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Janet Dawn
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born:
01 June 1905 Fergus Falls, Minnesota, United States of America |
died:
06 February 1984 Los Angeles, California, United States of America (age 78) |
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American actress who appeared in films of the 1920s. Her parents were Cora (née Healey, 1885-1958) and Frank Paul Pavelik (1881-1958), who married on 4 June 1903 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Janet's earliest known film credit was the 1921 Vitagraph feature "The Son of Wallingford," where she and Alberta Vaughn played twins. Though Janet's known credits are scarce (only two are listed on online film databases, not including "Wallingford"), she evidently continued to act throughout the decade as suggested by various Los Angeles newspaper tidbits. By the time of the 1930 Census, Janet is working as a stenographer for a publishing house. At the time of her 1931 marriage, she was "a business agent for screen players" with the Beyer-MacArthur agency. In 1938, she was a witness in the contentious divorce case of Clyde Cook; a neighbor of the Cooks, she served as witness on Clyde's behalf, as did James Finlayson (who stated Mrs. Cook knocked him out during a visit with the couple in London) and Stanley Blystone. An interesting "wrinkle" in Janet's biography is the birth of a daughter, Ruth Janice (originally Betty) Rennie (1920-2015), on 27 May 1920 at Maternity Cottage (127 So. Utah) in Los Angeles. The father is listed as William E. Rennie (1902-1987), an 18-year old student from Montana residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Janet, listed as age 16 (actually five days from turning 15), is listed as a housewife. A 1945 affidavit for correction changes the daughter's name to Ruth Janice Rennie (which is how she is listed in the California Birth Index); unfortunately, the affidavit record is not photocopied well enough to discern further details. In the 1940 Census, Ruth is living with her father (now a 38-year old farmer) and his parents in Raymond, California. Janet was married four times: -- Her first marriage was to motion picture producer Frank Ernest Nicholson (1901-1957), on 15 April 1925 in Santa Ana, California. Janet filed for divorce in September 1929, and it was granted in December. In the 1930 Census (4 Apr), Janet is listed as single and living with her parents in Los Angeles. -- Her second marriage was to publicist/screenwriter Ben Markson (1897-1971) on 19 December 1931 in Yuma, Arizona. Janet separated from him in 1936, and they were still estranged during 1938; I have yet to find anything about a divorce decree and granting in newspapers. Strangely, in the 1940 Census, Ben is listed as residing with Janet's parents at 2190 No. Highland Avenue, while Janet is listed separately in an apartment at 1535 Las Palmas Avenue. -- Her third marriage was to U.S. Army soldier Armand Thomas Resciniti (1919-1992) on 28 April 1944 in Los Angeles. Janet filed for divorce in November 1946; it was granted two months later. -- Her fourth and final marriage was to osteopathic physician John Marshall Phillips (1882-1963) on 25 July 1957 in Los Angeles. This time, the union ended with Phillips' death, less than six years later, on 10 May 1963. |
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Real name: Janet Elizabeth Pavelik |
Films listed on this page: 1 film with Babe Hardy. |
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