Ken Page (Jan 20, 1954-Sept 30, 2024) is an actor who was the understudy of the Cowardly Lion during the original run and National Tour of The Wiz.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and had been pursued by a teacher and his cousin to work in theater. He began his career at the outdoor theatre The Muny.
Afterwards he portrayed the role of legendary jazz singer Fats Waller in the musical Ain't Misbehavin which he reprised in 1982 for a television broadcast and again in 1988 for its revival. In 1982, he was the first actor to portray the role of Old Deuteronomy in Cats for the American tour, returning to the part in the 1998 video release. He also worked on other projects such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Aida and the voice of Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horrors.
In 1993, Ken Page starred in the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas, where he provided the voice for the Boogeyman. It became one of Page's most notable roles.
In 1997 he portrayed the Cowardly Lion once again for The Wizard of Oz in Madison Square Garden, where he played alongside Roseanne Barr and Eartha Kitt. Page starred in The Wizard of Oz once again in 2006 as the title character.
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