Janet Key (10 July 1945 – 26 July 1992) was an English actress with a varied career in theatre, film and television from the late 1960s until her death.

Career

Key was born in Bath,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, and trained at the nearby

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

. Her stage career included stints with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, alongside touring and

fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...

productions. Between 1970 and 1975 Key appeared in four horror films, as well as the sex comedy ''

Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

'' and the historical drama ''

Lady Caroline Lamb Lady Caroline Lamb (née Ponsonby; 13 November 1785 – 25 January 1828) was an Anglo-Irish aristocrat and novelist, best known for ''Glenarvon'', a Gothic novel. In 1812 she had an affair with Lord Byron, whom she described as "mad, bad, and ...

''. Her only other cinema appearance came later in ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'', although she also featured in several made-for-TV dramas, including the role of Charmian in the

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

production of '' Antony and Cleopatra'' for the ambitious ''

BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985, it ...

'' project. Key became a familiar face on British television through many guest appearances in a wide variety of popular series ranging from crime and espionage through to comedy.

Personal life

Key married actor

Gawn Grainger Gawn Grainger (born 12 October 1937) is a British actor, playwright and screenwriter. Early life Some sources indicate he was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 12 October 1937. He is the son of Charles Neil Grainger and his wife Elizabeth (née Gal ...

in 1970. The couple had two children. Key died of cancer on 26 July 1992, aged 47. In 1994, Grainger married actress

Zoë Wanamaker Zoë Wanamaker (born 13 May 1949) is a British-American actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. A nine-time Olivier Award nominee, she won for '' Once in a Lifetime'' (1979) and ''Electra' ...

, who had been an acquaintance of Key's."Hogwarts and all"
Kellaway, Kate. ''The Observer'', 11 March 2001. ''Retrieved 4 October 2010'' An obituary by Sebastian Graham-Jones in ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' said: "Janet Key was an actress of particular versatility. She was a high-spirited beauty with an acerbic style and talent that were entirely her own."Obituary: Janet Key
Graham-Jones, Sebastian. ''The Independent'', 30 July 1992. ''Retrieved 4 October 2010''

Filmography

*1970: ''

The Vampire Lovers ''The Vampire Lovers'' is a 1970 British Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams and Jon Finch. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. ...

'' – Gretchin *1971: ''

'' – Hazel Anthony *1972: '' Dracula A.D. 1972'' – Anna *1972: ''

'' – Miss Fairfax *1973: '' And Now the Screaming Starts!'' – Bridget *1975: ''

I Don't Want to Be Born ''I Don't Want to Be Born'' is a 1975 British horror film directed by Peter Sasdy and starring Joan Collins, Ralph Bates, Eileen Atkins, and Donald Pleasence. Its plot follows a woman who gives birth to a child that appears to be demonicall ...

'' – Jill Fletcher *1984: ''

'' – The Instructress

Television appearances

*1967–1968: ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of fiction ...

'' – Honeymoon wife / Rosalind *1968: ''

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall ''The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'' is the second and final novel written by English author Anne Brontë. It was first published in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. Probably the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, it had an instant and phe ...

'' – Millicent Hargrave *1969: '' Department S'' – Jean *1970: ''

Paul Temple Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her jo ...

'' – Christi *1972: '' The Adventurer'' – Virginia *1972: '' Jason King'' – Elaine *1972: '' Man at the Top'' – Dr. Helen Reid *1973: ''

New Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London' ...

'' – Jean Rossen *1973: '' Thriller'' – Lisa *1974: ''

Napoleon and Love ''Napoleon and Love'' is a 1974 British television series originally aired on ITV and lasting for 9 episodes from 5 March to 30 April 1974. The series stars Ian Holm in the title role as Napoleon and depicts his relationships with the women who ...

'' – Louise Compoint *1974: '' Special Branch'' – Carla *1974: '' Sutherland's Law'' – Julie McKenna *1975: '' State of Emergency'' – Jane Frederick *1975: '' The Sweeney'' – Kate Regan *1976: ''

The Crezz ''The Crezz'' is a British television drama produced by Thames Television and shown on the ITV network in 1976. Created by Clive Exton, ''The Crezz'' was set in a fictitious West London crescent, Carlisle Crescent. The series was 12 one-hour pr ...

'' – Brenda Pitman *1979: '' Shoestring'' – Val Colefax *1980: ''

The Enigma Files ''The Enigma Files'' is a British television police procedural that ran for one series of fifteen episodes in 1980. Plot summary The series was a police procedural, written by Derek Ingrey, about a police officer who has been sidelined from ...

'' – Pam Knowland *1980: ''

Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...

'' – Gloria Brompton *1981: ''

'' – Charmian *1983: '' No Problem!'' – Kay Angel *1986: ''

Never the Twain ''Never the Twain'' is a British sitcom that ran for eleven series from 7 September 1981 to 9 October 1991. It was created by Johnnie Mortimer, and was the only sitcom he ever created without his usual writing partner, Brian Cooke. Mortimer w ...

'' – Charlotte *1986: ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 Septembe ...

'' – Joyce Meacher *1988: '' Worlds Beyond'' – Lady Lucinda *1990: ''

Making News ''Making News'' is a television drama set in the world of journalism produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. A pilot episode, entitled 'Making News', was screened on 9 May 1989 as part of Thames' anthology series ''Storyboard''. T ...

'' – Rowena Lyle

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Janet 1945 births 1992 deaths 20th-century English actresses Actresses from Somerset Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Deaths from cancer in England English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses People from Bath, Somerset