Janet Waldo, American actress and voice artist, Died at 96

  Actor

Janet Marie Waldo was born on February 4, 1920, in Yakima, Washington and died on June 12, 2016.

She was an American radio, television, animation and live-action film actress.

Janet was best known in animation for voicing Judy Jetson, Nancy in Shazzan, Penelope Pitstop, and Josie in Josie and the Pussycats, and on radio for Meet Corliss Archer.

Jane Althea Blodgett was Janets mother, she was a singer trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music, and her father, Benjamin Franklin Waldo, was a distant cousin of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Janet’s sister, Elisabeth Waldo (who was born on June 18, 1918), is an authority on pre-Columbian music and an award-winning composer-violinist who appeared in the film Song of Mexico (1945).

Janet Waldo attended the University of Washington, where her performance in a student theatrical garnered her an award and brought her to the attention of Bing Crosby.

There was a Paramount Pictures talent scout, who was with Crosby at the time, signed Waldo for a screen test, which led to a contract with the studio.

She appeared in several dozen films in low budget parts and small roles, although she was the leading lady in three Westerns, two of them starring Tim Holt.

Waldo’s received her big break in radio with a part on Cecil B. DeMille’s Lux Radio Theater.

Throughout her radio career, Janet’s lent her voice to many programs, including Edward G. Robinson’s Big Town, The Eddie Bracken Show, Favorite Story, Four Star Playhouse, The Gallant Heart, One Man’s Family, Sears Radio Theater and Stars over Hollywood.

Janet Waldo also co-starred with Jimmy Lydon in the CBS situation comedy Young Love (1949–50), and she had recurring roles on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (as teenager Emmy Lou), The Red Skelton Show and People Are Funny

During the 1948, her likeness was used in the Meet Corliss Archer comic book, published by Fox Feature Syndicate, appeared for a run of three issues from March to July 1948, using the original scripts.

During that same year, Janet Waldo married playwright Robert Edwin Lee.

She also did television animation, where she played Judy Jetson in all versions of the Hanna-Barbera television series The Jetsons.

Janet was the last surviving main cast member of the original The Jetsons series.

During 1964–66, Janet took over the role of Pearl Slaghoople on The Flintstones, which was originally played by Verna Felton.

She died at her home in Encino, California.

Waldo had been diagnosed with a benign but inoperable brain tumor five years earlier, according to her family.

Janet Waldo passed away at 96 yrs old.