愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Ken Page, who starred in 'Cats' on Broadway and voiced Oogie Boogie, dies at 70

Ken Page appears at Wizard World in Chicago on Aug. 25, 2019. Page, a stage and screen actor who starred alongside Beyonc茅 in 鈥淒reamgirls,鈥 and introduced Broadway audiences to Old Deuteronomy in 鈥淐ats鈥 has died. He was 70. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)
Ken Page appears at Wizard World in Chicago on Aug. 25, 2019. Page, a stage and screen actor who starred alongside Beyonc茅 in 鈥淒reamgirls,鈥 and introduced Broadway audiences to Old Deuteronomy in 鈥淐ats鈥 has died. He was 70. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP, File)
Share
NEW YORK -

Ken Page, a stage and screen actor who starred alongside Beyonce in "Dreamgirls," introduced Broadway audiences to Old Deuteronomy in "Cats" and scared generations of kids as the voice of Oogie Boogie, the villain of the 1993 animated holiday film "The Nightmare Before Christmas," has died. He was 70.

Talent agent Todd M. Eskin of ATB Talent Agency announced the death Tuesday to The Associated Press, but no details were immediately available.

"He was simply one of the best, most generous souls I know. Full of life and overflowing with joy. Talented and then some. Ken, my friend, you will be deeply missed," writer-producer Tim Burton wrote on X.

Page made his Broadway debut in "The Wiz," playing the Cowardly Lion, and went on to portray Nicely-Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls" with Robert Guillaume. He also was featured in the original cast of the Fats Waller musical Ain't Misbehavin,'" winning a Drama Desk Award, and was aboard when it returned to Broadway in 1988.

Page originated the role of wise Old Deuteronomy when "Cats" landed on Broadway in 1982 and went on to a then-record run, singing "Old Deuteronomy," "The Moments of Happiness" and "The Ad-Dressing of Cats."

Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in "Cats" and reprised the role in the 1998 "Cats" film version, paid tribute to her co-star on X, saying Page "has gone to the heaviside layer" and adding, "He was a lovely, kind, talented man."

In 2010, Page revisited the Old Deuteronomy at the Muny -- the Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis -- and the critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said: "Page, a looming gentle presence, fills the role of the feline spirit guide to the hilt," adding, "Maybe nobody's going to bow to a kitty while intoning `OH CAT,' but Page can make you at least consider it."

Page would perhaps make his deepest impact as the voice of Oogie Boogie, the burlap sack with hundreds of bugs crawling inside of him, in Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas.螕脟鈹 It was his character's hope to become the Seven Holidays King by kidnapping the Holiday Leaders for the other holidays. ""It's hopeless/you're finished/You haven't got a prayer/'Cause I'm Mr. Oogie Boogie/And you ain't going nowhere," he sang to Santa.

He would go on to reprise the Oogie Boogie role, including in video games and at the movie's 30th anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2023. He also voiced King Gator in Disney's 1989 animated film "All Dogs Go to Heaven."

His other movie credits include 1988's "Torch Song Trilogy," in which he played the witty drag queen Murray, and 2006's "Dreamgirls," in which he played Max Washington. His TV credits include "Family Matters," "Touched by an Angel" and "Charmed."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A former Alberta teacher has been sentenced to four years for sexually abusing a student.

Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.

Here's a look at Musk's contact with Putin and why it matters

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of major government contractor SpaceX and a key ally of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the last two years, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A B.C. nurse has been suspended for one week for diverting narcotics from their workplace and using them personally, according to the regulatory body for the profession.

Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect after a woman's dorm room was broken into at the U of M and she was assaulted.

Local Spotlight

A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.