Janis Paige, a veteran performer of Hollywood musicals, TV, and Broadway, has passed away at the age of 101. She died from natural causes at her Los Angeles home on Sunday, June 2, as confirmed by her friend Stuart Lampert.
The late actress, born Donna Mae Tjaden on September 16, 1922, in Tacoma, Washington, moved to Los Angeles with her sister after high school. They quickly found success, securing work as singers at the Hollywood Canteen.
Paige made her onscreen debut in the 1944 film Bathing Beauty and appeared in over a dozen movies by 1950. She transitioned to Broadway in 1951, debuting in Remains to Be Seen, and later starred in The Pajama Game in 1954, a production that went on to win five Tony Awards in 1955.
Fred Astaire Teams with Janis Paige, Creating an Iconic Number
After six years on stage and TV, Paige returned to the big screen, starring with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in Silk Stockings (1957), an adaptation of Greta Garbo’s Ninotchka.
In a memorable performance, she and Astaire performed the Cole Porter number “Stereophonic Sound,” ending with the duo swinging on a chandelier above some reporters.
She starred in Cheyenne (1947) directed by Raoul Walsh, played opposite Bette Davis in Winter Meeting (1948), and had roles in One Sunday Afternoon (1948), The House Across the Street (1949), Fugitive Lady (1950), Mister Universe (1951), and Two Gals and a Guy (1951).
After leaving Warner Bros., Paige moved to Broadway and starred in the 1951 crime comedy Remains to Be Seen with Jackie Cooper. June Allyson played her role in the 1953 MGM version.
Later, she played the role of Bob Hope’s love-starved, married neighbor in Bachelor in Paradise (1961). She also portrayed a prostitute in Joan Crawford’s The Caretakers (1963).
Janis Paige Also Had a Prolific TV Career
Paige starred in her own sitcom, It’s Always Jan, on CBS during the 1955-56 season. In the show, she played a widowed nightclub singer raising her 10-year-old daughter.
She also had notable roles as Dick Van Patten’s free-spirited sister on ABC’s Eight Is Enough and as a hospital administrator on CBS’s Trapper John, M.D.
In 1976, the actress delivered memorable guest performances as a tempting waitress on All in the Family and as Lou’s ex-flame on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Her television credits also include a slew of fan favorites, including The Fugitive, Happy Days, and Caroline in the City. Additionally, she appeared in the soap operas Capitol, Santa Barbara, and General Hospital.
Meanwhile, Paige was married three times. Her first marriage was to restaurateur Frank Martinelli Jr. from 1947 to 1951. She then wed film producer Arthur Stander from 1956 to 1957. In 1962, Paige married composer Ray Gilbert, who passed away in 1976.