Janet Carroll, the actress who got her big break playing Tom Cruise's mom in "Risky Business," died at the age of 71 earlier this week. She had suffered a "long illness," Yahoo! reports.

Carroll had been appearing on stage for years before she landed a role in the teen sex comedy that would unwittingly open the doors for her screen career. Cruise had already started getting attention for his work in "Taps" and "The Outsiders," while "Risky Business" was also the launching pad for the sultry Rebecca de Mornay. The film led to plenty of opportunities for Carroll on TV and in the movies.

With a theatrical career that began just after high school, she had decades of stage time under her belt, appearing in classic musicals like "Hello, Dolly!," "Guys and Dolls," "Mame," "Gypsy" and many more. Carroll's TV credits include "Law and Order: SVU," "Murphy Brown," "Ally McBeal," "L.A. Law," "Melrose Place" and even "21 Jump Street." She also appeared in films including Henry Winkler's "Memories of Me," Sidney Lumet's "Family Business," "Destiny Turns on the Radio" with Dylan McDermott, James Belushi and Quentin Tarantino, as well as the J. Lo drama "Enough," among others.

Carroll's last film will come out in 2013, a small comedy called "College Debts."

A service will be held for her this weekend in New York City.