September 28 - Janet Munro

On this day, in 1934, actress Janet Neilson Horsburgh was born in Blackpool, Lancashire England. The daughter of a Scottish comedian, Alex Munro, she used her father's stage name and was known as Alice Munro. Janet's mother died when she was seven and she grew up on the road with her father. She left school to work in a shoe shop but her ambition was always to become an actress.

At the age of 17, Janet began her professional acting career, gracing the stages of various repertory theaters, pulling in eight pounds a week. In 1954, she landed the lead role in a BBC drama, Capture the Castle. This lead to regular appearances on various BBC shows and small roles in British films.

Janet's big movie break came in 1959. Walt himself reportedly picked her out of a pool of 300 actresses to play Katie O'Gill, the female lead in Darby O'Gill and the Little People. She starred opposite a pre-James Bond Sean Connery, who actually sings in one scene. The film itself was very well received. Critic Leonard Maltin has even declared it to be one of the best Disney movies you've never seen. Janet's performance was so impressive she earned herself a Golden Globe and a five year contract with the studio.

It didn't take long for Disney to start using that contract. Later the same year they released Third Man on the Mountain. That movie chronicles the tale of a young mountaineer trying to conquer the mountain his father died climbing. Janet starred as the romantic interest of the climber, played by James MacArthur. Third Man is generally credited as the inspiration behind the Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction at Disneyland. The following year, Janet and James would once again be paired in the Disney classic Swiss Family Robinson, which also begat an attraction at the park.

A third movie starring Janet and MacArthur was planned, Bon Voyage, which would also star Karl Malden. A change in directors and other production delays meant that never happened. Voyage would be released in 1962 but with a different cast. Janet's final project with Disney was 1961's The Horsemasters. Originally made as two episodes of Disneyland on television, The Horsemasters would later be released theatrically. It marked the first time Janet worked with Annette Funicello and the second with Tommy Kirk, who was also in Swiss Family Robinson.

Janet would continue to get roles in British films throughout the mid sixties, most notably the lead in The Day the Earth Caught Fire. As the decade came to a close, she took time off from acting to start a family, giving birth to two daughters. She would return to her career after her divorce in 1971. Janet's second go around would be brief, however. In December of 1972, she would pass away from a heart attack caused by ischemic heart disease. She was was only 38 years old.