Janet Blair

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Janet Blair about 1940

Janet Blair (born April 23, 1921 in Altoona , Pennsylvania as Martha Jane Lafferty , † February 19, 2007 in Santa Monica , California ) was an American film and television actress .

biography

Janet Blair was born Martha Jane Lafferty on April 23, 1921. Her stage name Blair refers to her birthplace, which is in Blair County , Pennsylvania. She began her career as a singer with the Hal Kemp Band. After the death of band leader Hal Kemp, who died in a car accident in 1941, she switched to acting. She made her debut in 1941 with the film Three Girls About Town and in the following years received many roles as Leading Lady at Columbia Pictures , where she had a studio contract . Highlights of the red-haired actress' film career include the title role in the comedy My Sister Ellen (1942) and her appearance as partner of Cary Grant in Pinky and Curly (1944). Both Columbia and herself were dissatisfied with the development of their film careers, so their contract was not renewed in 1948.

Blair then worked on television and made a few series appearances. In 1950 she took the lead role of Nellie Forbush in the musical South Pacific , in which she had over 1200 appearances by 1952. Later she proudly said of the time, “I never missed a performance”. During this engagement she met her future husband Nick Mayo. In 1957, she starred in the film Public Pigeon No. 1 in front of the cinema camera for the first time in almost ten years. After a few other film appearances, including Hypno (1962), shot in the UK , she took on roles in television series such as The Outer Limits , Love Boat and Fantasy Island . She starred in the short-lived family series The Smith Family in 1971 as the wife of Henry Fonda's main character. Her last appearance was in 1991 on an episode of Murder Is Her Hobby .

Janet Blair was married twice, first to Lou Busch (1943, divorced in 1950), and secondly to producer Nick Mayo (1952, divorced in 1971). The connection with Mayo resulted in two children, Amanda (* 1959) and Andrew (* 1961). Janet Blair died on February 19, 2007 at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1941: Three Girls About Town
  • 1942: My Sister Ellen (My Sister Eileen)
  • 1942: Blondie Goes to College
  • 1942: Two Yanks in Trinidad
  • 1942: Broadway
  • 1943: Something to Shout About
  • 1944: Pinky and Curly (Once Upon a Time)
  • 1945: Tonight and Every Night
  • 1946: Gallant Journey
  • 1947: The legendary Dorseys (The Fabulous Dorseys)
  • 1948: I Love Trouble
  • 1948: The Black Arrow
  • 1948: That crazy Mr. Johns! (The Fuller Brush Man)
  • 1955: A Connecticut Yankee (TV movie)
  • 1956–1957: Caesar's Hour (TV series, 14 episodes)
  • 1957: Cattle No. 1 (Public Pigeon No. 1)
  • 1960: Around the World with Nellie Bly (TV movie)
  • 1962: Hypno (Night of the Eagle)
  • 1962: Sexy! (Boys' Night Out)
  • 1963: The Outer Limits (TV series, episode Tourist Attraction )
  • 1968: The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
  • 1970/1973: Dr. med. Marcus Welby (TV series, two episodes)
  • 1971–1972: The Smith Family (TV series, 39 episodes)
  • 1976: Won Ton Ton - The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood)
  • 1977: The two with the shoot ( Switch ; TV series, episode Go for Broke )
  • 1980: Fantasy Island (TV series, episode PlayGirl / Smith's Valhalla )
  • 1982: Love Boat (TV series, season 6, episode 5)
  • 1991: Murder is Her Hobby ( Murder, She Wrote ; TV series, episode Who Killed JB Fletcher? )

Web links

Commons : Janet Blair  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. a b Obituary on USA Today website , February 20, 2007, accessed September 16, 2012.
  2. Janet Blair | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved May 6, 2020 (American English).
  3. Janet Blair's biography at movies.yahoo.com