Janine Turner, born Janine Loraine Gauntt on December 6, 1962, in Lincoln, Nebraska, is an American actress, author, and public speaker.

She grew up in Texas and began her career as a model with the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency at the age of 15, making her the youngest model ever signed by the agency at that time. She transitioned to acting in 1980, appearing in several episodes of the television series "Dallas" and later landing a role on the daytime soap opera "General Hospital" as Laura Templeton.

Her breakthrough came in 1990 when she was cast as Maggie O'Connell in the critically acclaimed television series "Northern Exposure," a role that earned her an Emmy nomination and three consecutive Golden Globe nominations.

She also appeared in the action film "Cliffhanger" (1993) opposite Sylvester Stallone and played Katie McCoy in the TV series "Friday Night Lights".

In addition to her acting career, Janine Turner is an author and public speaker, and she founded the organization Constituting America in 2010, which aims to educate people about the U.S. Constitution.