Janet Blair

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Janet Blair

Blair and Henry Fonda from the television program The Smith Family
Born Martha Jane Lafferty
(1921-04-23)April 23, 1921
Altoona, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died February 19, 2007(2007-02-19) (aged 85)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death
 Complications from pneumonia
Resting place
 Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica
Occupation Actress
Years active 1941–1991
Spouse(s) Lou Busch (m. 1943–50)
Nick Mayo (m. 1953–71)
Children 2

Janet Blair (April 23, 1921 – February 19, 2007) was an American film and television actress.

Background

Born as Martha Jane Lafferty (she took her acting surname from Blair County, Pennsylvania) in Altoona, Pennsylvania, she began her acting career on film in 1942, being placed under contract to Columbia Pictures. During World War II, she made a string of successful pictures, although she is today best remembered for playing Rosalind Russell's sister in My Sister Eileen (1942) and Rita Hayworth's best friend in Tonight and Every Night (1945). In the late 1940s, she was dropped by Columbia and did not return to pictures for several years.

Instead, she took the lead role of Nellie Forbush in a production of the stage musical South Pacific, making more than 1,200 performances in three years. "[I] never missed a performance", she noted proudly. During the tour, she also got married to second husband, producer-director Nick Mayo, and they became parents of Amanda and Andrew.

She appeared on television on various variety shows and was also a summer replacement for Dinah Shore. She recorded an album entitled Flame Out for the Dico label. It was a collection of ballads like "Don't Explain" and "Then You've Never Been Blue".

She made a rare dramatic appearance in the 1962 British horror film Night of the Eagle. Her last performance was on television in a 1991 episode of Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.

Personal life

Blair was married twice. Her first marriage was to Louis Ferdinand Busch from 1943 to March 1950.[1] She married television producer Nick Mayo in 1952 with whom she had two children: Andrew and Amanda.[2] They divorced in 1971.[3]

Death

On February 19, 2007, Blair died of complications from pneumonia, aged 85, at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.[4]

Filmography

in Tonight and Every Night (1945)

Television

Discography

  • Flame Out (1959, Dico)

References

  1. ↑ "Movie Divorce Crop Is Large". The Spokesman-Review. January 2, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved April 22, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "Children Watch As Parents Are Wed". Kentucky New Era. October 19, 1963. p. 12. Retrieved April 22, 2013. 
  3. ↑ Pearson, Howard. "Laudable Ambition". The Deseret News. p. B8. Retrieved April 22, 2013. 
  4. ↑ "Stage, Screen and TV Star Janet Blair Dies at 86 Read more about Stage, Screen and TV Star Janet Blair Dies at 86". broadwayworld.com. February 21, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2013. 

Further reading

  • Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. ISBN #1-59393-320-7.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Janet Blair.
Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.