(RepublicanDaily.org) – Janis Paige, the veteran actress who was a mainstay in many Hollywood films and Broadway productions from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, passed away at her West Hollywood home at the age of 101.
Her passing was confirmed by a longtime friend, Stuart Lampert. He also said that Paige was receiving hospice care, but he did not say give any other details on her condition prior to hear death, which was attributed to natural causes.
Paige was discovered in the 1940’s during an impromptu performance at the Hollywood Canteen, after a chance opportunity where she was asked to fill in for a singer who did not show up. Paige was only a waitress at that time, but her performance, which was seen by an assistant of then-Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) chief Louis B. Mayer, the studio to add her to its roster of talents the very next day. It was also then when she adopted her stage name – changing her birth name of Donna Mae Tjaden.
She soon became a sought-after actress due to her fearlessness, her red hair, and fiery but funny personality, traits that translated well to the big screen. Some of her most memorable roles was her starring role in “The Pajama Game,” a Tony-award-winning musical in 1954, as well as the 1957 hit Hollywood musical film “Silk Stockings,” where she starred with the legendary Fred Astaire.
Speaking on her experience in Silk Stockings in a 2016 interview, Paige said that her lack of classical dance experience saw her frequently bruised and battered.
“I didn’t know how to fall,” she said. “I didn’t know h,ow to save myself… Those are the tips you learn when you learn how to dance.”
That didn’t stop her, however, from executing whatever routine Astaire came up with, whom she said was both intimidating and extremely talented.
“I wouldn’t dare say no to Fred Astaire,” she recounted.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanDaily.org
