Michael Brandon

Not to be confused with Michael Brandon (pornographic actor).

Michael Brandon
Michael Brandon (above) in Red Alert, 1977
Born	Michael Feldman 1945 (age 78–79) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Education	American Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Lindsay Wagner ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 1979)​ Glynis Barber ​ ​ (m. 1989)​
Children	1
Website	michaelbrandon.net

Michael Brandon (born Michael Feldman; 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as James Dempsey in the British drama series Dempsey and Makepeace (1985–1986). His theatre credits include the original Broadway production of Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? (1969), and playing Jerry Springer in the West End production of Jerry Springer: The Opera (2003–2004).

Early life

Brandon was born Michael Feldman in Brooklyn, New York, to Miriam (née Tumen) and Sol Feldman. At age nine, he and his family (brother Elliot and sister Debra Lynne) moved to Valley Stream, New York where he attended Memorial Junior High and graduated from Valley Stream Central High School. Brandon then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his debut on Broadway before turning to cinema. He is of Jewish extraction.

Career

Brandon starred in the TV series Dempsey and Makepeace and Dinotopia, the movies Quattro mosche di velluto grigio (1971), F.M. (1978), A Vacation In Hell (1979) and A Change of Seasons (1980), and the plays Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? and Jerry Springer - The Opera. Since moving to the UK, Brandon has worked in TV on such shows as The Bill, Trial and Retribution, and Dead Man Weds. He also played the title role in the musical Jerry Springer: The Opera for over a year in the National Theatre and after its transfer into the West End. Brandon starred in Singin' in the Rain in the summer of 2012.

In 2004, he portrayed Nobel Prize winner Arno Penzias in the BBC TV movie Hawking about physicist Stephen Hawking's early career at the University of Cambridge and was the US narrator of Thomas & Friends from 2004 to 2012. In February 2008 he began his talk radio show on City Talk, a new local radio station in Liverpool. In 2008 he appeared in the Series 4 finale of the BBC's Doctor Who, as General Sanchez, a UNIT officer. Also in 2008 he appeared in the television series Bones, as Roger Frampton, an American millionaire.

In 2011, Brandon guest-starred in an episode of the BBC1 con drama Hustle as Marcus Wendell (series 7, episode 3). Also in 2011 he was seen in a supporting role in the film Captain America: The First Avenger as a politician who befriends the titular character. In September 2013 he appeared in the ITV dancing show Stepping Out with wife Glynis Barber. In 2017, he collaborated with producer/director Guy Masterson to create his autobiographical stand-up comedy, Off Ramps which hit at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Personal life

In the early 1970s Brandon was in a relationship with the actress Kim Novak. Brandon was previously married to actress Lindsay Wagner from 1976 to 1979. He has been married to actress Glynis Barber, with whom he co-starred in Dempsey & Makepeace, since 1989. They remain in the United Kingdom. Together they have a son, Alex.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	The Unicorn
1969	Goodbye Columbus	Dartmouth
1970	Lovers and Other Strangers	Mike
	Jennifer on My Mind	Marcus Rottner
1971	Four Flies on Grey Velvet	Robert Tobias
1973	Heavy Traffic	Street Cat (voice)
1978	FM	Jeff Dugan
1979	Promises in the Dark	Dr. Jim Sanderson
1980	A Change of Seasons	Pete Lachapelle
1981	Rich and Famous	Max (infamous mile-high scene)
1990	Have a Nice Night	Tom Lepski
	Want to Stay Alive?
	Présumé dangereux
	Try This One for Size
1997	The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson	Jeff Littman
	Deja Vu	Alex
2001	Contaminated Man	Wyles
	Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase	Skeleton Gladiator (voice)
2005	Are You Ready For Love?	Randy Bush
	Calling All Engines!	US Narrator (voice)	DVD movie
2006	The Detonator	Commander Flint
2009	Me and Orson Welles	Les Tremayne
	Hero of the Rails	US Narrator (voice)	DVD movie
	Toscanini in His Own Words	Wilfrid Pelletier
	The Last Days of Lehman Brothers	Jamie Dimon
2010	Misty Island Rescue	Diesel, Narrator (voices)	DVD movie
2011	Captain America: The First Avenger	Senator Brandt
	Day of the Diesels	Diesel, Narrator (voices)	DVD movie
2012	Blue Mountain Mystery
2014	Born of War	Harm Helder
2017	The Time of Their Lives	Harry Scheider

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Medical Center	Guest	2 episodes
	Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1971	The Impatient Heart by Alvin Sargeant	Frank Pescadero	Television film
1972	Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law	Pete Giannetta	Episode: "Journey Through Limbo"
	Love American Style	Leonard	1 episode
	Strangers in 7A	Billy	Television film
1973	Love Story	Gary Stone	Episode: "Love Came Laughing"
	The Third Girl From the Left	David	Television film
1974	Hitchhike!	Keith Miles	Television film
	The Red Badge of Courage	Jim Conklin	Television film
	Medical Center	Dr. Lensko, Andy Tobin	Episodes: "Thousands and Thousands of Miles", "Web of Intrigue"
1975	Police Surgeon	Brian Lewis	Episode: "Insight to Murder"
	Queen of the Stardust Ballroom	David Asher	Television film
	Cage Without a Key	Ben Holian	Television film
	Police Story	Mike Ripley	Episode: "A Community of Victims"
1976	James Dean	Bill Blast	Television film
	Scott Free	Tony Scott	Television film
1977	Red Alert	Carl Wyche	Television film
1978	The Comedy Company	Paul Lester	Television film
1979	A Vacation in Hell	Alan	Television film
1980	A Perfect Match	Steve Triandos	Television film
1982	Between Two Brothers	Lead	Television film
1983	Venice Medical	Dr. Pete Marcus	Television film
	St. Elsewhere	Tony Gifford	Episode: "AIDS & Comfort"
1983–84	Emerald Point N.A.S.	David Marquette	11 episodes
1984	The Seduction of Gina	Keith Sindell	Television film
1984–86	Dempsey and Makepeace	Lt. James Dempsey	30 episodes
1985	Deadly Messages	Michael Krasnick	Television film
1987	Dennis Potter’s Visitors	Eddie	Episode: "Visitors"
1988	Tales of the Unexpected	Stephen Baker	Episode: "The Finger of Suspicion"
	The Magical World of Disney	Jeff Robins	Episode "Rock and Roll Mom"
1989	Divided We Stand	Bryan Gibbs	Television film
1990	The Care of Time	Robert Halliday	Television film
1991	Dynasty: The Reunion	Arlen Marshall	2 episodes
1992	Home Fires	Ted Kramer	6 episodes
1994	Shattering the Silence	Ted Ricci	Episode: "Not in My Family"
1995	Murder, She Wrote	Alex Weaver	Episode: "Proof in the Pudding"
1996	Gone in a Night	David Protess	Television film
1997	Apocalypse Watch By Robert Ludlam	Ambassador Courtland	Television film
	The Knock	Principal	Mini-series
1998	Dark Realm	Guest Lead
	J.A.G.	D.A. Nardoni, Col.Hegstetter	2 episodes
	The Nanny	Stan	Episode: "The Nanny & the Hunk Producer"
	Ally McBeal	D.A. Dawson	Episode: "The Inmates"
1999	CI5: The New Professionals	Dr. Woods
	Jonathan Creek	Capt. Frank Candy	Episode: "The Omega Man"
	The Practice	D.A. Dawson	2 episodes
2001	The Division	Judge Stone	Episode: "Deal with the Devil"
2002	The Lost Battalion	General Alexander	Television film
	Dinotopia	Frank Scott	8 episodes
2003	Ed Stone is Dead	Dad	1 episode
2003–2012	Thomas & Friends	Narrator (Series 7-16), Diesel (Series 13-16), Mr. Bubbles (Series 13-16) (voices)	US dub; 239 episodes
2004	The Catherine Tate Show	The Botox Skit	1 episode
	Hawking	Arno Penzias	Television film
2005	Dead Man Weds	Chuck Newman	6 episodes
2006	Miss Marple The Sittaford Mystery	Martin Zimmerman	Episode: "The Sittaford Mystery"
	The Catherine Tate Show	The Botox Breasts	Season 2
	Trial and Retribution	Max Stanford/Profiler	Episode: "XI: Closure"
2007	Casualty	Mike Barnicott
	The Bill	Louis Dreyfuss	4 episodes
2008	Bewitched	Rex	1 episode
	Doctor Who	General Sanchez	Episode: "The Stolen Earth"
2009	After You've Gone	Bill Tucker	Episode: "There Will Be Pud"
	Bones	Roger Frampton	Episode: "The Yanks in the U.K.: Parts 1 and 2"
	New Tricks	Colonel Norton	Episode: "The Truth Is Out There"
2010	Shades of Love	Conrad	2 episodes
	Hustle	Marcus Wendell	Episode: "Clearance from a Deal"
2012	American Invitation	Narrator and Presenter
	Mr. Selfridge	FW Woolworth	1 episode
2012–17	Episodes	Elliot Salad	8 episodes
2013	Stepping Out	Self, with Glynis Barber
	Death in Paradise	Joel Maurice	Episode: "A Deadly Curse"
2014	Blandings	Grumman	Episode: "Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best"
2015	Galavant	Sid's Dad	Episode: "Two Balls"
2016–2018	Tracey Ullman's Show	Hal	4 episodes
2017	Tracey Breaks the News	Rich	1 episode
2017	Loaded	Leslie 'The Emperor'	3 episodes
2018	Trust	Walter Annenberg	Episode: "White Car in a Snowstorm"
2019	Urban Myths	Robert Calgary	Episode: "The Trial of Joan Collins"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Star Wars: Battlefront II	Additional voices

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1967	Under the Yum Yum Tree	Lead	Barn Dinner Theater
1968	The Rainmaker	Jim Curry	Barn Dinner Theater
1969	Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?	Prince	Belasco Theater, Broadway
1979	Lady and the Clarinet	Jack	Long Wharf Theatre
1992	The Writing Game	Leo Rafkin	Manhattan Theater
1999	Speed the Plow	Cox	The Royal Lincoln
2000	The Adjustment	Matt	Guildford's YvonneArnaud Theatre, National tour
2003–2004	Jerry Springer: The Opera	Jerry Springer	National Theatre / Cambridge, West End
2007	On The Waterfront	Charlie	Hackney Empire Theatre
2010	Wet Weather Cover	Brad	Kings Head / Arts Theatre, West End
2011–2012	Singing in the Rain	R.F. Simpson	Palace Theatre, London
2014	The Long Road South	Jake Price	Hope Theatre, London
2016	Off The Kings Road	—	Jermyn Street Theatre, London
2016	Carry On Chilcot	—	Duke of Wales, London
2017	All My Sons	—	Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong
2017	Off Ramps - A Stand-Up Story	—	Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Fringe
2018	Local Hero	Mark Knopfler	Workshop, Mark Knopfler
2019	Other People's Money	—	Southwark, Part of Jorgy Jorgensen
2019	Roman Holiday	—	Shanghai Theatre Festival
2019	White Christmas	—	Dominion Theatre, West End

External links

• Michael Brandon at IMDb
• Michael Brandon at AllMovie