Michael Xavier

Michael D. Xavier (born Michael David Smith; 26 November 1977) is an English actor and singer. He is a two-time Laurence Olivier Award nominee and has performed on Broadway and in the West End. He’s most well known for his performances in the stage musicals Into the Woods and Sunset Boulevard.

Early life Michael David Smith (later known as Michael Xavier) attended Knutsford High and ultimately completed his professional acting training at the Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999. His first professional role and London West End debut was in the musical comedy Pageant in 2000.

Work in theatre Xavier has been nominated twice for a Laurence Olivier Award. He was first nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2011 for his performance as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. The same year he was also nominated for the Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Oliver in the musical Love Story at the Duchess Theatre. In January 2017, Xavier's lead performance in Sunset Boulevard (at the London Coliseum) won the 2016 BroadwayWorld UK/West End Award for Best Actor in a New Production of a Musical.

Xavier has worked in lead roles on stage in the United Kingdom and the United States of America for over 20 years. Notable productions in which he has appeared include Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, Prince Of Broadway with the theatre director and producer Harold Prince, Miss Saigon, Freddie Eynsford-Hill and 20 years later Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Curly in Oklahoma!, and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. In 2014, he played Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.

In 2008, Xavier played Rock Hudson in Tim Fountain's play Rock at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, the Library Theatre in Manchester, and the Oval House Theatre in London. It went on to be produced as a radio play by production company Made in Manchester, and won the Best Online Only Audio Drama award at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in 2012.

In October 2026, Xavier will join Don Black's From The Heart revue at the Garrick Theatre.

Theatre credits Year Show Role Theatre Director 2000 Pageant Miss Great Plains Vaudeville Theatre, West End Bill Russell 2002-03 My Fair Lady Freddy Eynsford-Hill Theatre Royal Drury Lane, West End Trevor Nunn 2003 Miss Saigon Ensemble / Alternate Chris UK Tour Matthew Ryan2004 Sunset Boulevard Artie Green Cork Opera House Mamma Mia! Sky International Tour Phyllida Lloyd / Paul Garrington 2006 The Phantom of the Opera Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny Her Majesty's Theatre, West End Hal Prince 2008 Rock Rock Hudson Oval House Theatre, Off-West End Tamara Harvey 2008-09 Spamalot Sir Dennis Galahad / The Black Knight / Prince Herbert's Father Palace Theatre, West End Mike Nichols 2009 Oklahoma! Curly Chichester Festival Theatre John Doyle 2010 Into the Woods The Wolf / Cinderella's Prince Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Timothy Sheader Love Story Oliver Duchess Theatre, West End Rachel Kavanagh 2012 Soho Cinders James Prince Soho Theatre Jonathan Butterell Wonderful Town Bob Baker UK No. 1 Tour Braham Murray Hello Dolly Cornelius Hackl Curve Theatre Leicester Paul Kerryson 2013 The Sound of Music Captain Von Trapp Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Rachel Kavanagh 2014 The Pajama Game Sid Sorokin Shaftesbury Theatre, West End Richard Eyre 2015 Assassins John Wilkes Booth Menier Chocolate Factory, Off-West End Jamie Lloyd The War of the Roses Suffolk / George of Clarence Rose Theatre Kingston Trevor Nunn Showboat Gaylord Sheffield Crucible Daniel Evans 2016 Bumblescratch Hookbeard Adelphi Theatre, West End Stewart Nicholls The Secret Garden Lord Archibald Craven Shakespeare Theatre Company David ArmstrongSunset Boulevard Joe Gillis London Colliseum, West End (English National Opera) Lonny Price 2017 Palace Theatre, Broadway Prince of Broadway Featured Performer Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway Hal Prince, Susan Stroman 2021 Love Story Oliver Cadogan Hall Kirk Jameson 2022 Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends Performer Sondheim Theatre, West End Matthew Bourne 2022-23 My Fair Lady Professor Henry Higgins UK Tour Bartlett Sher 2024-25 Mary Poppins Mr. George Banks UK & Ireland Tour Richard Eyre

Work in television and film Although Xavier started out primarily as a theatre actor, he has also gained many television and film credits including Lieutenant Hamilton Knox in Outlander (Stars), Christopher Miles in The Blacklist (NBC), Dr. Steph Belcombe in Gentleman Jack (BBC) and series regular DCI Elliott Wallace in season 7 and 8 of Grantchester (ITV), as well as roles in Grace (ITV) and The Chelsea Detective (ITV).

Xavier's film work includes his portrayal of Maurice in Hallmark's Paris, Wine & Romance directed by Alex Zamm, Tom in the 2014 production Never Let Go with director Howard J. Ford for Latitude Films. In 2013, he appeared as Rob in the short film Gnomeland by writer/director Francesca Jaynes, as well as playing a Russian Gulag Prisoner in Walt Disney Pictures' Muppets Most Wanted, filmed at Pinewood Studios.

Major television and film credits Year Role Production Producer Director 2015 Tom Never Let Go Independent Howard J. Ford 2019 Maurice Paris, Wine & Romance Hallmark Alex Zamm 2019 Christopher Miles The Blacklist NBC Andrew McCarthy, Michael Caraciollo, Christine Gee 2019-2021 Dr. Steph Belcombe Gentleman Jack BBC, HBO Sally Wainwright, Sarah Harding 2020 Lieutenant Hamilton Knox Outlander Starz Stephen Woolfenden, Meera Menon 2021 Martin Broom Grace ITV Julia Ford 2022 Patrick Thompson The Chelsea Detective Alibi Richard Signy 2022-2023 DCI Elliot Wallace Grantchester ITV Tim Fywell 2023 Hellemans Hammarskjöld Patrick Ryborn Per Fly 2024 Jeremy Zenner Utopia Steven Paul James Bamford

Video games

Presenting and recording work In 2013, Xavier co-presented the Olivier Awards BBC Radio 2 Covent Garden Stage with Claudia Winkleman, and returned again in 2014 to co-present on the ITV Stage with Myleene Klass. He also hosted the UK Theatre Awards at the historic Guildhall in the City of London in both 2013 and 2014.

In addition, Xavier has worked as a recording artist, with both radio and original soundtrack credits to his name. In 2007, BBC Radio 2 presented a special edition of Friday Night is Music Night, celebrating the work of Leonard Bernstein and the 50th anniversary of West Side Story. Paul Gambaccini presented the program at London's Mermaid Theatre, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra and Xavier as Tony. He also played Artie Green in the BBC Radio 2 live recording of Sunset Boulevard, performed at the Cork Opera House with Michael Ball and Petula Clark. Outside of radio, his work in recordings includes Bumblescratch (2016 London Concert Cast Recording) Collaborations: The Songs of Elliot Davis (2013), Lift (2012 Concept Album), Soho Cinders (2011 Concert Cast), Love Story (2011 Original London Cast), and Little Women (2004 Studio Cast).

MX Masterclass Xavier is the Principal of MX Masterclass, a training school for musical theatre students which aims to aid them in gaining acceptance to professional training colleges. The school runs every Sunday, based at Rambert, Upper Ground. Their patrons are Matthew Bourne, Natalie Paris, Emily Carey and Sebastian Croft. Regular teachers over the years have included Anna Tringham, Ross Sharkey, Lucinda Lawrence, Brandon Lee Sears, Nicola Coates, Peter Polycarpou and Alex Young. Students are also taught by guest performers and practitioners including Kerry Ellis, Ramin Karimloo, Rebecca Trehearn, Marc Antolin, Robbie Sherman, Katie Brayben, Louise Dearman, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Matt Henry.

The students are often given an opportunity to perform at various charity and West End events at which Xavier also appears. The students also appear at a Christmas concert at St Paul's, Covent Garden, alongside industry professionals. The 2016 concert was hosted by Rufus Hound.

Students have many performance opportunities throughout the year and gain national and local news coverage in the process. On three occasions they performed at The Best of the West End concert at The Royal Albert Hall starring many big West End names including Xavier himself. They have also performed at Lambert Jackson Productions concerts West End Women and Main Men Of Musicals.