Carroll received formal theatrical training and began acting professionally in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous productions in local theaters.
She developed her television career with recurring roles on the series Hill Street Blues (1983, 1986 as Peggy LaRue Nelson), The Bronx Zoo (1987 as Carol Danzig), Murphy Brown (1990–96, as Doris Dial, stoic anchorman Charles Kimbrough's wife), Melrose Place (1993–97, as Marion Shaw, Kimberly's mother), Married... with Children (1994–97, as Gary, Al Bundy's boss),[4] and Still Standing (2002–04, as Helen Michaels).
From 2004 to 2005, she starred on Broadway creating the role of "Aunt March" in the original musical Little Women, which is based in the 1869 novel of the same title written by American author Louisa May Alcott.
[5] She performed in Victoria and Vancouver summer festivals in British Columbia, as well as in Monterey, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Santa Catalina Island, and New Orleans stages, along with concerts at United Service Organizations shows, the Palmer House in Chicago, the Fountainebleu in Miami Beach, the Ritz-Carlton chain, the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables and the San Antonio River Walk.
[5] After twelve years of formal training Janet Carroll was ordained and licensed at the West Los Angeles' Church of Inner Light.
[7] She later released her solo albums Presenting... Janet Carroll and the Hollywood Jazz Cats (1992),[8] I Can't Give You Anything But Love (2000),[8][9] I'll Be Seeing You (2000)[8][10] and Lady Be Good (2010).