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\n\tKen Page, the Broadway veteran who provided the voice of the ghastly villain Oogie Boogie in the Tim Burton-produced\u00a0The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em>, died Monday at his home in St. Louis, his reps said. He was 70.<\/p>\n \n\tIn his Broadway debut, Page stepped in as a replacement to play the Lion in the original 1975-79 production of\u00a0The Wiz<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe baritone also originated the role of Old Deuteronomy in 1982 in the original production of\u00a0Cats<\/em>; starred in the original 1978-82 Broadway production of Fats Waller\u2019s\u00a0Ain\u2019t Misbehavin\u2019<\/em>; and played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the 1976-77, all-Black revival of\u00a0Guys and Dolls<\/em>, a turn that earned him a Theatre World Award.<\/p>\n \n\tPage\u00a0was memorable as Oogie Boogie<\/a>, the bug-filled Boogeyman, in\u00a0The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em>\u00a0(1993), directed by Henry Selick.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a\u00a02022 interview<\/a>, he said producers were looking for \u201csomeone who was Cab Calloway-esque, Fats Waller-esque.\u201d He added that he saw the character as \u201csomewhere between the voice of the demon in\u00a0The Exorcist<\/em>\u00a0and the cowardly Lion in\u00a0The Wizard of Oz<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe later voiced Oogie Boogie in video games and at Disney theme-park attractions.<\/p>\n \n\tKenneth Page was born on Jan. 20, 1954, in in St. Louis, where he attended Bishop DuBourg High School. He then majored in theater at Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri.<\/p>\n \n\tHe played Joe \u201cCheesecake\u201d Tyson on the 1987-88 ABC series\u00a0Sable<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tHis r\u00e9sum\u00e9 also included the films\u00a0Torch Song Trilogy<\/em>\u00a0(1988),\u00a0All Dogs Go to Heaven<\/em>\u00a0(1989) \u2014 as the voice of King Gator \u2014\u00a0I\u2019ll Do Anything<\/em>\u00a0(1994) and\u00a0Dreamgirls<\/em>\u00a0(2006) and guest spots on such shows as\u00a0Charmed<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Touched by an Angel<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tMore recently, Page developed and starred in a cabaret show,\u00a0Page by Page<\/em>. He often appeared in plays at\u00a0The Muny<\/a>, a historic outdoor venue in St. Louis.<\/p>\n \n\tThis article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n