![]() ![]() Crawford remembers that it was while working in this production that he realised he seriously wanted to become an actor. In 1958 he was hired by the English Opera Group to create the role of Jaffet in another Britten opera, Noye's Fludde, based on the story of Noah and the Great Flood. He also participated in the recording of that opera (as Michael Ingram, singing the role of Gay Brook) made that same year, conducted by the composer. He auditioned, unsuccessfully, for the role of Miles in Britten's The Turn of the Screw - the role being given to another boy soprano, David Hemmings but it appears that Crawford's audition sufficiently impressed Britten as 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. Acting career Career beginnings Ĭrawford made his first stage appearance in the role of Sammy the Little Sweep in his school production of Benjamin Britten's Let's Make an Opera, conducted by Donald Mitchell, which was then transferred to Brixton Town Hall in London. His mother's second marriage was abusive, according to Crawford. The couple moved to London, where Crawford attended Oakfield Preparatory School, Dulwich, where he was known as Michael Ingram. ![]() At the end of the Second World War, his mother remarried, this time to a grocer, Lionel Dennis "Den" Ingram. He attended St Michael's, a Catholic school in Bexleyheath which was run by nuns whom Crawford later described as not being shy in their use of corporal punishment. The isle was where his mother had grown up and where Crawford would later live with his mother and maternal grandparents. Sixteen months after Smith's death, Crawford was born, the result of a short-lived relationship, and given his mother's surname, which was that of her first husband.ĭuring 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. 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. His maternal grandmother was born in Derry, Northern Ireland, and lived to be 99 years old. Ĭrawford was brought up by his mother, Doris Agnes Mary Pike, and her parents, Montague Pike and his wife, Edith (née O'Keefe), in what Crawford described as a "close-knit Roman Catholic family". ![]() Since 1987, he has served as the leader of the Sick Children's Trust as well and acted as a public face for the British social cause organization. Ĭrawford has also published the autobiography Parcel Arrived Safely: Tied With String. His acclaimed performance in the latter earned him both the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. He played Frank Spencer in British sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, which first made him a household name, and the title role in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. Now in its 30th record-breaking year, The Phantom of the Opera continues to captivate audiences at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End, after more than 11,000 performances.Īndrew Lloyd Webber’s mesmerizing score along with jaw-dropping scenery and breathtaking special effects, magically combine to bring this tragic love story to life each night.Michael Patrick Smith, CBE (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian.Ĭrawford has received international critical acclaim and won numerous awards during his acting career, which has included many film and television performances as well as stage work on both London's West End and on Broadway in New York City. The musical opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 9 October 1986 with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman in the leading roles, and there have been dozens of productions worldwide since then. Shamed by his physical appearance and feared by all, the love he holds for his beautiful protégée Christine Daaé is so strong that even her heart cannot resist. Presenting The Phantom of the Opera, the smash hit musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber!Įxperience the power of the phantom with your nearest performance:įar beneath the majesty and splendour of the Paris Opera House, hides the Phantom in a shadowy existence. ![]()
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