Janis Ian

Janis Ian

Acting
1951-04-07
New York City, New York, USA

Biography

Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s; her most widely recognized song, "At Seventeen", was released as a single from her 1975 album Between the Lines which reached number 1 on the Billboard chart. Born in 1951 in New York City, Ian entered the American folk music scene while still a teenager in the mid-1960s. Most active musically in that decade and the 1970s, she has continued recording into the 21st century. She has won two Grammy Awards, the first in 1975 for "At Seventeen" and the second in 2013 for Best Spoken Word Album, for her autobiography, Society's Child, with a total of ten nominations in eight different categories. Ian is also a columnist and science fiction author.

Known For & Full Filmography13 Titles

#1The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Drama Series - 1962, 16 episodes as Self

7.5 / 10
Talk

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

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#2Saturday Night Live

Drama Series - 1975, 16 episodes as Self - Musical Guest

6.9 / 10
ComedyNews

A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.

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#3The Mike Douglas Show

Drama Series - 1961, 16 episodes as Self

5.8 / 10
ComedyTalk

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.

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#4Dinah!

Drama Series - 1974, 16 episodes as Self

7.0 / 10

Dinah's show premiered 9 September 1974 and continued through to 4 September 1981. She started out the 70's with Dinah's Place which usually featured one guest and was more of a home oriented show about cooking, crafts and occasionally music. This format lasted until May of 1974. When the show came back in October of 1974 the format had changed drastically to a variety talk show which was called Dinah. and went on until 1981. This show was also known as "Dinah and Friends" during the summer of 1976.

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#5Getting On

Drama Series - 2013, 16 episodes as Mrs. Belfontaine

6.3 / 10
Comedy

Set in a geriatric extended care wing of a down-at-the-heels hospital, Getting On follows put-upon nurses, anxious doctors and administrators as they struggle with the darkly comic, brutally honest and quietly compassionate realities of caring for the elderly.

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#6Rock Concert

Drama Series - 1973, 16 episodes as Self

8.3 / 10

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations. It premiered on September 27, 1973, with a performance by The Rolling Stones; its last episode was in 1981.

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#7The Midnight Special Legendary Performances: Flashback to 1974

Movie - 2007, 2h 15m as Self (archive footage)

8.8 / 10
Music

An outstanding performance featuring brilliant storytelling, high stakes drama, and unforgettable character arcs.

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#8Echoes of the Sixties: A Musical Trip

Movie - 1979, 2h 15m as Self (archive footage)

2.0 / 10
DocumentaryMusic

A documentary on the pop music and culture of the 1960's, featuring film and video clips of 60's-era performers.

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#9Four Rode Out

Movie - 1969, 2h 15m as The Singer

4.4 / 10
Western

In this western, a Mexican desperado tries to flee his partner, a determined girl friend, and a US Marshal.

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#10Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution

Drama Series - 1967, 16 episodes as Self

8.8 / 10
Documentary

In this CBS News report, Leonard Bernstein examines creativity in pop music of the mid 1960s. This is probably one of the first examples of pop music being examined as a "serious" art form.

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#11Janis Ian: Breaking Silence

Movie - 2025, 2h 15m as Self

5.0 / 10
DocumentaryMusicHistory

In 1965, Janis Ian, a 14-year-old singer-songwriter from New Jersey, wrote “Society’s Child” about an interracial relationship. Recorded and released a year later, the song launched Ian's career, but its subject matter ignited controversy, even resulting in death threats. The fallout plunged Ian into an emotional tailspin–and yet a few years later she emerged from the ashes with an even bigger hit, “At Seventeen.” Over six decades, Janis Ian gained ten Grammy nominations in eight different categories, saw her song “Stars” recorded by such luminaries as Nina Simone and Cher, and overcame homophobia, misogyny, and a life-threatening illness to produce an indelible body of work that continues to draw audiences around the globe. Featuring Janis Ian, Joan Baez, Jean Smart, Arlo Guthrie, Lily Tomlin, and Tom Paxton, among other icons.

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#12Countdown - The Wonder Years 2

Movie - 2007, 2h 15m as Self (archive footage)

8.0 / 10
Music

Featuring the Original Live Countdown performances by the World biggest artists from the 70s and 80s

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#13Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution

Movie - 1967, 2h 15m as Self

8.8 / 10
Documentary

Documentary about young pop and rock musicians producing music as "a symptom and generator" of social unrest and generation gaps.

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