Janet Munro (1934-1972) b. Blackpool, Lancashire, England.

The daughter of a British stage comedian, Janet first gained popularity on British TV of the 1950s. She came to the attention of Disney in 1959, who signed her up to play spirited ingénues in a number of films, notably Darby O’Gill and the Little People (1959), Third Man on the Mountain (1959), Swiss Family Robinson (1960) and The Horsemasters (1961). After leaving Disney she tried to radically change her wholesome screen image. She appeared as Jeanie in Val Guest’s The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), and was Bafta nominated Best British Actress for her role in Basil Dearden‘s Life for Ruth (1962). One of her final film roles was as the declining alcoholic pop star in Sebastian (1968). Ironically, her private life was similarly unhappy as her career declined, two failed marriages to actors Tony Wright (1956-1959) and Ian Hendry (1963-1971), were matched by a slide into alcoholism. She eventually died aged 38 from acute myocarditis.