Jan Miner

Janice Miner October 15 1917 February 15 2004 was an American actress best known as the character Madge the manicurist in Palmolive dishwashing detergent television commercials from the 1960s to the 1990s Janice Miner was the daughter of a dentist and a painter and had three brothers Sheldon Donald and Lyndsey She studied at the Vesper George School of Art in her native Boston then studied acting under Lee Strasberg and others She made her stage debut in 1945 in a Boston production of Elmer Rices Street Scene Miner then became established on radio and worked through the 1950s in several series simultaneously Among other roles she was one of three actresses who played secretary Della Street on Perry Mason and one of five to play girlfriend Ann Williams on Casey Crime Photographer She also appeared as Mary Wesley on Boston Blackie Miner played featured roles in the anthology series Radio City Playhouse in Soundless Portrait of Lenore and other episodes Her appearance in the premiere broadcast of the series created a minor sensation in the play Long Distance the episode proved so popular that she repeated her performance later in the season From circa 1948 through some time before the series ended in 1957 Miner starred as Julie Erickson head of the titular orphanage in the soap opera Hilltop House during most of the shows revival beginning in 1948 The series was sponsored by the ColgatePalmolive Company for which she later appeared in a famous longrunning series of television commercials