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.
Leverage(2008)as Her Ladyship the Countess of Kensington
Raising Flagg(2006)as Jury Forman
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey(1993)as Bob's Mom
The Haunting of Sarah Hardy(1989)as Sarah's Mother
Unhinged(1982)as Marion Penrose
Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape(2010)as Self