Janet Ann Ayres Is Leslie Mann's Mother Who Raised Her Children on Her Own

Janet Ann Ayres gave Hollywood one of its most prominent and funniest actresses, her daughter Leslie Mann. She raised the "This Is 40" star as a single mother after divorcing her father when she was a baby.

Janet Ann Ayres's daughter, Leslie Mann, entered the TV and film industry as a shy adolescent. After graduating high school, she immediately enrolled in acting classes, where she began developing her skills. The art form helped Mann break out of her introverted shell.

The comedienne has since starred in numerous high-profile romcoms, and as her fame skyrocketed, fans took an interest in her roots. Her story began with a single mother who raised her and her siblings alone. And although Ayres is not much of a public person, her famous daughter has shared some details about her.

Janet Ann Ayres Has Finnish Roots

Ayres was born to a Finnish mother named Sadie Heljä Viola Räsänen. Mann revealed her grandmother's name and ethnicity during a 2014 interview promoting the film "The Other Woman," alongside her co-star Cameron Diaz.

Speaking about the physical comedy displayed in the film, Diaz commented on how strong Mann was in some of their quarrel scenes, where she "taunted" and "threw" her around. When she said one wouldn't believe how much power her co-star had, Mann responded:

"That's Finnish in me!"

Ayres raised Mann and her older brother and sister in Newport Beach, California, where she worked as a real estate agent. It's unknown if Mann and her siblings shared the same dad, but Ayres's relationship with Mann's father ended soon after she was born.

Janet Ann Ayres Was a Single Mother

As her daughter revealed in a chat with Elle Magazine in 2012, Ayres married three times in her lifetime. After divorcing Mann's father, she never maintained contact with him, and neither did the movie starlet, as she said:

"My dad is...I don't really have one. I mean, he does exist, but I have zero relationship with him."

Mann lamented the lack of a relationship with her dad and confessed that she was jealous of those who grew up in traditional "balanced" nuclear families. She felt they had a particular advantage, provided their homes weren't dysfunctional, as she added:

"But to have the parents stay together and have that stability, I just feel people like that are so much more solid."

Janet Ann Ayres's Granddaughters Are Actresses Too

It's unknown if Mann's father was Ayres's first or second husband, but her last known marital partner is Don Ayres Jr., the owner of the generations-old Ayres Hotels dynasty. She joined the family business in 2005 as an interior designer.

Ayres would remain the leader of interior design and quality assurance programs until 2013, remaining true to the hotels' traditional aesthetic while bringing a touch of modern styles. It's unknown if she continued to another venture or retired afterward.

Her granddaughters, born to Mann and her husband Judd Apatow, are actresses Iris and Maude Apatow. In their earliest acting credits, both Iris and Maude shared the screen with their mom in "This Is 40," "Knocked Up," and "Funny People."

They've since branched into their own independent careers, with Maude being one of the leading stars of HBO's "Euphoria," alongside Zendaya and Angus Cloud. Maude also appeared in the "The King of Staten Island."

However, Ayres's famous granddaughters initially weren't allowed to be cast in any movies that didn't include their parents. Despite their parents letting them share the spotlight, they were pretty protective. Still, Mann felt sharing the screen with her daughters brought authenticity to the productions in which they collaborated.