Born in Salisbury,
Wiltshire, Crawford
began his career
as a boy soprano
in Benjamin Britten's
Let's Make an Opera.
Numerous television
appearances and
over 500 radio broadcasts
later found him
the popular star
of television's
Not So Much a Programme,
More a Way of Life,
which, combined
with his screen
performance in The
Knack, earned him
the Variety Club
Award for Most Promising
Newcomer.
Juggling
both film and stage
careers, Crawford
went on to star
in the films A Funny
Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum
with Zero Mostel,
Buster Keaton and
Phil Silvers, The
Jokers, How I Won
the War with John
Lennon, The Games,
Hello and Goodbye,
Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland and
Condorman. In 1969,
he charmed international
filmgoers as the
juvenile lead, Cornelius
Hackl, in the motion
picture version
of Hello, Dolly!
Starring Barbra
Streisand and Walter
Matthau and directed
by Gene Kelly, who
remained a lifelong
friend. Michael
Crawford became
a favorite with
international audiences
during the long-running
comedy, No Sex Please
- We're British,
which was one of
the London stage's
most popular tourist
attractions. He
later captured the
hearts of television
audiences as the
star of the long-running
BBC-TV comedy series,
Some Mothers Do
'Ave 'Em, which
first aired in the
'70's and is still
being shown - and
receiving top ratings
- in countries around
the world. For this
series, Crawford
was voted the Funniest
Man on Television
by readers of the
TV Times, and Television
Actor of the Year
by The Sun.
As
the star of the
John Barry hit musical
Billy at the famed
Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane, Crawford was
simultaneously voted
Show Business Personality
of the Year and
presented with the
Silver Heart Award
by the Variety Club
of Great Britain.
Other highly popular
performances were
Same Time, Next
Year, the musical
Flowers for Algernon,
and the BBC television
play, Sorry. Another
television series
Chalk and Cheese,
further increased
Crawford's standing
as one of Britain's
leading stars.
In
1981, Crawford starred
in the London company
of the hit Broadway
musical, Barnum,
at the London Palladium.
That performance
won him his first
Olivier Award, and
a video was made
for distribution
in the United States,
and the United Kingdom.
In
1986, fate took
over and Crawford
opened in The Phantom
of the Opera¸
beginning one of
the most widely
acclaimed and memorable
performances in
theatre history.
This marked Michael's
fourth consecutive
starring role in
a major West End
musical. He set
himself apart with
his exceptional
performance on 1987's
international hit
album, The Phantom
of the Opera (The
Complete Original
London Cast Recording),
whose world-wide
sales tally stands
at 12 million copies.
The Phantom of the
Opera solidified
Crawford's position
in the hierarchy
of entertainment
stars in the United
States, earning
him an astonishing
catalogue of critical
recognition including
Broadway's Tony,
Drama Desk and Outer
Critics Circle Awards,
and the Los Angeles
Dramalogue Award
and Drama Critics
Award. After opening
in Phantom on October
9, 1986, he was
made an Officer
of the British Empire
(OBE) by the Queen,
as well as receiving
his second Olivier
Award for Best Actor
in a Musical.
After
three and a half
years as the toast
of London, New York,
and Los Angeles
in the title role
of The Phantom of
the Opera¸
Michael Crawford
delighted concert-goers
in sold-out houses
throughout the United
States, Australia
and Great Britain
as the special guest
star of The Music
of Andrew Lloyd
Webber.
Michael’s
solo recording career
started soon after
the opening of Phantom.
Songs from the Stage
and Screen¸
both released in
the United Kingdom
on the Telstar label
(reissued by Atlantic
Records in 1992)
moved quickly, but
his next recording,
Michael Crawford
Performs Andrew
Lloyd Webber, released
by Atlantic Records
in November 1992,
proved to be even
more of a runaway
success having sold
more than two million
albums worldwide
to date.
Two years later,
Crawford recorded
another hit album,
A Touch of Music
in the Night, on
which he sang duets
with Barbra Streisand
and Patti LaBelle.
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
Theatre label released
the companion album
to EFX, which was
hailed as among
the most spectacular
and ambitious shows
ever produced on
the American stage.
In
1998 Crawford filmed
his first television
special, Michael
Crawford in Concert¸
which premiered
nationwide on PBS
as part of the March
1998 pledge drive.
The TV special was
also nominated for
2 Emmy Awards later
that year. Also
that year he released
his first album
of spiritual songs
On Eagle's Wings,
and Michael Crawford
in Concert, a recording
of his worldwide
concert tour.
In
1999 Crawford published
his autobiography
Parcel Arrived Safely:
Tied with String
in the UK, Australia,
and New Zealand.
The book became
an immediate best
seller. As a companion
to the book, Crawford
also released an
audiotape on which
he read a shortened
version of the book.
Later in the year,
he released Michael
Crawford: A Christmas
Album in the U.S.
It was later retitled
and released in
the UK as The Most
Wonderful Time of
the Year.
In
January 2001, the
PBS special An Evening
with Michael Crawford
in Concert aired
in the UK. In mid-April,
Crawford released
an album of Disney
songs aptly titled
Michael Crawford:
The Disney Album
in Australia and
New Zealand. The
album quickly climbed
the charts and was
certified Platinum
by the Australia
Record Industry
Association marking
the first time in
30 years that a
Walt Disney recording
had achieved this
position on the
charts. The album
was also certified
Gold in New Zealand
ranking No. 2 in
sales. Later that
year, a compilation
album The Best of
Michael Crawford
was released in
Australia and later
reached the Top
10 in sales.
In
2002, Crawford returned
to the Broadway
stage in the musical
comedy "Dance
of the Vampires".
In the musical based
on the 1967 Roman
Polanski film horror
spoof "The
Fearless Vampire
Killers", Michael
played Count von
Krolock.
During
2004 he appeared
as Count Fosco in
Andrew Lloyd Webbers
musical The Woman
In White at the
Palace Theatre,
London. Appeared
as the Phantom in
the original productions
of The Phantom of
the Opera in London,
on Broadway and
in Los Angeles.
Other stage credits
in London and Broadway
include Billy; Flowers
for Algernon; Black
Comedy; Dance of
the Vampires; Barnum.
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