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Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

50

Gender

Female

Birthday

1884-10-20

Day of Death

1955-08-06 (71 years old)

Place of Birth

Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

Also Known As

Janet Meysenberg

Janet Beecher

Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Janet Beecher (October 21, 1884 – August 6, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress. Beecher was a supporting player and lead on the Broadway stage between the 1900s and 1940s. Her Broadway debut came in The Education of Mr. Pipp (1905). Her final Broadway play was The Late George Apley (1944). Between 1915 and 1943, she appeared in about fifty motion pictures. She remains perhaps best-remembered as a character actress during Hollywood's golden age, often seen in roles as "firm but compassionate matriarchs". She was known for her roles as Ginger Rogers' mother in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939), Tyrone Power's mother in the adventure film The Mark of Zorro (1940), and Henry Fonda's mother in Preston Sturges' screwball comedy The Lady Eve (1941). She retired from film business in 1943, but managed to play a role in the television series Lux Video Theatre in 1952.

Known For

Acting

The Lady Eve

1941

The Lady Eve

as

Janet Pike

Rosalie

1937

Rosalie

as

Miss Baker

Reap the Wild Wind

1942

Reap the Wild Wind

as

Mrs. Mottram

Big City

1937

Big City

as

Sophie Sloane

A Tragedy at Midnight

1942

A Tragedy at Midnight

as

Third Mrs. Charles Miller (uncredited)

The Mighty Barnum

1934

The Mighty Barnum

as

Nancy Barnum

Slightly Honorable

1939

Slightly Honorable

as

Mrs. Cushing

Village Tale

1935

Village Tale

as

Amy Somerville

Love Before Breakfast

1936

Love Before Breakfast

as

Mrs. Colby

Give Till It Hurts

1937

Give Till It Hurts

as

Cathy Gaffney

Gallant Lady

1933

Gallant Lady

as

Maria Sherwood

My Dear Miss Aldrich

1937

My Dear Miss Aldrich

as

Mrs. Sinclair

The Last Gentleman

1934

The Last Gentleman

as

Helen Barr, Cabot's daughter

The Thirteenth Chair

1937

The Thirteenth Chair

as

Lady Alissia Crosby

I'd Give My Life

1936

I'd Give My Life

as

Stella Bancroft

The Longest Night

1936

The Longest Night

as

Mrs. Briggs

Between Two Women

1937

Between Two Women

as

Miss Pringle

Beg, Borrow or Steal

1937

Beg, Borrow or Steal

as

Mrs. Agatha Steward

So Red the Rose

1935

So Red the Rose

as

Sally Bedford

Judge Hardy's Children

1938

Judge Hardy's Children

as

Miss Budge

Bitter Sweet

1940

Bitter Sweet

as

Lady Daventry

The Dark Angel

1935

The Dark Angel

as

Mrs. Shannon

Say It in French

1938

Say It in French

as

Mrs. Laura Carrington

Land of Liberty

1939

Land of Liberty

as

(archive footage)

Career

1939

Career

as

Amy Cruthers

The Mark of Zorro

1940

The Mark of Zorro

as

Senora Isabella Vega

Woman Against Woman

1938

Woman Against Woman

as

Mrs. Holland

The President Vanishes

1934

The President Vanishes

as

Mrs. Craig

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour

1943

Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour

as

Eloise Lowry

A Letter From Bataan

1942

A Letter From Bataan

as

Mrs. 'Ma' Lewis

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

1997

Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line

as

Self (archive footage)

The Gay Caballero

1940

The Gay Caballero

as

Kate Brewster

All This, and Heaven Too

1940

All This, and Heaven Too

as

Miss Haines

The Good Old Soak

1937

The Good Old Soak

as

Matilda Hawley

Hi, Neighbor

1942

Hi, Neighbor

as

Hattie Greenfield

The Parson of Panamint

1941

The Parson of Panamint

as

Mrs. Tweedy

Man of Conquest

1939

Man of Conquest

as

Mrs. Sarah Lea

I Was a Convict

1939

I Was a Convict

as

Mrs. Martha Harrison

Laugh It Off

1939

Laugh It Off

as

Mary Carter

Men of Texas

1942

Men of Texas

as

Mrs. Sam Houston

Silver Queen

1942

Silver Queen

as

Mrs. Laura Forsythe

The Man Who Lost Himself

1941

The Man Who Lost Himself

as

Mrs. Milford

Yellow Jack

1938

Yellow Jack

as

Miss Macdade

West Point Widow

1941

West Point Widow

as

Mrs. Graves

Let's Live Tonight

1935

Let's Live Tonight

as

Mrs. Routledge

A Very Young Lady

1941

A Very Young Lady

as

Miss Steele

For Beauty's Sake

1941

For Beauty's Sake

as

Miss Merton

Production

Crew

Directing