Janet Munro: Difference between revisions
→Early Appearances: add |
m fixed structre |
||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
===Early Life=== |
|||
Born '''Janet Neilson Horsburgh''', the daughter of Scottish comedian [[Alex Munro (comedian)|Alex Munro]] (real name Alexander Neilson Horsburgh) and his wife, Phyllis Robertshaw, in [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]] in 1934, she used her father's stage name professionally.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hershman |first=Gabriel |date=2013 |title=Send in the Clowns - The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry |url= |location= |publisher=lulu.com |page=60 |isbn=1291270973}}</ref> |
Born '''Janet Neilson Horsburgh''', she was the daughter of Scottish comedian [[Alex Munro (comedian)|Alex Munro]] (real name Alexander Neilson Horsburgh) and his wife, Phyllis Robertshaw, in [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]] in 1934, she used her father's stage name professionally.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hershman |first=Gabriel |date=2013 |title=Send in the Clowns - The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry |url= |location= |publisher=lulu.com |page=60 |isbn=1291270973}}</ref> |
||
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 raised by her father at first. Sh 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 sand. My voice was even smaller than I was but the boys didn't seem to mind - I was a bit of baggage from home."<ref name="hedda"/> |
|||
She moved to the town of Embsay at aged ten to live with her aunt and uncle for a time. When her father remarried she was raised by him and her stepmother. After leaving school she worked in a shoe shop but her goal was to become an actor. <ref name="crave">{{website|url-http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/nostalgia/nostalgia_history/4681919.Too_short_life_of_star_who_captiva/|website=Craven History|date=17 October 2009|title=Too-short life of star who captivated Walt Disney|first=Clive|last= White}}</ref> "I never had any doubt as to what I wanted to be," she said later.<ref name="hedda">Hopper, H. (1958, Jul 13). You'll love janet munro! ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182125751?accountid=13902</ref> |
|||
===Early Appearances=== |
===Early Appearances=== |
||
Munro |
Munro's father wanted her to join him on her act but she desired to become a legtimiate 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."<ref bame="hedda"/> She worked in towns like Preston, Oldham and Hull and her wage at the time was around £8 a week.<ref name="crave"/> |
||
Munro appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of ''[[I Capture the Castle]]'' (1954), playing the lead part of Rose. |
Munro appeared in a BBC TV adaptation of ''[[I Capture the Castle]]'' (1954), playing the lead part of Rose. |
||
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"). |
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"). <ref>EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME |
||
Jennings, Betty. Picture Show; London (Mar 19, 1960): 7-8. </ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | Munro |
||
| ⚫ | |||
Munro could be seen in ingenue parts in the feature films ''[[The Trollenberg Terror]]'' (1958) and ''[[The Young and the Guilty]]'' (1958). |
|||
===Disney=== |
===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.<ref name="hedda"/> <ref>Jennings, B. (1960, Mar 19). EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME. Picture show, , 7–8. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1880298630?accountid=13902</ref> |
|||
Disney put immediately used her again as the female lead in ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]'' (1959) opposite [[James MacArthur]]. Contemporary reports compared her to [[June Allyson]].<ref>Hopper, H. (1958, Apr 29). Walt disney discovery, janet munro, to be star. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182172561?accountid=13902</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | Munro made her US television debut when she played the romantic lead in a TV adaptation of ''[[Berkeley Square (play)|Berkeley Square]]'' (1959) for ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''.<ref>Smith, C. (1959, Feb 05). THE TV SCENE---. ''Los Angeles Times'' (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/167447196?accountid=13902</ref> One review said she did "beautiful work."<ref>THE TV SCENE: Wisdom Shines in Darkest Hours |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
She did ''[[Time Remembered (film)|Time Remembered]]'' (1961) for US television then made a fifth and final film for Disney, ''[[The Horsemasters]]'' (1961).<ref>Hopper, H. (1960, Aug 20). Walt disney will film romantic teen comedy. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182536538?accountid=13902</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | Munro was going to be in ''[[Bon Voyage! (1962 film)|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.<ref>By A.H. WEILER. (1960, Dec 25). GREAT EXPECTATIONS. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/115084507?accountid=13902</ref> 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 (film)|Time Remembered]]'' (1961) for ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]''.<ref>Hopper, H. (1960, Aug 20). Walt disney will film romantic teen comedy. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182536538?accountid=13902</ref> |
||
===British films=== |
===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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46939848 |title=Movie gossip |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=28, |issue=51 |location=Australia, Australia |date=24 May 1961 |accessdate=28 January 2018 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
Munro was the female lead in the science fiction film ''[[The Day the Earth Caught Fire]]'' (1961), one of her best remembered parts.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46939848 |title=Movie gossip |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=28, |issue=51 |location=Australia, Australia |date=24 May 1961 |accessdate=28 January 2018 |page=19 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |
||
She had |
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.<ref>18 FILMS COMPETE FOR BRITISH TITLE. (1963, Feb 04). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/116512767?accountid=13902</ref> |
||
She returned to ''Armchair Theatre'' ("Girl in a Bird Cage", "Afternoon of a Nymph") and was top billed in a film for the first time with ''[[Bitter Harvest (1963 film)|Bitter Harvest]]'' (1963), but it was not a success.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142044759 |title="Bitter Harvest" |newspaper=[[Western Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=2 April 1965 |accessdate=28 January 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Munro was the female lead in ''[[Hide and Seek (1964 film)|Hide and Seek]]'' (1964) and ''[[A Jolly Bad Fellow]]'' (1964). |
She returned to ''Armchair Theatre'' ("Girl in a Bird Cage", "Afternoon of a Nymph") and was top billed in a film for the first time with ''[[Bitter Harvest (1963 film)|Bitter Harvest]]'' (1963), but it was not a success.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142044759 |title="Bitter Harvest" |newspaper=[[Western Herald]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=2 April 1965 |accessdate=28 January 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Munro was the female lead in ''[[Hide and Seek (1964 film)|Hide and Seek]]'' (1964) and ''[[A Jolly Bad Fellow]]'' (1964). |
||
Revision as of 03:46, 24 April 2019
Janet Munro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Janet Neilson Horsburgh 28 September 1934 Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 6 December 1972 (aged 38) |
| Cause of death | Ischemic heart disease |
| Resting place | Golders Green Crematorium |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1957–1972 |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Alex Munro Phyllis Robertshaw |
Janet Neilson Horsburgh (28 September 1934 – 6 December 1972), known as Janet Munro, was an English 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).
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).
Biography
Early Life
Born Janet Neilson Horsburgh, she was the daughter of Scottish comedian Alex Munro (real name Alexander Neilson Horsburgh) and his wife, Phyllis Robertshaw, in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1934, 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 raised by her father at first. Sh 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 sand. 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 town of Embsay at aged ten to live with her aunt and uncle for a time. When her father remarried she was raised by him and her stepmother. After leaving school she worked in a shoe shop but her goal was to become an actor. [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 her act but she desired to become a legtimiate 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."Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). 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.
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"). [4]
Munro could be seen in ingenue parts in the feature films The Trollenberg Terror (1958) and The Young and the Guilty (1958).
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] [5]
Disney put immediately used her again as the female lead in Third Man on the Mountain (1959) opposite James MacArthur. Contemporary reports compared her to June Allyson.[6]
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.[7] One review said she did "beautiful work."[8]
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.[9] 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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12]
She returned to Armchair Theatre ("Girl in a Bird Cage", "Afternoon of a Nymph") and was top billed in a film for the first time with Bitter Harvest (1963), but it was not a success.[13] Munro was the female lead in Hide and Seek (1964) and A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964).
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 ended in divorce. 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).[14]
Munro travelled to New York to star in a TV adaptation of The Admirable Crichton (1968).[15]
Later Career
Munro was in ITV Playhouse ("Premiere: Flower Dew"), and Cry Wolf (1969). She had the lead in a series, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1969).
Her last roles were in Play for Today ("The Piano"), and in several episodes of the TV series Adam Smith.
Personal life
Munro was married to Tony Wright from 1956 until 1959. She married the actor Ian Hendry in 1963, and they had two children, Sally and Corrie. Munro and Hendry were divorced in 1971.[citation needed]
Death
Munro died from a heart attack caused by chronic ischaemic heart disease at Whittington Hospital, north London in 1972, aged 38 years.[16][17] She was cremated and interred at the Golders Green Crematorium.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1957 | Small Hotel | Effie | |
| 1958 | The Young and the Guilty | Sue Connor | |
| The Trollenberg Terror | Anne Pilgrim | Alternative title: The Crawling Eye (U.S. theatrical release) | |
| 1959 | Darby O'Gill and the Little People | Katie O'Gill | With 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 Harris | Alternative title: Walk in the Shadow |
| 1963 | Bitter Harvest | Jennie Jones | |
| 1964 | Hide and Seek | Maggie | |
| They All Died Laughing | Delia Brooks | ||
| Daylight Robbery | |||
| 1968 | Sebastian | Carol Fancy | |
| 1972 | Cry Wolf | Polly | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957 | ITV Television Playhouse | Elizabeth Collins | 1 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 | Carol | 1 episode |
| 1968–1969 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Helen Graham | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | Play for Today | Mabel | 1 episode |
| 1972 | Adam Smith | Elizabeth Crichton | 5 episodes |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17th Golden Globe Awards | Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Won | |
| 1963 | 16th British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actress | Nominated |
References
- ^ Hershman, Gabriel (2013). Send in the Clowns - The Yo Yo Life of Ian Hendry. lulu.com. p. 60. ISBN 1291270973.
- ^ a b c Hopper, H. (1958, Jul 13). You'll love janet munro! Chicago Daily Tribune Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182125751?accountid=13902
- ^ a b [url-http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/nostalgia/nostalgia_history/4681919.Too_short_life_of_star_who_captiva/ www
.cravenherald .co .uk /nostalgia /nostalgia _history /4681919 .Too _short _life _of _star _who _captiva /] - ^ EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME Jennings, Betty. Picture Show; London (Mar 19, 1960): 7-8.
- ^ Jennings, B. (1960, Mar 19). EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME. Picture show, , 7–8. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/1880298630?accountid=13902
- ^ Hopper, H. (1958, Apr 29). Walt disney discovery, janet munro, to be star. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182172561?accountid=13902
- ^ Smith, C. (1959, Feb 05). THE TV SCENE---. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/167447196?accountid=13902
- ^ THE TV SCENE: Wisdom Shines in Darkest Hours Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 9 Feb 1959: A10.
- ^ By A.H. WEILER. (1960, Dec 25). GREAT EXPECTATIONS. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/115084507?accountid=13902
- ^ Hopper, H. (1960, Aug 20). Walt disney will film romantic teen comedy. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/182536538?accountid=13902
- ^ "Movie gossip". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 28, , no. 51. Australia, Australia. 24 May 1961. p. 19. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ 18 FILMS COMPETE FOR BRITISH TITLE. (1963, Feb 04). New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/116512767?accountid=13902
- ^ ""Bitter Harvest"". Western Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 2 April 1965. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Adler, R. (1968, Jan 25). Sebastian' arrives. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/118244553?accountid=13902
- ^ Television news. (1968, Apr 28). Chicago Tribune (1963-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/175700255?accountid=13902
- ^ Obituary Variety, 13 December 1972, pg. 63
- ^ "Death". The Canberra Times. Vol. 47, , no. 13, 301. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 December 1972. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
