Janice Lynn Norton

Jan Norton was born in Dallas, Texas. She passed away on Sunday, January 28, 2024, after a battle with cancer. She is survived by her sister, Barbara Norton-Philp, her brother-in-law Cedric Philp, her adopted sister, Linda Stogner, her niece, Lisa Hollis, and her cousin, Andrew Norton, and other family members who loved her.

Jan had a lovely childhood. She grew up in the Casa Linda area of Dallas with her Mom and Dad (Ruby and Ralph Norton), brother (Ralph Wayne Norton-Alex), and sister (Barbara Norton-Philp). She went to Reinhardt, Gaston, and Bryan Adams High School and received an associate degree from Eastfield College. She was studying to become a special education teacher for the hearing and vision impaired. She volunteered with the Soroptimists Special Needs Camp and many other groups such as the United Cerebral Palsy Daycare Center.

In her twenties, she decided to change careers and pursue her true love, acting. She appeared in such films as Semi-Tough with Burt Reynolds, she worked with Ron Howard and the great Bette Davis in Skyward and she had a leading role in the now cult classic, “Screams of a Winter Night.” She has appeared in several independent films and television shows, including Guilty or Innocent for NBC and Here’s To Your Health for PBS plus many stage productions at theaters all over DFW. She was a constant crowd favorite performing different roles all over the country with the Murder Mystery Players.

One of her several jobs to support herself was as a receptionist at KERA, Channel 13, where she met Linda, who was a PA in TV production. They quickly became best friends, and during the comedy boom, the two pals decided to give stand-up comedy a try. With the lack of stage time available, the two budding comics created a comedy showcase at Repos Pizza four nights a week, which later turned into the Little Comedy Club that Could, Backdoor Comedy. Jan and Linda created a home for stand-up comics in DFW and it has been going strong for more than 30 years, with alumni that have performed on Netflix, HBO, Showtime, NBC, Comedy Central, America’s Got Talent, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, Conan, Dry Bar Comedy, Don’t Tell Comedy and more, a legacy that continues today at the current Backdoor location in Richardson, Texas.

During all of this, Jan also received a Naturopathic doctorate degree.

Jan Norton was as genuine a person as they come. She was down-to-earth, and authentic through and through. She would speak the truth, and not always sugarcoat it, but that was one of the reasons we all loved her. And she was proud of that trait as well. She would fill a room with her vivacious personality. And even though she was known for her abilities as an actress and a comic, she was also known for her big heart. Jan loved helping people and would go to extraordinary lengths to do so. She was a talented, loving, sweet, and generous human being and she will be missed beyond words.