Michael Crawford

Michael Patrick Smith (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English actor, comedian and singer.

Crawford is best known for playing the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Cornelius Hackl in the musical film Hello, Dolly!, and the titular character in the stage musical The Phantom of the Opera. His acclaimed performance in the last of these earned him both the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

Early life and education Crawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her parents, Montague Pike and his wife, Edith (née Keefe or O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Roman Catholic family". His maternal grandmother was born in County Londonderry, Ireland, and lived to be 99 years old. His mother's first husband, Arthur Dumbell "Smudge" Smith, who was not his biological father, was killed, aged 22, on 6 September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, less than a year after they married. Sixteen months after Smith's death, Michael was born, the result of a short-lived relationship. His widowed mother gave her son her married surname, that of her late husband.

During his early years, Crawford divided his time between the army camp in Wiltshire, where he and his mother lived during the war, and the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The isle was where his mother had grown up and where Crawford would later live with his mother and maternal grandparents. He attended St Michael's, a Catholic school in Bexleyheath which was run by nuns. Crawford later described them as not being shy in their use of corporal punishment.

At the end of the Second World War, his mother remarried, to grocer Lionel Dennis "Den" Ingram. The family moved to Herne Hill in London, where Crawford attended Oakfield Preparatory School, Dulwich. There he was known as Michael Ingram. According to him, his mother's second husband was abusive. It was transferred to Brixton Town Hall in London. He auditioned, unsuccessfully, for the role of Miles in Britten's The Turn of the Screw – the role was given to another boy soprano, David Hemmings. But Crawford's audition so impressed Britten that in 1955 he hired him to play Sammy, alternating with David Hemmings, in another production of Let's Make an Opera, this time at the Scala Theatre in London. Credited as Michael Ingram, singing the role of Gay Brook, he participated in a recording of the opera made that same year, conducted by the composer.

In 1958, Crawford was hired by the English Opera Group in the role of Jaffet in Noye's Fludde, Britten's setting of the Chester miracle play of the Genesis flood narrative.

In 1961, Crawford appeared in an episode of One Step Beyond called "The Villa", in which he played a character experimenting with strobe lights. Crawford appears in the only surviving episode of the 1960 British crime series Police Surgeon alongside Ian Hendry. This series would spawn the much better-known The Avengers.

Early adult career At age nineteen, Crawford was approached to play an American, Junior Sailen, in the film The War Lover (1962), which starred Steve McQueen. To prepare for the role, he would spend hours listening to Woody Woodbury, a famous American comedian of the time, to try to perfect an American accent. After The War Lover, Crawford briefly returned to the stage. After playing the lead role in the 1963 British film Two Left Feet, he was offered a role in the British television series, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, as the Mod-style, tough-talking, motor-scooter riding Byron.

It was this character that attracted film director Richard Lester to hire him for the role of Colin in The Knack ...and How to Get It in 1965. The film was a huge success in the UK.

Lester also cast Crawford in the film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and in How I Won the War, starring Roy Kinnear and John Lennon. (During filming Crawford lived in London with Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, and Gabrielle Lewis). Crawford starred in The Jokers (directed by Michael Winner) with Oliver Reed in 1967.

Broadway debut In 1967, Crawford made his Broadway début in Peter Shaffer's Black Comedy with Lynn Redgrave (making her début as well). He demonstrated his aptitude and daring for extreme physical comedy, such as walking into walls and falling down staircases.

While working in the show, he was noticed by Gene Kelly, who called him to Hollywood to audition for a part in the film adaptation of the musical Hello, Dolly!. Crawford was cast and shared top billing with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau. Despite being one of the highest-grossing works of 1969, the film failed to recoup its $25 million budget at the box office. It won three Academy Awards, was nominated for a further four (including Best Picture), and is now considered to be one of the greatest musical films ever.

Crawford's later films fared less successfully, although Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which he played the White Rabbit, enjoyed moderate success in the UK. After performing in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and with offers of work greatly reduced and much of his salary from Hello, Dolly! lost, reportedly due to underhanded investments by his agent, Crawford faced a brief period of unemployment.

During this time, he helped his wife stuff cushions (for their upholstery business) and took a job as an office clerk in an electric company. But at this difficult time, his marriage fell apart and divorce followed in 1975.

In 1984 a revival of Barnum opened in Manchester at the Opera House, ending the tour at the Victoria Palace in the West End. In 1986 this production, with a new cast, though still headed by Crawford, was recorded for television and broadcast by the BBC. Crawford's Barnum is one of the longest runs by a leading actor.

The Phantom of the Opera In 1984, at the final preview of Starlight Express, Crawford happened to run into the show's creator, Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber had met Crawford socially several times and remembered him from his work in Flowers for Algernon. He informed Crawford that he was working on a new project based on a Gaston Leroux novel and wanted to know whether he was interested. Crawford said he was, but the show was still in the early planning stages, and nothing had been decided. Several months passed, during which Lloyd Webber had already created a pitch video featuring his then-wife Sarah Brightman as the female lead Christine, and British rocker Steve Harley as the Phantom, singing the title song in the manner of a contemporary new wave video. Crawford was turned off by that, supposing the songwriter had chosen to do a "rock opera"-inspired spectacle in lieu of a more traditional operatic musical.

During the Los Angeles run, Crawford was asked to sing "The Music of the Night" at the Inaugural Gala for President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C., on 19 January 1989. At the gala, Crawford was presented with a cake in celebration of his 47th birthday.

On 29 April 1990, Crawford left the show. He admits to having been saddened at his departure, and, during the final Lair scene, altered the Phantom's line to "Christine... I loved you", acknowledging that this was his final performance. However, on 31 December 1990, he returned to the role in Los Angeles, replacing Robert Guillaume. Crawford's final performance as the Phantom was on 28 April 1991.

1990s At the request of Liz Kirschner, wife of film producer David Kirschner, he obtained the role of Cornelius in 20th Century Fox's animated film Once Upon a Forest, which was produced by her husband.

In 1995, Crawford created the high-profile starring role in EFX, the US$70 million production which officially opened the 1,700-seat MGM Grand Theatre in Las Vegas. The Atlantic Theater label released the companion album to EFX. Early into the run, Crawford suffered an accident during a performance (which involved him sliding from a wire hanger from the back of the theatre all the way to the stage and then jumping down to the stage itself) and left the show to recover from his injury, which resulted in a hip replacement operation.

2000s to present In 2001, Crawford sang Baby Mine from Disney's Dumbo on its 60th anniversary VHS and DVD. Crawford had a short comeback to Broadway as the Count von Krolock in the short-lived musical Dance of the Vampires (2002–03). He originated the role of Count Fosco in Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White, which opened at the Palace Theatre, London in September 2004. However, he was forced to leave the show three months later because of ill health caused by dehydration resulting from the enormous fat-suit he wore during the performance. He spent months recuperating and was thus unable to reprise the role on Broadway. He learned he was suffering from the post-viral condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), from which he did not fully recover for six years.

In 2007, Crawford briefly relocated to New Zealand to be closer to one of his daughters who had settled in Australia, and to convalesce from ME. He has since returned and now lives there permanently.

On 23 October 2010, Crawford attended the celebratory 10,000th performance of The Phantom of the Opera in London alongside composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Crawford spoke of his own memories of the first performance 24 years earlier, and was then presented, along with Lloyd Webber, with a special cake to commemorate the landmark achievement.

Beginning with previews in February 2011, Crawford originated the part of the Wizard in the new Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical version of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium, which had its official opening on 1 March 2011. He stated on This Morning: Sunday, on 14 August 2011, that he had signed on for a further six months in the show. He left the production on 5 February 2012; the same day as co-star Danielle Hope played her final performance as Dorothy. From 14 February, Russell Grant took over the role.

On 2 October 2011 Crawford made a special appearance during the finale of The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall — a fully staged production of the musical at the famous London venue – marking 25 years since the show received its world premiere. Although reunited with Sarah Brightman, he did no real singing as he had just finished performing in a matinee of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.

On 18 March 2016 Crawford and Dotrice reprised their roles in a one-off special of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, broadcast as part of the Sport Relief charity fundraiser event.

Crawford starred in the new West End musical The Go-Between which premiered on 27 May 2016 at Apollo Theatre. He appeared in the 60th anniversary performance of Britten's Noye's Fludde in London in 2018, performing the Voice of God, and recalled in a BBC Radio 3 interview Benjamin Britten's valuable support in his early career.

To date, The Go-Between is Crawford's last stage performance. He reportedly has not retired, however. He had been attached to play Clarence Odbody for at least two years in Paul McCartney's planned musical adaptation of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, which was scheduled to premiere in "late 2020," but the production fell through.

In 2025, it was reported that Crawford plans to make a documentary about his career.

Following on from this, in the same year Crawford released a studio album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra, titled Songs from the Stage and Screen, which reached number 12 in the UK Albums Chart

Concert tours In 2006, he made a small concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, as well as a one-night benefit to open the LaSalle Bank Theatre in Chicago. He has also done various Michael Crawford International Fan Association (MCIFA) exclusive concerts around the US.

Charity work Since the late 1980s, Crawford has affiliated himself with various charities, particularly for the good of children. He is a patron of the Lighthouse Foundation in Australia, and has also been President of the Sick Children's Trust since 1987.

Personal life

Crawford has three children. Two, born in 1966 and 1968, are daughters from his first marriage to Gabrielle Lewis. He also has an older daughter, with whom he has signed a legal agreement protecting her privacy.

In the mid-1990s, he began a long-term relationship with Natasha MacAller, an American dancer and chef. They are now married. BroadwayWorld UK Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for The Wizard of Oz (2011) Received Aardman Slapstick Visual Comedy Legend Award (2016) – cited works include Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Received Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement on 7 December 2025.

Crawford was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1987 Birthday Honours and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for charitable and philanthropic services, particularly to children's charities.

Stage Theatre Year Title Role(s) 1967 Black Comedy / White Lies Brindsley Miller / Tom 1971 No Sex Please, We're British Brian Runnicles 1974 Billy Billy Liar 1979 Flowers for Algernon Charlie Gordon 1981–1983;1985–1986 Barnum P.T. Barnum (West End) 1986–1991 The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera (West End & Broadway) 1995–1996 EFX The EFX Master / Merlin / P.T. Barnum / Harry Houdini / H.G. Wells 2002–2003 Dance of the Vampires Count Giovanni von Krolock 2004 The Woman in White Count Fosco 2011–2012 The Wizard of Oz Professor Marvel / Emerald City Doorman / Tour Guide / The Wizard of Oz 2016 The Go-Between Older Leo Colston

Filmography Film Year Title Role 1958 Soapbox Derby Peter Toms Blow Your Own Trumpet Jim Fenn 1960 A French Mistress Kent Sir Frances Drake John Drake 1961 Two Living, One Dead Nils Lindwall 1962 The War Lover Sgt. Junior Sailen 1963 Two Left Feet Alan Crabbe 1965 The Knack ...and How to Get It Colin 1966 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Hero 1967 The Jokers Michael Tremayne How I Won the War Lt. Earnest Goodbody 1969 Hello, Dolly! Cornelius Hackl 1970 The Games Harry Hayes Hello-Goodbye Harry England 1972 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland White Rabbit 1981 Condorman Woody Wilkins/Cóndorman 1986 Barnum P.T. Barnum 1993 Once Upon a Forest Cornelius/Narrator (voice) 1999 The Ghosts of Christmas Eve Himself (performer)

Television Years Title TV company Role 1959 Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (Series 5) BBC Frank Nugent 1960 Saturday Playhouse (one episode) Read Police Surgeon (episode "Easy Money") ABC 1961–1962 Sir Francis Drake ITC for ABC / ATV John Drake 1964–1965 Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life BBC Byron 1968 Cilla (one episode) 1973–1978 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Frank Spencer 1979 Chalk and Cheese Thames Television Dave Finn 1998 Noel's House Party (one episode) BBC Frank Spencer 1999 The Ghosts of Christmas Eve Fox Family Channel 2016 Sport Relief 2016 BBC Frank Spencer

Discography Solo albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications US Released: 1987 Label: J&B Records (JB 332) Formats: CD, Cassette, LP 74 12 192 ARIA: Gold Released: 1989 Label: TelStar (TCD 2340) Formats: CD, cassette, LP – 31 – ARIA: Gold A Christmas Album / The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Released: December 1999 Label: Atlantic (756783222–2) Formats: CD 62 69 98 The Disney Album Released: 18 September 2001 Label: Walt Disney Records (333662) Formats: CD 1 76 – ARIA: Platinum Label: Union Square Music/FanFare (FANFARE091) Formats: CD, Download 55 – – The Story of My Life: The Ultimate Collection Released: December 2012 Label: Union Square Music Formats: CD, Download Compilation album – 44 – ARIA: Gold The Music of the Night Released: September 2016 Label: Union Square Music/FanFare (FANFARE155) Formats: 2×CD, Download Compilation album – – –

Video albums + List of video albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications br list | |

Cast albums

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) Hello, Dolly! (1969) Billy (1974) Flowers for Algernon (1980) Barnum (1981) The Phantom of the Opera (1987) Highlights from The Phantom of the Opera (1987) Once Upon a Forest (1993) EFX (1995) AUS No. 100 The Woman in White (2004) WALL-E (2008) (excerpts from Hello, Dolly!) The Wizard of Oz (2011)

Guest appearances

Save the Children: Christmas Carols and Festive Songs (1988) – "Let's Pretend" The Premiere Collection: The Best of Andrew Lloyd Webber (1988) – "The Music of the Night" Showstoppers (1991) – "Fugue for Tinhorns" (with Barry Manilow & Hinton Battle) A Christmas Spectacular of Carols and Songs (1992) – "Let's Pretend" Back to Broadway (1993) – "The Music of the Night" (with Barbra Streisand) David Foster: The Christmas Album (1993) – "O Holy Night" The London Symphony Orchestra Performs the Works of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber (1994) – "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Jesus Christ Superstar" Suites The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection (1999) – "The Phantom of the Opera" (with Sarah Brightman) Millennium Chorus: The Greatest Story Ever Sung (2000) – "How Still How Silent" Child of the Promise: A Musical Story Celebrating The Birth of Christ (2000) – "After All These Years", "Zacharias & Gabriel Recitative" (with Russ Taff), "He Will Prepare the Way" My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs (2001) – "The Music of the Night" Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012) – "The Music of the Night" (with Susan Boyle)