ...

, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Female Actor. She returned to ''Armchair Theatre'' ("Girl in a Bird Cage", "Afternoon of a Nymph" with

Ian Hendry Ian Mackendrick Hendry (13 January 1931 – 24 December 1984) was a British actor. He worked on several British TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, including the lead in the first series of '' The Avengers'' and '' The Lotus Eaters'', and played ...

whom she was to marry) and was top billed in a film for the first time with '' Bitter Harvest'' (1963), but it was not a success. Munro was the female lead in ''

Hide and Seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

'' (1964) with

Ian Carmichael Ian Gillett Carmichael, OBE (18 June 1920 – 5 February 2010) was an English actor who worked prolifically on stage, screen and radio in a career spanning 70 years. He found prominence in the films of the Boulting brothers, including '' ...

and ''

A Jolly Bad Fellow ''A Jolly Bad Fellow'' (US: ''They all Died Laughing'') is a 1964 British black comedy film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Leo McKern and Janet Munro.Leo McKern Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO (16 March 1920 – 23 July 2002) was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British, Australian and American television programmes and films, and in more than 200 stage roles. His notable roles include Cla ...

, one of her alumni from ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire''. She had a cameo in '' Daylight Robbery'' (1964).

Return to acting

Munro was inactive in her profession for a few years in order to concentrate on raising a family but returned to acting after her second marriage to Ian Hendry ended in 1968. She appeared in episodes of ''

Vendetta Vendetta may refer to: * Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight Film * ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke * ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes * ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), an ...

'' ("The Running Man"), and ''

Thirty-Minute Theatre ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'' was a British anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which t ...

'' ("Turn Off If You Know the Ending") and had a support part in '' Sebastian'' (1968). Munro travelled to New York to star in a TV adaptation of ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving Ernest is p ...

'' (1968). She had a cameo in '' Cry Wolf'' (1969). Munro was in '' ITV Playhouse'' ("Premiere: Flower Dew"), and ''Cry Wolf'' (1969). She had the lead in a series, ''

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' is the second and final novel written by English author Anne Brontë. It was first published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. Probably the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, it had an instant and p ...

'' (1969). Reviewing the latter ''The Guardian'' called her "a revelation. She is no longer the B picture girl next door. She is a woman and her acting has power and experience of life." Her last roles were in ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'' ("The Piano"), and in several episodes of the TV series ''

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——� ...

''. In July 1971 she appeared on stage in ''Look – No Hands''.

Personal life

Munro was married to actor Tony Wright from 1956 until 1959. She married

in 1963; the couple had two children, Sally and Corrie. They lived in a house on

Pharaoh's Island Pharaoh's Island ( ar, جزيرة فرعون ''Jazīrat Fir‘aun''), whose current popular name is Coral Island, is a small island in the northern Gulf of Aqaba some east off the shore of Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula. Some scholars identif ...

. Val Guest, who directed Munro in ''The Day the Earth Caught Fire'', later said "Janet's life was a disaster... hedidn't become an alcoholic until she met Ian. She tried too hard to keep up with him." Munro and Hendry were divorced in December 1971. Hendry offered no contest to the charge that the marriage had broken down due to Hendry's "unreasonable behaviour".

Death

Munro died aged 38 on 6 December 1972 on her way to hospital after collapsing at her home in

Tufnell Park Tufnell Park is an area in north London, England, in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden. The neighborhood is served by Tufnell Park tube station on the Northern Line. History Origins and boundary ;Medieval and later manor Tufnel ...

. Her death was ruled due to a heart attack caused by chronic

ischaemic heart disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...

. She was cremated and interred at the

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Janet 1934 births 1972 deaths English film actresses English television actresses People from Blackpool English people of Scottish descent Golders Green Crematorium 20th-century English actresses New Star of the Year (Actress) Golden Globe winners