Janette Scott

{{Infobox person

| name = Janette Scott

| image = JanetScottTorme1966.png

| alt = A smiling young white woman with dark hair cut in a fringe

| caption = Janette Scott, from a 1966 publication of the US State Department

| birth_name = Thora Janette Scott

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|12|14|df=y}}

| birth_place = Morecambe, Lancashire, England

| occupation = Actress

| years_active = 1942–1967, 1997

| children = 2, including James Tormé

| parents = James Scott
Thora Hird

| spouse = {{marriage|Jackie Rae|27 June 1959|1965|reason=divorced}}
{{marriage|Mel Tormé|20 May 1966|1977|reason=divorced}}
{{marriage|William Rademaekers|1981|2018|reason=died}}

}}

Thora Janette Scott (born 14 December 1938) is a British retired actress.{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f416358|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321013739/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f416358|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 March 2016|title=Janette Scott}}

Life and career

Scott was born on 14 December 1938 in Morecambe, Lancashire, England.{{cite book|last1=Cotter|first1=Robert Michael “Bobb”|title=The Women of Hammer Horror: A Biographical Dictionary and Filmography|date=2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476602011|page=166|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IiZnbykWAsIC&q=%22Thora+Janette+Scott%22&pg=PA166|access-date=30 April 2018|language=en}} She is the daughter of actors Jimmy Scott and Thora Hird and began her career as a child actress known as Janette Scott. Scott was briefly (with Jennifer Gay) one of the so-called "Children's Announcers" providing continuity links for the BBC's children's TV programmes from the Lime Grove Studios in the early 1950s.

She became a popular leading lady, appearing as a daughter in As Long As They're Happy.

{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|date=30 May 2025|access-date=30 May 2025|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-studios-group-film-productions|title=Forgotten British Studios: Group Film Productions}}

One of her best-known roles was April Smith in the film School for Scoundrels (1960), based on the "one-upmanship" books by Stephen Potter, in which Ian Carmichael and Terry-Thomas vie for her attention.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/school-for-scoundrels-v109086/cast-crew|title=School for Scoundrels (1960) - Robert Hamer - Cast and Crew - AllMovie|website=AllMovie}} Some scenes for School for Scoundrels were shot at a private members club before its current incarnation as a hotel. The hotel hosted a screening in 2016 with Janette Scott attending and answering questions about filming School for Scoundrels.{{Cite news|url=http://artandhue.com/happy-birthday-janette-scott/|title=Happy Birthday Janette Scott!|date=2017-12-14|newspaper=Art & Hue|language=en-US}}

Scott's highest profile as a leading lady in British films was from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s, with more than a dozen leading roles during this period. She was the female lead opposite some stars including Terry-Thomas, Ian Carmichael, Ronald Lewis, Ian Hendry and George Chakiris. She proved adept in genres including comedy, romantic drama, sci-fi thriller and period adventure. She gave up her career on marrying second husband, Mel Tormé.

She is known to American audiences for her role as the parson's wife in The Devil's Disciple (1959), starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/janette-scott-p64082|title=Janette Scott - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie|website=AllMovie}}

She is named in the song Science Fiction/Double Feature", the opening number of The Rocky Horror Show and its film version, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (performed over the opening credits), for her participation in the 1962 film The Day of the Triffids.

Scott wrote her autobiography Act One at the age of 14.{{cite web |url=http://www.clickautographs.com/detail.php?id=9543 |title=Clickautographs autographs - Janette Scott |website=www.clickautographs.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100449/http://www.clickautographs.com/detail.php?id=9543 |archive-date=2017-02-05}} Act one: an autobiography with portraits {{OCLC|504447646}}

Marriages

She has been married three times:

Jackie Rae (27 June 1959 – 1965), divorced
Mel Tormé (20 May 1966 – 1977), divorced; 2 children, including son James Tormé
William Rademaekers (1981–2018), died

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1942 \|Went the Day Well? \|Child \|
1943 \|{{sortname\|The\|Lamp Still Burns}} \| \|uncredited \|
rowspan=2 \| 1944 \|Two Thousand Women \|Mrs. Burtshaw's Daughter on Mother's Lap \|
{{sortname\|The\|Gay Intruders}} \| \|
1949 \|Conspirator \|Toby \|uncredited
1950 \|No Place for Jennifer \|Jennifer \|
rowspan=3 \| 1951 \|{{sortname\|The\|Galloping Major\|The Galloping Major (film)}} \|Susan Hill \| (with mother, Thora Hird)
No Highway in the Sky \|Elspeth Honey \|
{{sortname\|The\|Magic Box}} \|Ethel Friese-Greene \|
1953 \|Background \|Jess Lomax \|AKA, Edge of Divorce
1955 \|As Long as They're Happy \|Gwen Bentley \|
rowspan=2 \| 1956 \|Helen of Troy \|Cassandra \|
Now and Forever \|Janette Grant \|
1957 \|{{sortname\|The\|Good Companions\|The Good Companions (1957 film)}} \|Susie Dean \|
1958 \|Happy Is the Bride \|Janet Royd \|
rowspan=2 \| 1959 \|{{sortname\|The\|Lady Is a Square}} \|Joanna Baring \|
{{sortname\|The\|Devil's Disciple\|The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)}} \|Judith Anderson \|
1960 \|School for Scoundrels \|April Smith \|
rowspan=2 \| 1961 \|His and Hers \|Fran Blake \|
Double Bunk \|Peggy \|
1962 \|Two and Two Make Six \|Irene \|
rowspan=4 \| 1963 \|{{sortname\|The\|Day of the Triffids\|The Day of the Triffids (film)}} \|Karen Goodwin \|
Paranoiac \|Eleanor Ashby \|
Siege of the Saxons \|Katherine \|
{{sortname\|The\|Old Dark House\|The Old Dark House (1963 film)}} \|Cecily Femm \|
1964 \|The Beauty Jungle \|Shirley Freeman \|
1965 \|Crack in the World \|Dr. Maggie Sorenson \|
1967 \|Bikini Paradise \|Rachel \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1942

|Went the Day Well?

|Child

1943

|{{sortname|The|Lamp Still Burns}}

|uncredited

rowspan=2 | 1944

|Two Thousand Women

|Mrs. Burtshaw's Daughter on Mother's Lap

{{sortname|The|Gay Intruders}}

1949

|Conspirator

|Toby

|uncredited

1950

|No Place for Jennifer

|Jennifer

rowspan=3 | 1951

|{{sortname|The|Galloping Major|The Galloping Major (film)}}

|Susan Hill

| (with mother, Thora Hird)

No Highway in the Sky

|Elspeth Honey

{{sortname|The|Magic Box}}

|Ethel Friese-Greene

1953

|Background

|Jess Lomax

|AKA, Edge of Divorce

1955

|As Long as They're Happy

|Gwen Bentley

rowspan=2 | 1956

|Helen of Troy

|Cassandra

Now and Forever

|Janette Grant

1957

|{{sortname|The|Good Companions|The Good Companions (1957 film)}}

|Susie Dean

1958

|Happy Is the Bride

|Janet Royd

rowspan=2 | 1959

|{{sortname|The|Lady Is a Square}}

|Joanna Baring

{{sortname|The|Devil's Disciple|The Devil's Disciple (1959 film)}}

|Judith Anderson

1960

|School for Scoundrels

|April Smith

rowspan=2 | 1961

|His and Hers

|Fran Blake

Double Bunk

|Peggy

1962

|Two and Two Make Six

|Irene

rowspan=4 | 1963

|{{sortname|The|Day of the Triffids|The Day of the Triffids (film)}}

|Karen Goodwin

Paranoiac

|Eleanor Ashby

Siege of the Saxons

|Katherine

{{sortname|The|Old Dark House|The Old Dark House (1963 film)}}

|Cecily Femm

1964

|The Beauty Jungle

|Shirley Freeman

1965

|Crack in the World

|Dr. Maggie Sorenson

1967

|Bikini Paradise

|Rachel

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1954 \|{{sortname\|The\|Dashing White Sergeant\|nolink=1}} \|Fione Cuningham \|TV film
1957 \|Sunday Night Theatre \|Judy \|Episode: "The Girl at the Next Table"
1958 \|Armchair Theatre \|Maeve McHugh \|Episode: "A Man's Woman"
1960 \|BBC Sunday-Night Play \|Kitty Tape \|Episode: "20th Century Theatre: The Queen Came By"
1965 \|Burke's Law \|Jennifer Robbins \|Episode: "Password to Death"
1997 \|Last of the Summer Wine \|Cameo \|Episode: "There Goes the Groom"

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1954

|{{sortname|The|Dashing White Sergeant|nolink=1}}

|Fione Cuningham

|TV film

1957

|Sunday Night Theatre

|Judy