Biography
Ken Page was an American actor and singer. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he trained in theatre at Fontbonne College and began his career in the chorus of the St. Louis Municipal Opera before moving to New York.
He made his Broadway debut as a replacement in the role of the Cowardly Lion in The Wiz (1975). He originated the role of Ken in the original production of Ain't Misbehavin' (1978), for which he received a Drama Desk Award, and played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls (1976), winning a Theatre World Award. Page originated the part of Old Deuteronomy in the original Broadway production of Cats (1982) and reprised the role in the 1998 filmed version.
On screen, Page appeared in Torch Song Trilogy (1988) as Murray and Dreamgirls (2006) as Max Washington. He provided the voice of Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and related projects, and voiced King Gator in All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989). Page died in St. Louis on 30 September 2024.
