Ken Page

Ken Page
Ken Page in 2008
Born	(1954-01-20) January 20, 1954 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Bishop DuBourg High School
Alma mater	Fontbonne College
Occupation	Actor, voice actor, cabaret singer
Years active	1975–present

Ken Page (born January 20, 1954) is an American cabaret singer, actor and voice actor from St. Louis, Missouri. Page is best known as the voice of "Oogie Boogie", the main antagonist of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, creating the eponymous role of "Ken" in the original Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin' and playing the role of "Old Deuteronomy" in both the original Broadway and filmed stage productions of Cats, the Musical.

Early life

Page was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Bishop DuBourg High School and Fontbonne College.

Career

Ken Page began his career in the chorus of The Muny outdoor theater in St. Louis. After making his Broadway debut in The Wiz, Page played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-black revival of Guys and Dolls (Theatre World Award). He was then featured in the original cast of the Fats Waller musical revue, Ain't Misbehavin' (Drama Desk Award), a role he reprised in the 1982 television broadcast. (Page returned to the show in its 1988 Broadway revival.) In 1982, he played Old Deuteronomy in Cats, returning to the part in the 1998 video release. He also has the distinction of playing God twice: in Randy Newman's Faust at La Jolla Playhouse and Goodman Theatre and in Stephen Schwartz's Children of Eden (West End). Page frequently acts in shows at The Muny, with recent appearances including Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida, The Wizard of Oz, Les Misérables, My One and Only, and Little Shop of Horrors.

Besides The Nightmare Before Christmas, Page's major film credits include All Dogs Go to Heaven and Torch Song Trilogy, as well as Dreamgirls. His TV credits include guest roles on shows such as Charmed and Touched by an Angel, as well as various movies and specials.

In recent years, Page has developed and performed his cabaret-singer show, Page by Page, and directed various regional and touring productions. Page's most recent role was the voice of the notorious talking plant Audrey II in the Muny's production of Little Shop of Horrors.

He regularly reprises his role as Oogie Boogie in several other Disney productions such as the fireworks display HalloWishes at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, its sister show, Halloween Screams at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion Holiday (also at Disneyland) and subsequent video games including The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge and the Kingdom Hearts series.

He is currently reprising the role of "Old Deuteronomy" in the Moonlight Theater production of Cats in Lubbock, TX.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Theatre

Broadway

• 1975: The Wiz as Lion
• 1976: Guys and Dolls as Nicely-Nicely Johnson
• 1978: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken
• 1982: Cats as Old Deuteronomy
• 1988: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken
• 1999: It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues as Performer

Off Broadway

• 1981: Louis as Joe "King" Olivor
• 1995: Call Me Madam as Senator Gallagher
• 1995: Out of this World as Jupiter
• 1998: The Wizard of Oz as Cowardly Lion
• 2002: The Pajama Game as Mr. Hassler

Regional

• 2003: How the Grinch Stole Christmas as Old Max
• 2004: Breakfast at Tiffany's as Joe Bell
• 2006: Aida as Amonasro:
• 2014: "Cats" as Old Deuteronomy"

The Muny-St. Louis

• 1994: "Ain't Missbehavin'" as Ken
• 1995: "Camelot" as King Pellinore
• 1996: "Sleeping Beauty" voice of Wendell
• 1997: "The Wizard of OZ" as Zeke/Lion
• 1998: "Radio City Rockettes Muny Spectacular" Ensemble
• 1998: "Damn Yankees" as Mgr. Van Buren
• 1999: "Grease" as Teen Angel
• 2001: "My Fair Lady" as Colonel Pickering
• 2002: "The Fantasticks" as Bellomy
• 2004: "Cats" as Old Deuteronomy
• 2004: "Breakfast At Tiffany's" as Joe
• 2005: "Jesus Christ Superstar" as King Herod
• 2005: "Beauty and the Beast" as Maurice/Narrator
• 2006: "The Wizard of OZ" as Professor Marvel/The Wizard
• 2006: "Oliver!" as Mr. Bumble
• 2006: "Aida" as Amonasro
• 2007: "Les Miserables" as Thenardier
• 2008: "My One and Only" as Rt. Rev. J.D. Montgomery
• 2008: "90 Years of Muny Magic" as principal
• 2010: "Cats" as Old Deuteronomy
• 2010: "Beauty and the Beast" as Maurice/Narrator
• 2011: "The Little Mermaid" as King Triton
• 2011: "Little Shop of Horrors" voice of Audrey II
• 2012: "Dreamgirls" as Marty
• 2012: "Aladdin" as Sultan
• 2013: "West Side Story" as Doc
• 2014: "Tarzan the Musical" as Porter
• 2015: "Into The Woods" as Narrator

Other

• 1979: Ain't Misbehavin' as Performer 4 (US Tour)
• 1991: Children of Eden as Father/God (West End)

Soundtrack

Awards and nominations

External links

• Ken Page at the Internet Movie Database
• Ken Page at the Internet Broadway Database
• Ken Page at the Internet Off-Broadway Database