Janet Elizabeth Burston (January 11, 1935 – March 3, 1998) was an American

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated te ...

who was the final leading lady in the ''

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, who also pr ...

short subjects A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

series, replacing

Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the female lead in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. As an adult, she performed as a singer in nightclubs and on television. ''Our ...

in 1942.

Career

Burston began her film career in the

film '' All About Hash'' as a background child character in 1940 at age five. Burston stayed as a background character for two years before replacing

as leading lady in 1941. She stayed with the gang until the end of the series in 1944. She appeared in a few outside films, including '' Blondie Goes Latin'' (1941) and ''Ginger'' (1946). Burston left show business in 1964. After her retirement from acting, she kept a low profile and attended few ''Our Gang'' reunions.

Personal life

Janet Burston was the daughter of Lester F. Burston of

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

. She married four times. Burston died in her sleep on March 3, 1998. She was 63.

''Our Gang'' filmography

#'' All About Hash'' (1940) #'' Waldo's Last Stand'' (1940) #'' Baby Blues'' (1941) #'' Melodies Old and New'' (1942) #'' Surprised Parties'' (1942) #'' Doin' Their Bit'' (1942) #'' Rover's Big Chance'' (1942) #'' Benjamin Franklin, Jr.'' (1943) #'' Family Troubles'' (1943) #'' Calling All Kids'' (1943) #'' Election Daze'' (1943) #'' Little Miss Pinkerton'' (1943) #'' Three Smart Guys'' (1943) #'' Radio Bugs'' (1944) #'' Tale of a Dog'' (1944) #'' Dancing Romeo'' (1944)

References

External links

*
Meeting Janet Burston in 1995
1935 births 1998 deaths American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub