Janis Mae Wilson (February 9, 1930 – November 17, 2003) was an American child actress of the 1940s. She is probably best known for her roles in ''

Now, Voyager ''Now, Voyager'' is a 1942 American drama (film and television), drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Oli ...

'' and ''

Watch on the Rhine ''Watch on the Rhine'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Herman Shumlin and starring Bette Davis and Paul Lukas. The screenplay by Dashiell Hammett is based on the 1941 play '' Watch on the Rhine'' by Lillian Hellman. ''Watch on the Rh ...

'' opposite

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

as well as for the films ''

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers ''The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' is a 1946 American noir tragedy film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. Kirk Douglas appears in his film debut. It follows a man who is reunited with ...

'' and ''

Snafu SNAFU is an acronym that is widely used to stand for the sarcastic expression "Situation normal: all fucked up". It is a well-known example of military slang, military acronym slang. It is sometimes censored to "all fouled up" or similar. It me ...

''.

Career

Born in Santa Barbara,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, twelve-year-old Janis' mother had her dentist put bands on her teeth in order for her to win her first role as Tina Durrance, a little girl rejected and unloved by her mother, in the 1942 Bette Davis drama ''

''.

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

considered Wilson a “sensational discovery” and due to her fondness for the young actress, Davis persuaded the studio to cast her as her daughter in her next film ''

''. Wilson starred in just five more films before retiring at age 18 after appearing in the 1948 horror film '' The Creeper''.

Personal life

Wilson initially met her future husband Sidney Victor Petertyl on the Warner Bros. lot in 1942 when she was just twelve years old and filming ''Now, Voyager''. They were married in Santa Barbara in 1955 when Janis was 25. The Petertyls had one son and eventually settled in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

where they lived for 31 years. The family later moved to

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

in 1994. In 1996, Wilson stated that she was working on a book about her years as a child actress in Hollywood and her special relationship with Bette Davis. Wilson died of a stroke in Spokane on November 17, 2003.

Filmography (selection)

* '' The Creeper'' (1948) as Nora Cavigny * '' Heading for Heaven'' (1947) as Janie Elkins * ''

'' (1946) as Martha (as a child) * '' My Reputation'' (1946) as Penny Boardman * ''

'' (1945) as Kate Hereford * ''

'' (1943) as Babette * ''

'' (1942) as Tina Durrance (uncredited)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Janis 20th-century American actresses American child actresses 1930 births 2003 deaths 21st-century American women Actors from Santa Barbara, California