Actor

Janet Penner

Born April 19, 1938 in Portland, Oregon, USA4 films

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Janet Ellenmarie Penner began acting in local theater productions before making her feature film debut in local filmmaker Don Gronquist's grisly slasher Unhinged (1982)], in which she portrayed the gender-bending killer Marion Penrose. The film received notoriety after it was banned in the United Kingdom and deemed a "video nasty."

In the intervening years, Penner, a graduate of the University of Portland, continued to appear in occasional locally-filmed features, including the supernatural thriller The Haunting of Sarah Hardy (1989), and the Walt Disney live-action film Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). She has also appeared on television, in an episode of the series Leverage (2008).

In addition to her film credits, Penner has had a long career in repertory theater, having starred in numerous stage productions with the Portland Civic Theatre, the Artists Repertory Theatre, the Oregon Children's Theater, and the Willamette Repertory Theatre.

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The best way into Janet Penner's work

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey poster

First watchHomeward Bound: The Incredible Journey19937.0as Bob's MomBefore the Seavers leave for a family vacation to San Francisco, they drop off their pets -- Chance, an adventurous American bulldog; Shadow, a wise golden retriever; and Sassy, a cautious…View film

Filmography

4 films as actor

2006Raising FlaggJury Foreman
1993Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyBob's Mom
1989The Haunting of Sarah HardyDorothy York
1982UnhingedMarion Penrose (as J.E. Penner)