My friend Janet Whiteside, who has died aged 83, played a rich variety of parts during a long acting career, principally in the theatre. What’s more, she graced every production on which she worked with an infectious joie de vivre and was always immensely popular with her directors and fellow actors.
Born in Birmingham to Ernest Whiteside, an encyclopedia salesman, and his wife, Ada (nee Hartley), Janet trained at the Birmingham repertory theatre and began her career in regional theatre. In 1967 she appeared in London at the New theatre (now the Noël Coward) in Spring and Port Wine and in 1968 joined the RSC for eight years – her parts there included Mistress Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Pert in London Assurance.
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