Kenneth Jennings (born October 10, 1947) is an American stage actor, most famous for his role as

Tobias Ragg Tobias Ragg (also spelled as Tobias Wragg and sometimes referred to as Toby) is a fictional character who appears in various adaptations of the story ''Sweeney Todd''. The character is an apprentice to the abusive barber Adolfo Pirelli, Pirelli u ...

in the 1979

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

premiere of

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...

's '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street''. Jennings received the 1979

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical for this role. He has also performed in several other shows, including ''

Urinetown ''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bur ...

'' in 2001. Jennings was born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. He attended

St. Peter's Preparatory School Saint Peter's Preparatory School (also known as Saint Peter's Prep or simply Prep) is an Private school, independent, College-preparatory school, preparatory, and Single-sex education, all-male day school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, Jers ...

and St. Peter's College, both Catholic schools located in his hometown of Jersey City. He performed the voice of Dinty Doyle in the 1981

Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

stop motion animated Christmas special ''The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold'', as well as Hunter #2 in the 1982 animated film ''

The Last Unicorn ''The Last Unicorn'' is a fantasy novel by American author Peter S. Beagle and published in 1968, by Viking Press in the U.S. and The Bodley Head in the U.K. It follows the tale of a unicorn, who believes she is the last of her kind in the ...

''.

NYC theatre credits

* 1975: '' All God's Chillun Got Wings'' – Shorty * 1979: ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' – Tobias Ragg * 1985: ''

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

'' – Ensemble * 1989: ''

Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...

'' – Georg Strunk * 1994: ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' – Lamplighter/Ghost of Christmas Past * 1997: ''

London Assurance ''London Assurance'' (originally entitled ''Out of Town'') is a five-act comedy co-authored by Dion Boucicault and John Brougham. While the play was collaboratively written by both playwrights, after the play's initial premiere Broughman, who o ...

'' – Mr. Adolphus Spanker * 1997: ''

Side Show A sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival or fair etc. Sideshow or Side Show may also refer to: Brands and computing * Windows SideShow, a Microsoft technology for Windows Vista * Sideshow Collectibles, a Ca ...

'' – The Boss * 2001: ''

'' – Old Man Strong/Hot Blades Harry * 2006: '' Mimi le Duck'' – The Gypsy

Other performances

* ''

Astuter Computer Revue CommuniCore was a pavilion dedicated to technological advance located at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, Florida. It occupied two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth (Disney), Spaceship Earth at the center of Future World (today Wo ...

'' at Epcot from October 1, 1982, to January 2, 1984

References

External links

* *
Sondheim.com: Side by Side with Ken Jennings
* * 1947 births Living people American male musical theatre actors American male stage actors Male actors from Jersey City, New Jersey Saint Peter's University alumni St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni Drama Desk Award winners {{US-stage-actor-stub