Janet Beecher

Janet Beecher (born Janet Meysenberg; October 21, 1884 – August 6, 1955) was an American stage and screen actress.

Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Von Meysenburg, Beecher was born in Jefferson City, Missouri. Her sister was actress Olive Wyndham. The sisters were related to Harriet Beecher Stowe on their mother's side.

Her father's work as a vice-consul for Germany led to her growing up in Chicago.

Career 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). The Love Child (1922), A Kiss in a Taxi (1925), and Courage (1928).

Between 1915 and 1943, she appeared in nearly 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.

Personal life Beecher was married twice: first to Harry R. Guggenheimer and then to Richard H. Hoffman. She had one child, a son named Richard, by her second marriage.

"Automatic writing" controversy Automatic writing played a pivotal role in Beecher's divorce from her second husband, Richard Hoffman.

Beecher's mother, Mrs. Oral J. Wyndham, produced messages that she said were sent by spirits, but which Hoffman said were created by Wyndham's subconscious mind. After six years of marriage, both Beecher and Hoffman filed suit for separation, based on both the contentious messages and a disagreement about religion's influence in raising their son. Beecher, her sister, and their mother were members of the Unity Scientific Christianity Association. The judge who granted the divorce wrote, "both the practice of spirit writing and the content of the messages undoubtedly affected the family society. The plaintiff was frankly hostile to the practice, while some of the writings criticized his character and behavior in unmistakable terms."

Filmography Year Title Role Notes1915 Fine Feathers Jane Reynolds 1933 Gallant Lady Maria Sherwood 1934 The Last Gentleman Helen Barr 1934 The President Vanishes Mrs. Mary Stanley 1934 The Mighty Barnum Nancy Barnum 1935 Let's Live Tonight Mrs. Routledge 1935 So Red the Rose Sally Bedford 1935 Village Tale Amy Somerville 1935 The Dark Angel Mrs. Shannon 1936 Love Before Breakfast Mrs. Colby 1936 I'd Give My Life Governor's wife 1936 The Longest Night Mrs. Briggs, Carl's Mother 1937 The Good Old Soak Matilda Hawley 1937 The Thirteenth Chair Lady Crosby 1937 Between Two Women Miss Pringle 1937 Big City Sophie Sloane 1937 My Dear Miss Aldrich Mrs. Sinclair 1937 Beg, Borrow or Steal Mrs. Agatha Steward 1937 Rosalie Miss Baker 1938 Judge Hardy's Children Miss Budge, Suzanne's Tutor 1938 Yellow Jack Miss Macdade 1938 Woman Against Woman Mrs. Holland 1938 Say It in French Mrs. Carrington 1939 I Was a Convict Mrs. Martha Harrison 1939 The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle Mrs. Foote 1939 Man of Conquest Mrs. Sarah Lea 1939 Career Mrs. Amy Cruthers 1939 Laugh It Off Mary Carter 1939 Slightly Honorable Mrs. Cushing 1940 All This, and Heaven Too Miss Haines 1940 The Mark of Zorro Senora Isabella Vega 1940 Bitter Sweet Lady Daventry 1941 The Lady Eve Mrs. Pike 1941 The Man Who Lost Himself Mrs. Milford 1941 Men of Boys Town Spokeswoman (scenes deleted)1941 West Point Widow Mrs. Graves 1941 For Beauty's Sake Miss Merton 1941 A Very Young Lady Miss Steele 1941 The Parson of Panamint Mrs. Tweedy 1942 A Tragedy at Midnight Third Mrs. Charles Miller Uncredited1942 Reap the Wild Wind Mrs. Mottram 1942 Men of Texas Mrs. Sam Houston 1942 Hi, Neighbor Hattie Greenfield 1942 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch Mrs. Olcott 1942 Silver Queen Mrs. Laura Forsythe 1943 Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour Mrs. Eloise Lowry Uncredited1952 Lux Video Theatre Kate Walburn 1 episode, (final appearance)