What is LaWanda Page?
{{Infobox comedian | name = LaWanda Page | image = LaWanda Page 1977.jpg | imagesize = | caption = LaWanda Page in 1977 | birth_name = Alberta Peal | birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|10|19}} | birth_place = [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], [[United States]] | death_date = {{death date and age|2002|9|14|1920|10|19}} | death_place = [[Hollywood]], [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], United States | nationality = [[United States|American]] | active = }} '''LaWanda Page''' (October 19, 1920{{spaced ndash}}September 14, 2002), born '''Alberta Peal''', was an [[Americans|American]] actress and [[comedienne]] best known for her role as [[Esther Anderson (fictional character)|Aunt Esther]] in the 1970s TV [[sitcom]] ''[[Sanford and Son]]''. She later reprised the role in ''[[Sanford Arms]]'' and ''[[Sanford (TV series)|Sanford]]''.<ref name=obit/> ==Early life and career== She was born on October 19, 1920 in [[Cleveland, Ohio]].LaWanda Page and [[Redd Foxx]] were very close friends from the time they were pre-teens. They attended school and grew up together in St. Louis. Later on, they both entered the field of comedy separately and performed stage acts. Page later recorded several live comedy albums for the [[Laff Records]] label in the late 1960s and early 1970s under the LaWanda stage name. One release, a [[gold album|gold-selling]] album called ''[[Watch It, Sucker!]]'', was titled after one of her Aunt Esther character's [[catchphrase]]s to capitalize on her newfound TV fame. During her tenure as a stand-up comic, which lasted all the way to the 1990s, she was often called ''The Queen of Comedy'', or ''The Black Queen of Comedy''. Other than the expletive-free ''Sane Advice'' album, released two years after the run of ''[[Sanford and Son]]'', most of Page's albums and stand-up material were raunchy in nature. ===Other film and television appearances=== In 1977 Page appeared in an episode of ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[Martin (TV series)|Martin]],'' ''[[227 (TV series)|227]],'' ''[[Family Matters]],