Ken Page
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Ken Page | |
|---|---|
St. Louis, Missouri , U.S. | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Labels | LML Music |
Ken Page (born January 20, 1954) is an American actor and singer. Page created the role of "Ken" in the original
Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas franchise. He also was in the original Broadway production of The Wiz as The Lion and the first Broadway revival of Guys and Dolls
as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.
Early life
Kenneth Page was born and raised in
St. Louis, Missouri. He was raised Catholic by his mother, Gloria and his step-father, Garvin Gilstrap. He attended St. Bridget of Erin and St. Nicholas elementary schools. While attending St. Nicholas, he was inspired by a teacher and an older cousin to pursue theater. He subsequently graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School in 1972. From there he attended Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri on a full scholarship and majored in theater.[1]
Career
Page began his career in the chorus of
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 films and specials.
In later years, Page has developed and performed his cabaret-singer show, Page by Page, and directed various regional and touring productions. Page was the voice of the notorious talking plant Audrey II in the Muny's production of Little Shop of Horrors. He also reprised the role of Old Deuteronomy in the Lubbock Moonlight Musicals production of Cats in Lubbock, TX.[2]
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), the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (at Magic Kingdom) and subsequent video games including The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge and the Kingdom Hearts series.
Personal life
In a 2015 interview with St. Louis Magazine, Page said that he identifies as gay.[3]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Torch Song Trilogy | Murray | |
| 1989 | All Dogs Go to Heaven | King Gator | Voice |
| 1993 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | Oogie Boogie | |
| 1994 | I'll Do Anything | Hair Person | |
| 1998 | Cats | Old Deuteronomy | Direct-to-video |
| 2003 | Shortcut to Happiness | Clerk | |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | Max Washington |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Gimme a Break! | Kenneth Wilson | Episode: "Class of '84" |
| 1987–1988 | Sable | Joe "Cheesecake" Tyson | 6 episodes |
| 1989 | Polly
|
Mayor Warren | Television film |
| Teen Angel Returns | Chubby | ||
| 1990 | Family Matters | Darnell Watkins | Episode: "The Big Reunion" |
| Capital News | Episode: "Finished? Not Dunne" | ||
Polly: Comin' Home!
|
Mayor Warren | Television film | |
| 1993–1994 | Adventures in Wonderland | The Walrus | 7 episodes |
| 1994 | Duckman | Additional Voices | Episode: "American Dicks" |
| South Central | Dr. Raymond McHenry | 3 episodes | |
| 1995 | Touched by an Angel | Ox | Episode: "There But for the Grace of God" |
| 1998–2005 | Great Performances | Old Deuteronomy | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Welcome to New York | Chef Andre | Episode: "Tickets" |
| 2005 | All Grown Up! | Narrator, Man | Voice, episode: "Blind Man's Bluff" |
| 2007 | State of Mind | Florian |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Kingdom Hearts | Oogie Boogie | |
| 2004 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge | ||
| 2005 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King | ||
| 2006 | Kingdom Hearts II | ||
| 2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+
|
||
| 2013 | Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix | Archive footage | |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix |
Theatre
Broadway
- 1975: The Wiz as The 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 Bluesas Performer
Off Broadway
- 1981: Louis as Joe "King" Oliver
- 1995: Call Me Madam as Senator Gallagher
- 1995: Out of this World as Jupiter
- 1998: The Cowardly Lion
- 2002: The Pajama Game as Mr. Hassler
Regional
- 1981: Damn Yankees as Van Buren (with Dick Van Dyke and Don Most)
- 2003: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical as Old Max
- 2004: Breakfast at Tiffany's as Joe Bell
- 2006: Aida as Amonasro
- 2011: Grumpy Old Men: The Musical as Chuck
- 2014: Cats as Old Deuteronomy
- 2019: Grumpy Old Men: The Musical as Chuck
The Muny-St. Louis
- 1973: South Pacific as Stewpot
- 1973: Fiddler on the Roof as Chaim / Fruma Sarah (legs)
- 1974: Bitter Sweet as Ensemble
- 1994: Ain't Misbehavin' as Ken
- 1995: Camelot as King Pellinore
- 1996: Sleeping Beauty as the voice of Wendell
- 1997: Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
- 1998: Radio City Rockettes MUNY Spectacular as 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 of Oz
- 2006: Oliver! as Mr. Bumble
- 2006: Aida as Amonasro
- 2007: Monsieur Thénardier
- 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: King Triton
- 2011: Little Shop of Horrors as the voice of Audrey II
- 2012: Dreamgirls as Marty
- 2012: Aladdin as Sultan
- 2013: West Side Story as Doc
- 2014: Tarzan as Porter
- 2015: Into the Woods as The Narrator
- 2016: Aida as Amonasro
- 2018: Meet Me in St. Louis as Grandpa Prophater
- 2019: Guys and Dolls as Arvide Abernathy
- 2023: West Side Story as Doc
- 2024: Les Misérables as The Bishop of Digne
Hollywood Bowl
- 2009: Guys and Dolls in Concert as Nicely-Nicely Johnson
- 2018: Oogie Boogie
- 2019: Sebastian
Other
- 1979: Ain't Misbehavin' as Performer 4 (US Tour)
- 1991: West End)
- 1995: Anyone Can Whistle as Police Chief Magruder (Carnegie Hall)
- 1997: Madison Square Garden)
- 2021: Oogie Boogie (BMO Stadium)
- 2022: Oogie Boogie (Wembley Arena)
Discography
Singles
- Page by Page (2008)[4]
Soundtrack
| Year | Artist / Writer | Song | Role | Film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Charles Strouse & T.J. Kuenster | "Let's Make Music Together" | King Gator | All Dogs Go to Heaven |
| 1993 | Danny Elfman | "Oogie Boogie's Song" | Oogie Boogie | The Nightmare Before Christmas |
| 1997 | Charles Strouse & T.J. Kuenster | "Let's Make Music Together" | King Gator | MGM Sing-Alongs: Being Happy |
| 1998 | T.S. Eliot |
"Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" "Old Deuteronomy" "The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" "The Jellicle Ball" "The Moments of Happiness" "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" "The Ad-dressing of Cats" |
Old Deuteronomy | Cats |
| 2004 | Danny Elfman | "Oogie's Song" "Casino Clash" "A Filthy Finale" |
Oogie Boogie | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Play | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Theatre World Award | Best Actor | Ain't Misbehavin | Won |
| 1978 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Guys and Dolls | Won |
References
- ^ Ken Page Biography. The History Makers. April 4, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2019
- ^ Kerns, William (15 October 2014). "Moonlight Musicals' production of 'Cats' using more professionals". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Cooperman, Jeannette (12 September 2012). "Kenny Cool: Broadway Actor Ken Page Talks About Joy, Celebrity, and Coming Home Again". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Page by Page - Ken Page | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ken Page.
- Ken Page at IMDb
- Ken Page at the Internet Broadway Database
- Ken Page at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
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