‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Star Ken Page Has Passed Away at 70
Ken Page, a veteran actor of both the stage and screen, has passed away at the age of 70.
Born January 20, 1954, in St. Louis, Missouri, Page was inspired to pursue a career in theater at an early age. Eventually, he attended Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri, on a full scholarship.
After a brief stint in St. Louis, Page set out for Broadway, where he debuted as The Lion in The Wiz. He then portrayed Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls before originating the role of Fats Waller in Ain’t Misbehavin.
(L-R) Actors Ken Page and also Andre De Shields in a scene from the Broadway production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”. Photo: New York Public Library.
He would later gain recognition for his performance as Old Deuteronomy in Andrew Llyod Webber’s Cats.
Outside of the theater, Page had memorable roles in Dreamgirls, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and the Torch Song Trilogy.
Voicing Oogie Boogie
While Page was an accomplished stage actor, he is perhaps best remembered by some for providing the voice of Oogie Boogie in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Photo: Radio Times
Page’s booming baritone voice would become synonymous with Oogie Boogie, helping make the sinister bogeyman one of Disney’s most iconic villains.
Interestingly, when Page first read for Oogie Boogie, he thought he was being brought in to simply sing a song.
“I went up to San Francisco to sing for them. Not actually thinking that I was going to do the speaking role. I thought they just wanted somebody to sing a song,” Page told CT Insider. “They asked me about the character and what did I think. I had seen some of the storyboards. I said, ‘To me, maybe it’s a cross between Burt Lahr from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ Cab Calloway and the voice of the demon in the ‘Exorcist.’”
Photo: Disney
The actor would later reprise his role as Oogie Boogie in several productions, including HalloWises and the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular at Magic Kingdom, Halloween Screams and the Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland, and the Kingdom Hearts video game series.
“My Heart is Broken”
Page’s friend Dorian Hannaway broke the news of the actor’s passing. Taking to Facebook, she wrote, “Ken Page has passed onto the next show. My heart is broken.”
Ken Page. Photo: Broadway World
