Actor

LaWanda Page

Before becoming the unforgettable Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son, LaWanda Page was known to nightclub audiences as "The Bronze Goddess of Fire." In the tradition of old circus sideshows, LaWanda would light cigarettes with her fingertips, swallow the fire and torch her body with the burning fire sticks. Her work on Sanford and Son was considerably less hazardous, and led her to a successful career as a character actress.