Michael Crawford

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Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), better known by the stage name Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian, and voice artist. During his career, he has received international recognition and numerous awards, including many film and television appearances as well as stagework on both London's West End and New York City's Broadway.

He is best known for his role in Some Mothers Do 'Em,' which made him a household name in the 1970s, as well as his role in The Phantom of the Opera.

His success in the latter musical drama earned him both the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

He has worked as the chairman of the Sick Children's Trust, as well as as a public spokesperson for the British social cause group since 1987.

Early life and education

Crawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her two children, Montague Pike, and his wife, Edith (née O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Roman Catholic family." His maternal grandmother was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and lived to be 99 years old. Arthur Dumbell "Smudge" Smith, his mother's first husband, was killed during the Battle of Britain on September 6, 1940, less than a year after they married. Crawford was born sixteen months after Smith's death, as a result of a brief marriage and given his mother's surname, which was the name of her first husband.

Crawford divided his time between the army camp in Wiltshire, where he and his mother spent during the war, and the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Crawford's mother had grown up in the isle, and he would later live with his mother and maternal grandparents. He attended St Michael's, a Catholic school in Bexleyheath, which was run by nuns who later said that corporal punishment was not lacking. His mother remarried, this time to Lionel Dennis "Den" Ingram, a grocer, at the end of the Second World War. Crawford and his family migrated to London, where Crawford attended Oakfield Preparatory School, Dulwich, where he was identified as Michael Ingram. Crawford said that his mother's second marriage was hostile.

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Acting career

Crawford made his first stage appearance in the role of Sammy the Little Sweep in Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera, directed by Donald Mitchell, which was then moved to Brixton Town Hall in London. Crawford auditioned unsuccessfully for Miles in Britten's The Turn of the Screw, the part being given to another boy soprano, David Hemmings; but, it appears that his audition was sufficient to please Britten, as he hired him to play Sammy in another production of Let's Make an Opera, this time at the Scala Theatre in London. He was also involved in the recording of the opera (as Michael Ingram, singing the role of Gay Brook) during the same year as the composer's.

He was recruited by the English Opera Group in 1958 to direct Jaffet in another Britten opera, Noye's Fludde, based on Noah and the Great Flood's tale. Crawford remembers that it was when he was doing this role that he realized he wished to be an actor. It was in between performances of Let's Make an Opera and Noye's Fludde that he was advised to change his name "to avoid confusion with a television newsman named Michael Ingram[s] who was registered with British Equity.

He went on to perform in a variety of styles. He appeared in André Birabeau's French comedy Head of the Family, Come Blow Your Horn, Bernard Kops' Change for the Angel, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, and Twelfth Night, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, The Move After Checkmate, and others. Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School, Emergency - Ward 10, Probation Officer, and Two Living, One Dead were among his BBC radio broadcasts and early BBC soap-operas at the same time. In the television series Sir Francis Drake, a 26-part adventure series starring Terence Morgan and Jean Kent, he appeared as the cabin boy John Drake. Blow Your Own Trumpet and Soapbox Derby were two children's films starring Robert Gordon in 1958, and the Children's Film Foundation in the United Kingdom made his film debut in 1958.

Michael Crawford appeared in "The Villa" on One Step Beyond in 1961, in which he played a character experimenting with strobe lights. Crawford appears in the only surviving episode of the 1960 British crime film Police Surgeon starring Ian Hendry. The Avengers' much-known The Avengers will appear in this series.

He was supposed to appear in The War Lover (1962), which starred Steve McQueen, at age nineteen. He'll spend hours listening to Woody Woodbury, a well-known American comedian of the time, to learn how to perform an American accent. Crawford briefly returned to the stage after appearing in the 1963 British film Two Left Feet as the Mod-style, hard-talking, motorbike-riding Byron. It was this character that attracted film director Richard Lester to cast Colin in The Knack...and How to Get It in 1965. The film was a huge success in the United Kingdom.

Lester appeared in the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and How I Won the War (during which he lived in London with Lennon and his first wife Cynthia and Gabrielle Lewis), as well as Jeff Lennon and John Lennon. Crawford appeared in The Jokers (directed by Michael Winner) with Oliver Reed in 1967.

In 1967, he appeared in Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy (making her debut as well), in which he demonstrated his talent and daring for extreme physical comedy, including walking into walls and falling down staircases. Gene Kelly spotted him while on the show and was invited to Hollywood to audition for a role in the musical Hello, Dolly! With Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau, he was cast and shared top billing. Despite making it one of 1969's best-grossing films, the studio was unable to recover its $25 million investment at the box office. It went on to win three Academy Awards (including Best Picture), and is now considered one of the best musical films ever.

His later films fared poorly, although Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which he appeared in the White Rabbit, enjoyed modest success in the United Kingdom. After doing well in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and with offers of work greatly reduced and a large portion of his pay from Hello, Dolly, we've been very happy. Crawford was unemployed for a brief period of time (owing to underhanded spending by his agent) and took on a job as an office clerk in an electric company. His marriage fell apart during the difficult period, and divorce followed in 1975.

Crawford's acting career flourished after he appeared in the farce No Sex Please, We're British, in which he appeared in the role of frantic chief cashier Brian Runnicles. His appearance earned him an invitation to star in a BBC television comedy series about a boylike and haphazard man who causes disaster everywhere he goes. Crawford was not the first choice for the role of Frank Spencer in Some Mothers.' Originally, Ronnie Barker had been given the role but Crawford was challenged after he and Norman Wisdom had turned it down, adopting a similar appearance as when playing Brian Runnicles. Michele Dotrice played Betty, Frank's long-suffering wife, when she appeared on the series in 1973.

Some Mothers Do 'Em soon became one of the BBC's most popular television series.' Initially, only two series were produced, from 1973 to 1975, although the show's designers felt that it should be phased out when at its peak. There was a brief halt before high demand brought it back for a final film in 1978. It was likely due to the large number of physical comedy involved in the sitcom. Crawford said he had always been a fan of comedians like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Laurel and Hardy, as well as the wonderful sight gags employed in silent film, and that Seeing Some Mothers was the perfect opportunity to use such humour himself. During the show's run, he did all of his own stunts, but never used a double.

Crawford, who was living in Some Mothers Do 'Em, was invited to appear in the musical Billy, which was based on the book Billy Liar), which opened in 1974 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. This was his first leading man appearance on the West End of his career, establishing his career as both a performer and showman. Crawford began taking both song and dance seriously, and in preparation for the position, studying singing under vocal coach Ian Adam's tutelage and spending hours perfecting his dancing skills with choreographer Onna White was demanding.

Billy gave the many followers of Crawford's portrayal of Frank Spencer the opportunity to see him in a broadly similar role on stage, and he was a big hit (904 West End performances). Crawford continued to act in plays and musicals after the closing of Some Mothers Do 'Em,' and with the role of Charley Gordon, based on the same book. As the slovenly, uncouth Dave Finn, he sought another role on a short-lived ITV sitcom called Chalk and Cheese. Crawford's portrayal of Frank Spencer and the similar Billy Fisher character left him somewhat stereotyped, to the extent that they were unwilling to accept his new role as Dave Finn. Crawford left the show during the first season and returned to theatre work.

Crawford appeared in the 1981 Disney comedy/adventure film Condorman, playing an eccentric American comic book writer and illustrator named Woody Wilkins, who is asked by his CIA colleague to support a Russian woman to defect while still believing in the possibility of bringing his comic book creation, Condorman, to life. Critics also panned the film. Critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert presented the film on their television show highlighting the fact that some of the year's worst films, including the visible harness and cable used to suspend Condorman in the air and the striking blue screen effect, as well as the obvious blue screen effect. The film did not do well at the box office, but Disney fans aspired to a cult following years later.

Crawford appeared in the original London production of Cy Coleman's Barnum (1981) as the illustrious American showman P.T. Barnum is a narrator. He studied at the Big Apple Circus School in New York City to prepare for the exciting stunts, including learning to walk the tightrope, juggle, and slide a rope from the theatre's rafters. He received a British Amateur Gymnastics Association badge and certificate as a qualified coach after further preparation for Barnum's second opening.

Barnum opened at the London Palladium on June 11, 1981, where it appeared for 655 times. The cast was led by Crawford and Deborah Grant. It was well-received, becoming Margaret Thatcher's favorite as well as the Queen Mother. Crawford was honoured with the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical on the London stage for the first time. He worked closely with Torvill and Dean in the early 1980 world championships for their 'Barnum' routine, and can be seen rinkside with them.

Barnum's revival began at the Opera House in Manchester in 1984, bringing a tour of the Victoria Palace in the West End. This production, which was led by Crawford but also directed by Crawford, was recorded for television and broadcast by the BBC in 1986. Crawford's Barnum is one of a leading actor's longest runs.

Crawford happened to bump into Andrew Lloyd Webber, the show's creator, in 1984 at the final preview of Starlight Express. Lloyd Webber had visited Crawford several times and remembered him from his time in Flowers for Algernon. Crawford discovered he was working on a new project based on a Gaston Leroux novel and wanted to know if he was interested. Crawford was interested, but the show was still in the early planning stages, and no decisions had been made. Many months passed, during which Lloyd Webber had already created a pitch video starring his then-wife Sarah Brightman as the female lead Christine and British rocker Steve Harley as the Phantom, and British rocker Steve Harley as the Phantom, performing the title tune in the style of a modern new wave video. Crawford was turned off by that, despite the fact that the songwriter had intended to produce a "rock opera"-inspired performance in lieu of a more traditional operatic musical.

Lloyd Webber had started to regret his artistic choices (as explained in the 'Behind the Mask' series that Harley wasn't an actor nor a large theatre presence, though Crawford had extensive expertise in this area). The bulk of the score was revealing itself to be much more classical and operatic, entirely unsuited to Harley's tumultuous, modern voice as the show continued. He began looking for the right actor to play his Phantom, rather than a more traditional, melodic voice as described in the original book. Crawford's selection was due in large part to the fact that Sarah Brightman took lessons with the same vocal coach as Crawford. She and her husband had arrived early for their lessons, and it was while waiting for Crawford to hear him practising the aria Care Selve from the opera Atalanta by Handel. Lloyd Webber asked Ian Adam who his student was. Crawford was called into an audition and was hired on the spot and was hired almost immediately.

Many analysts were skeptical; Crawford was still largely pigeonholed as the hapless Frank Spencer, and questions about Crawford's ability to handle such a vocally and demanding position were largely dismissive; He began performing at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1986, then went to Broadway in 1988, and then Los Angeles in 1989. He acted in two and a half years and over 1,300 appearances, including an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical), a Tony Award (Best Actor in a Lead Role, Musical), a New York Drama Desk Award (Distinguished Achievement in Theatre), and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theatre (Lead Performance).

Crawford was invited to perform "The Music of the Night" at the Inaugural Gala for President George H. Bush in Washington, D.C., on 19 January 1989. Crawford was given a birthday cake at the gala (it was his 47th birthday). Crawford appeared for the last time on Sunday, after three and a half years and over 1,300 performances later. He confessed to being distraught at his departure, and the Phantom's name was changed to "Christine" during the final Lair scene. "I loved you," says the performer, who admitted that this was his last appearance.

Cornelius played Cornelius in 20th Century Fox's animated film Once Upon a Forest, which was made by her husband, at the behest of Liz Kirschner, wife of film producer David Kirschner.

Crawford appeared in EFX, the US$70 million production that opened the 1,700-seat MGM Grand Theatre in Las Vegas in 1995, giving the a high-profile starring role. The companion album to EFX was released by the Atlantic Theater company. Crawford sustained a broken leg early in the run, requiring him to hang from a wire hanger from the back of the theatre all the way to the stage and then jumping down 12 feet (3.7 m) to the stage itself) and then leave the show to recover from his injury, which resulted in a hip replacement procedure.

Michael began a long-term association with Natasha MacAller, an American dancer and chef, in the late 1990s.

Crawford sang Baby Mine from Disney's Dumbo in 2001 on its 60th anniversary of VHS and DVD. Crawford appeared in the short-lived musical Dance of the Vampires (192002-03), making him return to Broadway as the Count von Krolock. Count Fosco appeared in Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, which opened in September 2004 at the Palace Theatre in London. However, he was forced to leave the show three months later due to dehydration resulting from the massive fat suit he wore during the appearance. He spent several months recovering and was thus unable to reprise his role on Broadway. He discovered he was suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a chronic disease that had crippled him for six years.

He and his family lived in New Zealand for a short time, and the rest of his illness had caused him to return to Australia.

Crawford attended The Gala Performance of The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in 2006 to celebrate the show's long-running musical in Broadway history (surpassing the runs of Cats). He was raving over it, claiming that this was the first time he had been an audience member of any of the shows he had attended.

Crawford appeared at The Phantom of the Opera in London on October 23, 2010, alongside composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Crawford related to his own recalls of his first appearance 24 years ago, and he and Lloyd Webber were joined on a commemoration of the historic feat.

Crawford appeared in the first Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium in February 2011, beginning with previews in February 2011. He revealed on This Morning on Sunday, August 14, 2011, that he had signed on for a second six months in the show. On February 5, 2012, he left the film for the final time as Dorothy; co-star Danielle Hope performed her final performance as Dorothy. Russell Grant took over the role from 14 February.

Crawford performed at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, a completely staged revival of the opera at the historic London venue, marking 25 years since the show attracted its world premiere on October 2nd. Despite being reunited with Sarah Brightman, he did not do real singing in a matinee of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

Crawford and Dotrice will reprise their roles in a one-off special of Some Mothers Do 'Em' which will be broadcast as part of a Sport Relief charity fundraising effort in February 2016. On March 18, 2016, the special premiere aired on television.

Crawford appeared in The Go-Between, the new West End musical that premiered on May 27th at Apollo Theatre. In a BBC Radio 3 interview, Benjamin Britten remembered his invaluable help in his early career in the 60th anniversary of Noye's Fludde in London in 2018. He was also remembered as the Voice of God in his youth.

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