Janet Lansbury

Born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in the San Fernando Valley as the third of four girls, Janet Lansbury began acting and modeling at age 12, appearing in a TV episode as an innkeeper’s daughter. She graduated from North Hollywood High School, attended UCLA, then moved to New York to model under Eileen Ford, living a fast-paced life in the 1980s that included Studio 54 and celebrity parties, which she later described as overwhelming for her maturity level. Her acting career peaked in the late 1970s and 1980s: she replaced Pamela Sue Martin as Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1978), played Tommy on B. J. and the Bear (1979), and appeared as Cookie Nash on Falcon Crest (1989), alongside print and commercial work like Herbal Essences ads. In 1990, she married Michael Lansbury (nephew of Angela Lansbury), left acting by 1995 to raise their three children, and sought parenting guidance from Magda Gerber. Lansbury's passion ignited after training with Gerber; she enrolled in RIE courses without plans to teach but became captivated, earning certification as a RIE Associate and Parent/Infant Guidance Class instructor in 1994. She joined the RIE board in 1995 and began teaching classes in Los Angeles, emphasizing babies as capable learners who thrive without excessive intervention. In 2009, she launched her blog at JanetLansbury.com (over 400 posts), published Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting and No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame, and started her podcast Janet Lansbury Unruffled in 2015, which became a top-downloaded series with over 200 episodes by 2021. She also offers audio consultations ('Sessions') and has presented at early childhood conferences, popularizing RIE principles globally. Today, living in Los Angeles with her husband and three grown children, Lansbury continues as a consultant with 30+ years of experience, influencing millions through books, podcast, and site.