Janet MacLachlan was an American character actress who had roles in such television series as The Rockford Files, Alias and The Golden Girls. She is best remembered for her key supporting part in the film Sounder . MacLachlan worked with numerous well known black actors and actresses and celebrities such as Bill Cosby, Jim Brown, James Earl Jones and Maya Angelou.
MacLachlan was born Janet Angel MacLachlan in Harlem, New York her mother, Iris South MacLachlan, and father, James MacLachlan, were both Jamaicanborn and members of the Church of the Illumination. Attending P.S. 170 and Julia Ward Junior High School, MacLachlan graduated from Julia Richmond High School in 1950. She received a bachelors degree in psychology from Hunter College in 1955. She then worked as an executive secretary in New York City before turning to acting. She later performed at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis.
Source: Wikipedia