
A
comedienne turned actress who rose to fame as outspoken bible-thumper Aunt
Ester in Redd Foxx's hit sitcom Sanford and Son, LaWanda Page performed with
such other famous contemporaries as Richard Pryor and Rudy Ray Moore before
finding success on the small screen. A native of Cleveland who grew up in
St. Louis, Page first hit the stage as an exotic dancer and chorus girl
billed "the Bronze Goddess of Fire" (due to her penchant for playing with
fire on-stage) before fully realizing her talents as a standup comic.
Subsequently approached by Foxx to star in Sanford and Son, Page tickled
television viewers' funny bones with her memorable role as Foxx's
aggressively religious sister-in-law in the original series' spin-off The
Sanford Arms, and the 1980 revival Sanford. Throughout the 1980s and '90s,
Page crafted a feature-film career with minor roles in such comedies as
Zapped! (1982), My Blue Heaven (1990), Friday (1995), and Don't Be a Menace
to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). Always
retaining her fiery approach to comedy, Page also performed on-stage in
productions of The Inquest of Sam Cooke and Take It to the Lord...Or Else.
On September 14, 2002, LaWanda Page died from complications of diabetes in
Los Angeles, CA. She was 81. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide |