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Janet Bailey

Janet Bailey

Actor · Ontario, Canada

Janet was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. Her professional career began following her time at Toronto's Leah Posluns Theatre. She first studied Dance with Jacques Fosier and later studied Drama with Reva Stern and Rose Dubin. In 1984, she went to study and at The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where she studied under the tutelage of Sandford Meisner, graduating in 1985. Her film career ;Race to Freedom; began in 1986 but she continued to learn her craft studying with Carol Rosenfeld Kurt Reis and Neil Freeman at C.A.S.T. and finally studying theatre with Jim Wilson in Los Angeles. Her career in Theatre, Television and Film has won accolades in Canada and the United States. For example, for her role as Sarah in the television movie Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad, which costarred Courtney B. Vance, Janet Bailey received a Best Actress Gemini Nomination. The production also screened at the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Bailey was introduced as "one of Canada's best kept secrets". Her work on the series Traders, in the role of Susannah Marks, brought her a second and third nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In Deepa Mehta's screen version of The Republic of Love she plays the quirky ex-wife of Bruce Greenwood's Tom Avery. That same year she played opposite Greg Kinear in the feature film Godsend, starring Robert De Niro. In the final season of the critically acclaimed series Slings and Arrows, Bailey played soap opera diva Barbara Gorman, which she followed with the role of straight talking lawyer Susan Aimes on NBC's Beautiful People. After viewing Bailey's interpretation of the sweet but streetwise prostitute, Velma Fontaine, in the television movie Spencer Ceremony, New York Magazine singled her out as "meriting a movie of her own" Her fourth Gemini nomination, this time for Best actress in a guest role, came for her portrayal of Harriet in an episode of Global Television's Blue Murder. She also teaches theatre due to being active on both stage and screen.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

From
Ontario, Canada
Works as
Actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 27 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 11% in 30 days

What are Janet Bailey's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Western2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Western movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
40%
Morality
30%
Power
15%
Survival
13%
Society
3%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Melancholic
4
Hopeful
4
Warm
2
Thrilling
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Janet Bailey's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Janet Bailey's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

27 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Poison Ivy: The Secret Society(2008)

    as Hadrian

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Kevin Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · as Judge L. Cower

  • Godsend(2004)

    as Cora Williams

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Apples and Oranges (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • The Recruit(2003)

    as Young Instructor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye(2002)

    Show 1 episode · as Donna Gans

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Guilt by Association(2002)

    as Loretta

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Many Trials of One Jane Doe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Cheri

  • Tracker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · as Agent Martha Kenny

  • Alley Cats Strike(2000)

    as Nancy

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Spreading Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Detective Langston

  • Twice in a Lifetime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Young Dr. Grace Grant

  • Blackjack(1998)

    as Connie Hastings

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Mind Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Wanda

  • Borrowed Hearts(1997)

    as Carly

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Black Fox: Good Men and Bad(1995)

    as Mary Johnson

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Black Fox: The Price of Peace(1995)

    as Mary Johnson

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Black Fox(1995)

    as Mary Johnson

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Race to Freedom: The Underground Railroad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Sarah

  • Gregory K(1993)

    as Atty. Jane Carey

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Survive The Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as 911 Superintendent

  • Deadly Matrimony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Reporter No. 7

  • Terror on Track 9(1992)

    as Reporter #1

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The World's Oldest Living Bridesmaid(1990)

    as Debbie

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • War of the Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 1 episode · as Perry

  • A New Life(1988)

    as Teacher

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Dancing in the Dark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Night Nurse

Career shape

Star power in the 80th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 27 titles from 1986 to 2008; peak year 1997.

Highest rated

Borrowed Hearts (1997)

Midcredits 74th

Film career

19862008

Peak 1997 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1997Screen debut· Borrowed Hearts

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting27 of 27: 27 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

1980s3 · acting1990s13 · acting2000s11 · acting

Billing

usually 12th · top billed in 0% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Janet Bailey's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

Poison Ivy: The Secret Society (2008)

80th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Borrowed Hearts (1997)

Midcredits 74th · 68% liked

Reviewers score the acting 64/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 75, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Janet Bailey work with?

People who share at least 2 of Janet Bailey's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ron Wisman shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers