You probably know Janet Lansbury as the "queen of gentle parenting." The voice of reason when your toddler is mid-meltdown. The woman who taught us all how to stay calm, set boundaries, and respect our kids like actual human beings. But before she was the RIE guru with millions of podcast downloads, she lived a completely different life under the bright, gritty lights of 1990s cinema.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a shock to the system.
If you go back to 1990—way before the "Elevating Child Care" era—you’ll find Janet Lansbury (then acting under the name Janet Julian) starring alongside a menacing Christopher Walken in the neo-noir cult classic, King of New York.
She wasn't just a background extra, either. She played Jennifer, the sharp-witted attorney and "moll" to Walken’s Frank White.
Why Janet Lansbury King of New York is Such a Wild Contrast
It is genuinely surreal to watch the woman who advocates for "respectful parenting" navigate the hyper-violent, drug-fueled underworld of Abel Ferrara’s New York. In the film, Frank White is a drug lord who wants to "give back" to the community by building a hospital, all while leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. Janet Lansbury’s character is right there in the thick of it.
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She’s sophisticated. She’s glamorous. And she’s involved in some of the film's most intense, "racy" scenes.
The Famous Subway Scene
One of the most talked-about moments involves a late-night encounter on a New York City subway car. Janet has actually written about this on her blog, reflecting on the sheer absurdity of the experience.
Picture this: It's the wee hours of the morning. The city has shut down the shuttle between 42nd Street and Grand Central specifically for the crew. Janet and Christopher Walken are directed to make out in a moving train car while the camera crew watches.
She’s been candid about the vulnerability of that shoot. She mentioned how a close-up of her bare breast was filmed, though it didn't quite "fill the screen" as she jokingly put it. It’s a far cry from discussing diaper changes and "magical" pauses.
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A Career Before the "Parenting Pivot"
Janet Lansbury’s acting career wasn't just a fluke. She was a working actress for years, often credited as Janet Julian. You might have spotted her in:
- The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (She was Nancy Drew!)
- Battlestar Galactica (Original series, playing Lt. Brie)
- B.J. and the Bear
- Falcon Crest
She’s lived these two very distinct lives. One as a Hollywood starlet working with legends like Ferrara and Walken, and the other as the world’s most famous parenting consultant.
Why the Name Change?
A lot of people ask why she went from Janet Julian to Janet Lansbury. It’s actually pretty simple. She married Michael Lansbury—who happens to be the son of the legendary Angela Lansbury. Yes, that Angela Lansbury. Murder, She Wrote was a family affair!
Janet eventually stepped away from acting in 1995. She wanted to focus on her kids. That’s when she discovered Magda Gerber and the philosophy of Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE).
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What This Tells Us About the "Guru"
Knowing about her role in King of New York doesn't take away from her parenting expertise. If anything, it makes her more relatable. It shows she’s a real person who had a career, took risks, and experienced the "un-gentle" world of 90s filmmaking before finding her true calling.
She wasn't born a parenting expert. She evolved.
She’s mentioned that the lack of self-assurance she felt as a young actress—the "faking it" she did on sets—is part of what led her to value the authenticity and "realness" she now teaches parents.
Actionable Insights from Janet's Transition
- Reinventing is possible. You don't have to be defined by what you did at 25.
- Vulnerability is a tool. Janet uses her past experiences with "performance" to help parents stop "performing" for their kids.
- Context matters. When you see a "perfect" expert, remember they usually have a wild backstory you know nothing about.
If you’re a fan of her podcast Unruffled, go back and watch King of New York. It’s a great movie in its own right—dark, stylish, and incredibly 90s. Just be prepared to see "Jennifer" and think, "Wait, is she about to tell Frank White to acknowledge his feelings?"
Spoiler: She doesn't. She mostly just tries to stay alive in a world of mob hits and neon lights.
To see the transition for yourself, you can look up her old credits under Janet Julian on IMDb or check out her personal blog posts where she reflects on her time in Hollywood. It’s a fascinating bridge between two very different versions of the American dream.