She was born on December 29, 1909 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Her grandfather, Andrew Currie, had once been the Mayor of Shreveport. Janet attended Byrd high school and was crowned "Miss Shreveport" at the age of eighteen. While visiting New York City with her mother she auditioned for Earl Carroll's Sketchbook. The beautiful redhead was offered a part in the show. Then she appeared in the hit Broadway musical Once In A Lifetime. A talent scout saw her on stage and offered her a contract at MGM in 1930. She was supposed have a role in the film Sidewalks Of New York but producers said her Southern accent was too thick. Janet briefly worked as a stand-in for Nancy Carroll while she took elocution lessons.
In 1931 she appeared as a chorus girl in the musical Flying High. That same year she impulsively eloped with her childhood sweetheart Ben James. She decided to give up her acting career and the couple moved to Kansas City, Missouri. After just a year of marriage they separated and she returned to Hollywood. Janet landed a role in the Three Stooges comedy Meet The Baron. Soon after she began experiencing health problems and was diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis. In December of 1934 she underwent an operation but there were complications. Sadly she died on December 20, 1934 at the young age of twenty-four. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
