AllMovie

Actress, dancer, and aerobics instructor Janet Jones was born in Missouri in 1961. In 1979, she made regular appearances on Merv Griffin's TV show Dance Fever, where she met her future husband, NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. They were married in 1988 and proceeded to have five children together. In the early '80s, Jones appeared as a dancer in the films Annie (1982), Staying Alive (1983), and Snow White Live (1980). After a bit part in The Beastmaster (1982), her first supporting role was as Matt Dillon's girlfriend in the 1984 comedy The Flamingo Kid (1984), directed by Garry Marshall. She combined her acting skills and her dancing ability in Richard Attenborough's film version of the Broadway play A Chorus Line in the role of Judy Monroe. In 1986, she played a gymnast who got to date Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord in the sports drama American Anthem. After her marriage to Gretzky, she turned to cameo roles and celebrity guest-star slots. A couple of brief film appearances include Police Academy 5 (1988) and A League of Their Own (1992). She keeps busy as the instructor of The Firm video workout series and the host of infomercials for Jackie Chan's home workout products.