Janet Carroll
in Loving Memory of

1940 -2012

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Janet Carroll
A Biography

Janet Carroll - was one of Hollywood's most frequent working Film, Television, Recording, and Stage star whose acting repertoire spanned myriad roles in TV and feature films. She was classically & theatrically trained in every area of performance art in her hometown of Chicago. Janet passed away on May 22, 2012 at the age of 71 from cancer. She was first diagnosed with cancer of the liver and then the colon in 2008, went into remission and later the cancer returned along with the discovery of some Brain lesions / spots that were also cancer which caused her death.

Janet’s first feature film proved to be a “big break” playing Tom Cruise’s Mom in the classic, Risky Business.  Many other features have shown her in a wide variety of roles including: Sidney Lumet’s Family Business with Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick, The Killing Time with Kiefer Sutherland and Beau Bridges, Talent For The Game with Edward James Olmos and Lorraine Braccho, Memories Of Me with Alan King and Billy Crystal, Born To Be Wild with Peter Boyle and Alan Ruck, Destiny Turns On The Radio, with Quentin Tarrintino, James Belushi and Dylan McDermott, TimeMaster, The Platinum Triangle, and Secret Admirer with C. Thomas Howell, The Omega Code with Michael York, the Dreamworks’ hit Forces Of Nature in which Janet plays opposite Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock and Ugly Naked People with Henry Winkler. Janet’s 2002 released feature film All You Need won Best Picture in 5 Film Festivals and finds her in her most challenging film role thus far. The sympathetic heroine she portrays, Jane Sabistan is both a lovely and refined wife and mother suffering the torment of an uncontrollable debilitating disease. A performance not to be missed! Also, in 2002 Janet co-starred in Michael Apted’s Enough! with Jennifer Lopez and Billy Campbell along with Changing Hearts with Lauren Holly, Faye Dunaway and Tom Skerritt. Her last few films included College Debts (having a 2015 release),  What Happen Next, Beyond the Quest, Christmas Spirit, Confession, A New York Love Affair, • Untitled, Living ‘til the End, and The Marriage Undone.

Janet has also played an incredible range of Televisioncharacters. For ten years she recurred simultaneously on “Murphy Brown” as Doris Dial, on “Melrose Place” as the troublesomeMarian Shaw, on “Married With Children” as Al’s boss, Gary, the Comedy Channel’s,  “Frank Leaves For TheOrient” as Frank’s Mom, as Carroll Danzig on “Bronx Zoo” as Mrs. Halloway on FOX’s “Time Of Your Life” and recurred on CBS’s hit series “Still Standing”.  As a series regular she was seen on “The Bonnie HuntShow” as the dreaded Diane Fulton, on NBC’s “I Gave At The Office,” CBS’s “Hat Squad,” Showtime’s “The Boys,” CBS’s “DoubleDare” and with Brad Pitt in “Glory Days.”

A few of her noted guest star appearances have been on “Brothers & Sisters,” “Scrubs,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Six Degrees,” “Ally McBeal” as Ellen Fish, “Judging Amy,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Third Rock From The Sun’s 100th episode,” “7th Heaven,” “Laid Off,” “The Clown Project,” “Six Degrees,” “Cupid,” “Mad About You”, “Touched By An Angel”, “The Norm Show,” “Maggie,” “Life Goes On,” “Pacific Blue,” “Golden Girls,” “Quantum Leap,” “Designing Women,” “Boy Meets World,” “Coach,” “L.A. Law,” “Matlock,” “21 Jump Street,” “Cagney & Lacey,” “Knight Rider,” “Alice,” “Mary,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Hill Street Blues,” and “The Jeff Foxworthy Show”. Current TV commercials include OutBack Steakhouse, 1st Gov. Gov., ING Financial, Diet Coke and the SAG Awarded Holiday Inn spots to name a few.

Janet’s television Movies-Of-The-Week credits include: ABC’s “Betrayed: A Story Of Three Women,” “Bluffing It,” and “Right Of The People,” NBC’s “Daughter of Privilege,” and “Good Enough To Win,” CBS’s “Samaritan: The Mitch Snyder Story,” “Sharing Richard,” “When He’s Not A Stranger,” “One Special Victory,” “Getting Physical,” and “Chicago Story”. Video includes:  The Art of War III: Retribution. Short included: The Substitute Waiter.

In 2004—2005 she starred on Broadway creating the role of Aunt March in the new Musical Little Women. In May, 2007 the revival of Irene as Mrs. O’Dare/Marshall for Musicals Tonight! in NYC to wonderful reviews and played Carneige Hall with the esteemed Canterbury Choral Society, and through 2008-09 performed in Marcy In The Galaxy, The Last StarFighter, Unbeatable, Goodbye & Good Luck.

She performed in a USC Award Presentation of Lady Windermere’s Fan with John Lithgow & Lynn Redgrave, Janet won Los Angeles’ coveted DramaLogue Critics Award for “Outstanding Achievement In Theatre” as Klytemnestra in Ezra Pound’s Elektra. She created the roles of Julia Rajik in Shadow of Heros at the St. Nicholas Theatre in Chicago, Dorothea in Nancy Shayne’s musical comedy, Two Bitter Women In A Coffee Shop which was featured at HBO’s Aspen Comedy Festival and Ensemble Studio in New York, directed by Michael Patrick King (“Sex and the City”) along with the roles of Mary in Louis LaRusso’s Sweatshop and in 2004 Margaret in D. Ferrara’s Sister Edith’s Mission directed by stage and film veteran Billy Graham.

Janet’s musical stage career included leading roles in Mame, Gypsy, Hello Dolly!, Guys & Dolls, Showboat, South Pacific, Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, West Side Story, Kismet, On A Clear Day, Carousel, The Sound Of Music, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Peter Pan, The Boyfriend, Annie Get Your Gun, My Fair Lady, and Funny Girl(just to name a few). Janet also appeared in eight major musicals every summer for five years at the legendary Kansas City Starlight Theatre. In addition, she was heard in innumerable Radio & TV voice-overs and seen in educational films, live convention, trade, and industrial shows and hosted her own Radio & TV Talk Shows.

In addition to her acting carreer, since 1982 Janet (accompanied by her seven piece swing, traditional, blues and jazz band) had performed at Jazz Festivals throughout the United States and Canada, such as Victoria and Vancouver Festivals in British Columbia, Monterey, Los Angeles Classic, Newport Beach, Catalina Island, New Orleans, along with concerts at USO Shows, the Palmer House in Chicago, the Fountainblue Hotel in Florida, Ritz Carton Hotels, the Biltmore Hotel, at the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas and many performing art centers. Janet was the recipient of the “Best Vocalist Award” from the Redding Jazz Festival and was given rave reviews by fans and critics across the county for her one-woman concerts and cabaret appearances. As a Recording Artist Janet made four albums/cds her first was I Can't Give You Anything But Love in1989, Presenting. . .Janet Carroll and the Hollywood Jazz Cats was in 1992, I'll Be Seeing You in 1999 and in 2010, she had finished her fourth album/CD titled Janet Carroll Lady Be Good but never had an official release party.

In 2004, she was the featured performer at the Porrath Foundation for Cancer Patient Advocacy Event tribute to film star Rhonda Fleming. Janet also became Reverend Carroll an ordained minister in 1988 and took great delight in officiating at weddings for people in love.

For eight years she was the Artistic Director of The Jazz Series at The Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, featuring great names in the jazz world and promising young artists. Janet was also on the Executive Board of Directors of Ginny Mancini’s Society of Singers and is the co-founder of “The Victory Ball” in Westport, CT annually benefiting the ALS Foundation (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Janet was a longstanding member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, American Federation of TV & Radio Artists, and Actors Equity Association.

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