- Born
- Died
- Birth nameDonna Mae Tjaden
- Height1.65 m
- Joyous scene-stealer Janis Paige started out playing rather bland film ingénues, but never seemed to be comfortable in those roles--she had too much snap, crackle and pop to be confined in such a formulaic way.
Born Donna Mae Tjaden in 1922 in Tacoma, Washington, she was singing in public from age 5 in local amateur shows. She moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school and earned a job as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen during the war years. The Canteen, which was a studio-sponsored gathering spot for servicemen, is where she was spotted by a Warner Brothers talent scout, who saw potential in her and signed her up. She began co-starring in secondary musicals that often paired her with either Dennis Morgan or Jack Carson. Later she was relegated to rugged adventures and dramas that just seemed out of her element. Following her role in the forgettable Two Gals and a Guy (1951), she decided to leave the Hollywood scene. She took to the Broadway boards and scored a huge hit with the 1951 comedy-mystery play "Remains to Be Seen", co-starring Jackie Cooper. She also toured successfully as a cabaret singer, performing everywhere from New York to Miami to Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Definitive stardom came in 1954 with the feisty role of Babe in Broadway's "The Pajama Game" opposite John Raitt. Her old Warner Bros. rival Doris Day, however, was a bigger name and went on to play the role on film (Pique-nique en pyjama (1957)) with Raitt. After a six-year hiatus, Janis returned to films in tongue-and-cheek support, all but stealing La belle de Moscou (1957) from co-stars Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. She then grabbed her share of laughs in a flashy role with the comedy Ne mangez pas les marguerites (1960) opposite Ms. Day. Janis carried on in summer stock, playing such indomitable roles as Annie Oakley in "Annie Get Your Gun", Margo Channing in "Applause", Mama Rose in "Gypsy" and Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls". From the mid-'50s on, Janis also tapped into TV with such series as It's Always Jan (1955), Lanigan's Rabbi (1976) and Trapper John, M.D. (1979). In the 1990s, among other TV appearances, she had recurring roles on the daytime serials Hôpital central (1963) and Santa Barbara (1984). Married three times, she was the widow of Disney composer Ray Gilbert, who wrote the classic children's song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."- IMDb mini biography by: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
- SpousesRay Gilbert(August 30, 1962 - March 3, 1976) (his death)Arthur Stander(January 18, 1956 - June 4, 1957) (divorced)Frank Martinelli, Jr.(December 27, 1947 - May 24, 1951) (divorced)
- When the hit musical "The Pajama Game" was being transferred to film, co-stars Janis and John Raitt were told either might recreate their respective roles, but not both. The reason given was that neither were established movie stars at the time. Frank Sinatra was approached to do the film, which meant Janis would have co-starred, but he turned it down. Doris Day was offered the role and accepted, so Raitt was taken on board and Paige was out.
- During her Broadway run of "The Pajama Game" in the mid-'50s, she accidentally developed poison oak. Co-star John Raitt had been clearing land and came to the theater with a rash on his hands. Janis missed three weeks of performances and had to endure potassium baths which made her turn purple.
- Chose her first name in honor of Elsie Janis, beloved entertainer of troops during World War I; Paige was her maternal grandmother's name.
- Got her start working as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen, where she was discovered by a Warner Brothers talent scout. One of her first film roles was co-starring in the Warner Brothers film, Hollywood Canteen (1944), where she plays a Warner Brothers messenger girl working at the canteen.
- On April 1, 1968, she replaced Angela Lansbury as "Mame Dennis" in "Mame" on Broadway. She played the role for nearly two years, and garnered rave reviews.
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