Janet Blair (April 23, 1921 - February 19, 2007) was an American film and television actress.
Born as Martha Jane Lafferty (she took her acting surname from Blair County, Pennsylvania) in Altoona, Pennsylvania, she began her acting career on film in 1942. She left films for many years after she was dropped by her studio, Columbia Pictures, and disliked the roles she was offered.
Instead, she took the lead role of Nellie Forbush in a production of the stage musical South Pacific, making more than 1,200 performances in three years. " never missed a performance", she noted proudly. During the tour, she also got married to second husband, producer-director Nick Mayo, and they became parents of Amanda and Andrew.
She appeared on television on various variety shows and was also a summer replacement for Dinah Shore.
She also recorded an album entitled FLAME OUT for the Dico label. It was a collection of ballards like "Don't Explain" and "Then You've Never Been Blue".
She made a rare dramatic appearance in the 1962 British horror film Night of the Eagle.
Her last performance was on television in a 1991 episode of Murder, She Wrote, starring Angela Lansbury.
She died of complications from pneumonia, aged 85, at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
