Early life Born Janet Neilson Horsburgh in
Blackpool,
Lancashire, in 1934, she was the daughter of Scottish comedian
Alex Munro (real name Alexander Neilson Horsburgh) and his wife, Phyllis Robertshaw. She used her father's stage name professionally. Munro grew up on the road with her father, often appearing with him on stage. Her mother died when Janet was seven, and she was brought up by her father at first. She later recalled "during the war, he was head of entertainment for the RAF, and I went along with him wherever he happened to be. We entertained the troops. I wore kilts and sang. My voice was even smaller than I was, but the boys didn't seem to mind – I was a bit of baggage from home." "I never had any doubt as to what I wanted to be", she said later.
Early appearances Munro's father wanted her to join him on his act, but she desired to become a legitimate actress. She got a job at a repertory company as a student messenger, and "learned as I went along, playing bits, and by the time I was 17, I was stage manager for the company." She says she screen tested for
The Rank Organisation, but they turned her down for being "too individual". She had a small part in the
Gordon Harker comedy
Small Hotel (1957) and started appearing regularly on British TV shows such as
ITV Television Playhouse ("
One of Us", "
Pickup Girl", "
Lace on Her Petticoat") and
Armchair Theatre ("
Trial by Candlelight", "
The Deaf Heart"). Munro could be seen in ingenue parts in the feature films
The Trollenberg Terror (1958), a horror film, and
The Young and the Guilty (1958), a melodrama written by
Ted Willis. According to
Filmink she alternated between playing "good girls" and "girls gone bad". "You're an awful long time playing character parts so cash in on juveniles while you can," she said.
Disney Munro's big break came in March 1958, when she was cast as the female lead in Disney's ''
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959). Although the film was shot in Hollywood, it was cast out of London. Disney saw her in Pick Up Girl'', and she was screen-tested over a two-day period. Disney liked her so much, he signed her to a five-year contract. It was non-exclusive, enabling her to make British films. Munro made her U.S. television playing the romantic lead in a TV adaptation of
Berkeley Square (1959) for
Hallmark Hall of Fame. She was directed by
George Schaefer and appeared opposite John Kerr. One review said she did "beautiful work".
Variety said she made an "impressive bow". Munro returned to England to play
Tommy Steele's love interest in
Tommy the Toreador (1959), then made a third film for Disney,
Swiss Family Robinson (1960), again romancing MacArthur. It was shot in the West Indies over five months. Munro was going to be in
Bon Voyage for Disney with
Karl Malden, but it was not made for another few years, with
Deborah Walley in the role originally announced for Munro. Instead she appeared in
The Horsemasters (1961) for him, shot in England for American television and released theatrically in some markets. Munro returned to U.S. television with
Time Remembered (1961) for
Hallmark Hall of Fame.
Variety praised her performance. Stanley Baker and she were announced to star in an adaptation of the book
Marry at Leisure, but it was not made. Munro's contract with Disney ended early - Munro claimed it was her decision, although it reportedly was Disney's, especially after the studio made a star of
Hayley Mills.
British films Munro was the female lead in the science-fiction film
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), one of her best-remembered parts. She made it after her contract with Disney ended. She had the female lead role in
Life for Ruth (1962), directed by
Basil Dearden, which earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Female Actor. She returned to
Armchair Theatre ("
Girl in a Bird Cage", "
Afternoon of a Nymph" with
Ian Hendry whom she was to marry) and was top billed in a film for the first time with
Bitter Harvest (1963), but it was not a success. Munro was the female lead in
Hide and Seek (1964) with
Ian Carmichael and
A Jolly Bad Fellow (1964) with
Leo McKern, one of her fellow actors from
The Day the Earth Caught Fire. She had a cameo in
Daylight Robbery (1964).
Return to acting Munro was inactive in her profession for a few years to concentrate on raising a family. She appeared in episodes of
Vendetta ("The Running Man") and
Thirty-Minute Theatre ("Turn Off If You Know the Ending"), and she had a supporting part in
Sebastian (1968). Munro travelled to New York City to star in a TV adaptation of
The Admirable Crichton (1968). She had a cameo in
Cry Wolf (1969). Munro was in
ITV Playhouse ("Premiere: Flower Dew"), and had the lead in a series,
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1969). Reviewing the latter,
The Guardian called her "a revelation. She is no longer the B picture girl next door. She is a woman and her acting has power and experience of life." Her last roles were in
Play for Today ("The Piano") and in several episodes of the TV series
Adam Smith. In July 1971 she appeared on stage in
Look – No Hands. ==Personal life==