Michael Crawford

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Michael Crawford as the Phantom of the Opera, wearing the now famous half-mask, in the 1986 musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

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A young Michael Crawford

Michael Patrick Dumbell-Smith, better known by his acting name of Michael Crawford (born January 19, 1942 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England), is one of Britain's leading actors, also appearing in the "100 Greatest Britons" (2002) poll sponsored by the BBC. Incidentally the Crawford name was picked up by Michael from seeing a passing Crawford's biscuit lorry.

Although he most often appears on stage, in musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, he first became a household name and famous to millions for his role as the hapless Frank Spencer in the British 1970s television sitcom, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, for which he performed most of his own stunts, which became one of the BBC's most successful series of all time.

He married Gabrielle Lewis in 1965 and divorced in 1975 and has two daughters by her. He also has another daughter from a former girlfriend. He is currently single.

Biography

An illegitimate child, Crawford was raised by his mother Doris and his grandparents Monty and Edith Kathleen O'Keefe until his mother remarried a man named Den Ingram.

He began his acting career as a seven-year-old, appearing in the première of Benjamin Britten's work for children, Let's Make an Opera, and by 1969 was playing leading roles in films such as Hello, Dolly (1969), but more often appears on stage, having starred in West End productions such as Billy (based on the novel, Billy Liar) (1974), Barnum (1981) (one of the longest runs by a leading man) and, most notably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986), for which he won an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical), a Tony Award (Best Performance By An Actor In a Lead Role, Musical), a N.Y's Drama Desk Award, and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theatre (Lead Performance).

He also performed "Music of the Night" at the Inaugural Gala for President George Bush in Washington, DC, on January 19, 1989. At the gala, Michael was presented with a birthday cake.

In 1995, Crawford created the high-profile starring role in EFX, the $40 million production which officially opened MGM's 1700-seat Grand Theatre in Las Vegas. The Atlantic Theater label released the companion album to EFX, which was hailed as among the most spectacular and ambitious shows ever produced on the American Stage. He starred in Dance of the Vampires on Broadway during late 2002 and early 2003 and appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Woman in White which opened at the Palace Theatre, London, in September 2004. However, he was forced to leave the show in December 2004 due to ill health.

Crawford is currently (as of May 1, 2005) planning autumn concerts, two of which are opening the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona, and the Ferguson Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Selected Filmography

• Once Upon a Forest (1993) (voice) .... Cornelius
• Barnum (1986) ...................................... P.T. Barnum
• Condorman (1981) ................................. Woody Wilkins
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) ........... White Rabbit
• The Games (1970) ............ Harry Hayes
• How I Won the War (1967) .... Goodbody
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) ..... Hero
• The War Lover (1962) ........................ Sgt. Junior Sailen

External links

• Michael Crawford International Fan Association