Janet Munro

Last updated

Janet Munro
Janet Munro.jpg
Born
Janet Neilson Horsburgh

(1934-09-28)28 September 1934
Blackpool, England
Died6 December 1972(1972-12-06) (aged 38)
London, England
Resting place Golders Green Crematorium
Occupation Actress
Years active1957–1972
Known for Swiss Family Robinson
Darby O'Gill and the Little People
Life for Ruth
Third Man on the Mountain
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1957;div. 1959)​
​
​
(m. 1963;div. 1971)​
Children2
Parent(s) Alex Munro
Phyllis Robertshaw

Janet Munro (born Janet Neilson Horsburgh; 28 September 1934 – 6 December 1972) was a British actress. She won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the film Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) and received a BAFTA Film Award nomination for her performance in the film Life for Ruth (1962).

Contents

Munro starred in three Disney films: Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959), Third Man on the Mountain (1959) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960). Other film credits were roles in The Trollenberg Terror (1958) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961).

Munro married the actor Tony Wright, and then the actor Ian Hendry. She died of a heart attack at age 38.

Biography

Early life

Born Janet Neilson Horsburgh in Blackpool, Lancashire 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. [1]

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." [2]

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. [3] "I never had any doubt as to what I wanted to be", she said later. [2]

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." [2] She worked in towns like Preston, Oldham and Hull and her wage at the time was around £8 a week. [3]

Munro appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of I Capture the Castle (1954), playing the lead part of Rose. In August 1956 she appeared on stage in a play Daughter of Desire . Variety wrote Munro was "cast as a respectable girl trapped into prostitution. She skillfully conveys the difficult characterization of a youthful femme on the downward path after falling for a plausible type who offers marriage." [4] She says she screen tested for Rank but they turned her down for being "too individual". [5]

She had a small part in the Gordon Harker comedy Small Hotel (1957) and started appearing regularly on British TV shows such as ITV Television Playhouse ("One of Us", "Pickup Girl", "Lace on Her Petticoat") and Armchair Theatre ("Trial by Candlelight", "The Deaf Heart"). [6] Munro could be seen in ingenue parts in the feature films The Trollenberg Terror (1958), a horror film, and The Young and the Guilty (1958), a melodrama written by Ted Willis. [7] [8] She was chosen "Miss English Television of 1958". However despite the efforts of her agent no British studio or producer would put her under long term contract. [9] "You're an awful long time playing character parts so cash in on juveniles while you can," she said. [10]

Disney

Munro's big break came in March 1958 when cast as the female lead in Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People (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. [2] [11] It was non exclusive, enabling her to make British films. [9]

Disney immediately used her again as the female lead in Third Man on the Mountain (1959) opposite James MacArthur. Contemporary reports compared her with June Allyson. [12]

Munro made her US television debut when she played the romantic lead in a TV adaptation of Berkeley Square (1959) for Hallmark Hall of Fame . She was directed by George Schaefer and appeared opposite John Kerr. One review said she did "beautiful work." [13] Variety said she made an "impressive bow". [14]

Munro returned to England to play Tommy Steele's love interest in Tommy the Toreador (1959), then made a third film for Disney, Swiss Family Robinson (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 but it was not made for another few years, with Deborah Walley in the role announced for Munro. [15] Instead she appeared in The Horsemasters (1961) for him, shot in England for American television, and released theatrically in some markets.

Munro returned to US television with Time Remembered (1961) for Hallmark Hall of Fame . [16] Variety praised her performance. [17] It was announced she and Stanley Baker would star in an adaptation of the book Marry at Leisure but it was not made. [18]

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. [19] She made it after her contract with Disney ended. [20]

She had the female lead role in Life for Ruth (1962), directed by Basil Dearden, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Female Actor. [21]

She returned to Armchair Theatre ("Girl in a Bird Cage", "Afternoon of a Nymph" with Ian Hendry who she was to marry [22] ) and was top billed in a film for the first time with Bitter Harvest (1963), but it was not a success. [23]

Munro was the female lead in Hide and Seek (1964) with Ian Carmichael and A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964) with Leo McKern, 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. [24] She appeared in episodes of Vendetta ("The Running Man"), and Thirty-Minute Theatre ("Turn Off If You Know the Ending") and had a support part in Sebastian (1968). [25]

Munro travelled to New York to star in a TV adaptation of The Admirable Crichton (1968). [26] She had a cameo in Cry Wolf (1969).

Munro was in ITV Playhouse ("Premiere: Flower Dew"), [27] and had the lead in a series, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (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." [28]

Her last roles were in Play for Today ("The Piano"), and in several episodes of the TV series Adam Smith . In July 1971 she appeared on stage in Look – No Hands. [29]

Personal life

Munro married actor Tony Wright in January 1957. [30] She says she was given away at her wedding by Earl St. John of Rank and they honeymooned in France where Wright was making a film. According to Munro, Wright did not like her working and was jealous of her success; she left him after getting the contract with Disney. [31] Wright was granted a divorce in 1960 claiming Munro had committed adultery with Gerry O'Hara. [32]

Munro married Ian Hendry in 1963; the couple had two children, Sally and Corrie. They lived in a house on Pharaoh's Island.

Val Guest, who directed Munro in The Day the Earth Caught Fire, later said "Janet's life was a disaster... [she] didn't become an alcoholic until she met Ian. She tried too hard to keep up with him." [33]

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". [34]

Death

Munro died aged 38 on 6 December 1972 on her way to hospital after collapsing at her home in Tufnell Park. [35] [36] Her death was ruled due to a heart attack caused by chronic ischaemic heart disease. [37] She was cremated and interred at the Golders Green Crematorium. [38]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1957 Small Hotel Effie
1958 The Trollenberg Terror Anne PilgrimAlternative title: The Crawling Eye (U.S. theatrical release)
The Young and the Guilty Sue Connor
1959 Darby O'Gill and the Little People Katie O'GillWith Sean Connery
Third Man on the Mountain Lizbeth Hempel
Tommy the Toreador Amanda
1960 Swiss Family Robinson Roberta 'Bertie'
1961 The Day the Earth Caught Fire Jeannie Craig
1962 Life for Ruth Pat HarrisAlternative title: Walk in the Shadow
1963 Bitter Harvest Jennie Jones
1964 Hide and Seek Maggie
A Jolly Bad Fellow Delia Brooks
Daylight Robbery
1968 Sebastian Carol Fancy
Cry Wolf Polly
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1957ITV Television PlayhouseElizabeth Collins1 episode
1958–1962 Armchair Theatre Anne
Elaine		4 episodes, including Afternoon of a Nymph
1957–1968 Hallmark Hall of Fame Helen Pettigrew
Amanda
Tweeny		3 episodes
1967 Thirty-Minute Theatre Carol1 episode
1968–1969 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Helen Graham 4 episodes
1971 Play for Today Mabel1 episode
1972 Adam Smith Elizabeth Crichton5 episodes, (final appearance)

Select theatre credits

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
1960 17th Golden Globe Awards Most Promising Newcomer – Female Won
1963 16th British Academy Film Awards Best British Actress Nominated

Related Research Articles

<i>Darby OGill and the Little People</i> 1959 film by Robert Stevenson

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 Edward Watkin, the film stars Albert Sharpe as O'Gill alongside Janet Munro, Sean Connery, and Jimmy O'Dea. It was released on Walt Disney Home Video via video cassette in October 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capucine</span> French model and actress (1928–1990)

Capucine was a French fashion model and actress known for her comedic roles in The Pink Panther (1963) and What's New Pussycat? (1965). She appeared in 36 films and 17 television productions between 1948 and 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annette Funicello</span> American actress and singer (1942–2013)

Annette Joanne Funicello was an American actress and singer. She began her professional career at age 12, becoming one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the original Mickey Mouse Club. In her teenage years, Funicello had a successful career as a pop singer recording under the name "Annette". Her most notable singles are "O Dio Mio", "First Name Initial", "Tall Paul", and "Pineapple Princess". During the mid-1960s, she established herself as a film actress, popularizing the successful "Beach Party" genre alongside co-star Frankie Avalon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Malone</span> American actress (1924–2018)

Dorothy Malone was an American actress. Her film career began in 1943, and in her early years, she played small roles, mainly in B-movies, with the exception of a supporting role in The Big Sleep (1946). After a decade, she changed her image, particularly after her role in Written on the Wind (1956), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Long (actor)</span> American actor (1927–1974)

Richard McCord Long, also known as Dick Long, was an American actor best known for his leading roles in three ABC television series, The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor, and Bourbon Street Beat. He was also a series regular on ABC's 77 Sunset Strip during the 1961–1962 season.

<i>Swiss Family Robinson</i> (1960 film) 1960 US adventure film by Ken Annakin

Swiss Family Robinson is a 1960 American adventure film starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Janet Munro, Tommy Kirk, and Kevin Corcoran in a tale of a shipwrecked family building an island home. It was the second feature film based on the 1812 novel The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, a previous adaptation having been released by RKO Pictures in 1940. Directed by Ken Annakin and shot in Tobago and Pinewood Studios outside London, it was the first widescreen Walt Disney Pictures film shot with Panavision lenses; when shooting in widescreen, Disney had almost always used a matted wide screen or filmed in CinemaScope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuesday Weld</span> American actress

Tuesday Weld is an American former actress. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over the following decade, she established a career playing dramatic roles in films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Cummings</span> American actor (1910–1990)

Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) and Princess O'Rourke (1943), and in dramatic films, especially two of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers, Saboteur (1942) and Dial M for Murder (1954). He received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Single Performance in 1955. On February 8, 1960, he received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the motion picture and television industries, at 6816 Hollywood Boulevard and 1718 Vine Street. He used the stage name Robert Cummings from mid-1935 until the end of 1954 and was credited as Bob Cummings from 1955 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Sands</span> American singer and actor (born 1937)

Thomas Adrian Sands is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on Kraft Television Theater in January 1957 as "The Singin' Idol". The song from the show, "Teen-Age Crush", reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Cashbox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Hutton</span> American actor (1934–1979)

Dana Scott James "Jim" Hutton was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, starting with Where the Boys Are. He is the father of actor Timothy Hutton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jody McCrea</span> American actor (1934–2009)

Joel Dee "Jody" McCrea was an American actor. He was the son of actors Joel McCrea and Frances Dee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janice Rule</span> American actress (1931–2003)

Mary Janice Rule was an American actress and psychotherapist, earning her PhD while still acting, then acting occasionally while working in her new profession.

<i>Kidnapped</i> (1960 film) 1960 American film

Kidnapped is a 1960 American adventure drama film. It is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic 1886 novel Kidnapped. It stars Peter Finch and James MacArthur, and was Disney's second production based on a novel by Stevenson, the first being Treasure Island. It also marked Peter O'Toole's feature-film debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieron Moore (Irish actor)</span> Irish actor (1924–2007)

Kieron Moore was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s. He played Count Vronsky in the film adaptation of Anna Karenina (1948) with Vivien Leigh.

Lawrence Edward Watkin was an American writer and film producer. He was known primarily as a scriptwriter for a series of 1950s Walt Disney films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Nugent</span> American actress (1940–2023)

Judy Ann Nugent was an American actress.

<i>Third Man on the Mountain</i> 1959 film

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 young Swiss man who conquers the mountain that killed his father. It is based on Banner in the Sky, a James Ramsey Ullman 1955 novel about the first ascent of the Citadel, and was televised under this name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Willes</span> American actress (1923–1989)

Jean Donahue was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Wright (actor)</span> English actor (1925–1986)

Paul Anthony "Tony" Wright was an English film actor. The son of actor Hugh E. Wright, he was a Rank Organisation contract player for some years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Marlowe</span> American actress (1915–1977)

Nora Marlowe was an American film and television character actress.

References

  1. ↑ Hershman, Gabriel (2013). Send in the Clowns – The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry. lulu.com. p. 60. ISBN   978-1291270976.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hopper, H. (13 July 1958). "You'll love janet munro!". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest   182125751.
  3. 1 2 White, Clive (17 October 2009). "Too-short life of star who captivated Walt Disney". Craven History.
  4. ↑ "Daughter of Desire". Variety. 15 August 1956. p. 67.
  5. ↑ Munro, Janet (December 1959). "Confessions of a "used bride"". Modern Screen. p. 56.
  6. ↑ Jennings, Betty (19 March 1960). "EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME". Picture Show. London. pp. 7–8.
  7. ↑ Gardner, Raymond (28 March 1970). "The Kash register". The Guardian. p. 8.
  8. ↑ "Play comes out of the can". Manchester Evening News. 21 June 1958. p. 5.
  9. 1 2 "Disney orchids for Miss Munro". Liverpool Echo. 14 March 1958. p. 6.
  10. ↑ "TV's "doctrine" for Munro". Evening Telegraph. 17 February 1958. p. 11.
  11. ↑ Jennings, B. (19 March 1960). "EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME". Picture show. pp. 7–8. ProQuest   1880298630.
  12. ↑ Hopper, H. (29 April 1958). "Walt disney discovery, janet munro, to be star". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest   182172561.
  13. ↑ Smith, Cecil. (9 February 1959). "THE TV SCENE: Wisdom Shines in Darkest Hours". Los Angeles Times. p. A10.
  14. ↑ "Berkeley Square". Variety. 11 February 1959. p. 33.
  15. ↑ A.H. WEILER. (25 December 1960). "GREAT EXPECTATIONS". The New York Times. ProQuest   115084507.
  16. ↑ Hopper, H. (20 August 1960). "Walt disney will film romantic teen comedy". Chicago Daily Tribune. ProQuest   182536538.
  17. ↑ "Time Remembered". Variety. 15 February 1961. p. 35.
  18. ↑ "Rosemont-Widney team maps". Variety. 9 November 1960. p. 5.
  19. ↑ "Movie gossip". The Australian Women's Weekly . Vol. 28, no. 51. 24 May 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 28 January 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  20. ↑ "Miss Munro comes back from Disneyland". Evening Standard. 24 April 1961. p. 20.
  21. ↑ "18 FILMS COMPETE FOR BRITISH TITLE". The New York Times. 4 February 1963. ProQuest   116512767.
  22. ↑ "Armchair Theatre". Variety. 17 October 1962. p. 37.
  23. ↑ "Bitter Harvest". Western Herald . New South Wales, Australia. 2 April 1965. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  24. ↑ "Television News". Chicago Tribune. 28 April 1968. p. s22.
  25. ↑ Adler, R. (25 January 1968). "Sebastian' arrives". The New York Times. ProQuest   118244553.
  26. ↑ "Television news". Chicago Tribune. 28 April 1968. ProQuest   175700255.
  27. ↑ "BRIEFING: The week's television". The Observer. 29 September 1968. p. 22.
  28. ↑ Dewhurst, Keith (30 December 1968). "The tenant of Wildfell Hall". The Guardian. p. 6.
  29. ↑ "The Spectator's Arts Round-up". The Spectator. Vol. 227, no. 7464. London. 17 July 1971. p. 108.
  30. ↑ "Marriages". Variety. 16 January 1957. p. 74.
  31. ↑ Munro, Janet (December 1959). "Confessions of a "used bride"". Modern Screen. p. 56.
  32. ↑ "Tony Wright gets decree". Daily Mirror. 12 May 1960. p. 13.
  33. ↑ Swires, Steve (February 1991). "Inferno Maker". Starlog. No. 163. p.  57.
  34. ↑ "Hendry divorce". The Guardian. 11 December 1971. p. 7.
  35. ↑ "Actress dies". The Guardian . 7 December 1972. p. 1.
  36. ↑ "Obituary". Variety . 13 December 1972. p. 63.
  37. ↑ "Death". The Canberra Times . Vol. 47, no. 13, 301. 8 December 1972. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2018– via National Library of Australia.
  38. ↑ "JANET MUNRO DEAD; SCREEN ACTRESS, 38". The New York Times . 7 December 1972. p. 40.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.