Michael Ball (singer)
Michael Ashley Ball OBE (born June 27, 1962 in Bromsgrove , Worcestershire , Great Britain ) is an English actor , singer and radio and television presenter .
Career
Michael Ball made his first appearance in London's West End in 1985 as Marius Pontmercy in the musical Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil. In 1987 he took on the role of Raoul in Phantom of the Opera . He took second place in the British singles charts in 1989 with the song Love Changes Everything from the musical Aspects of Love , in which he played the role of Alex in both London and Broadway. In early 1992 he was internally selected to represent the UK in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest . In the preliminary round, he was allowed to present eight titles, from which the winning song One Step Out of Time was determined by televoting . Most of these eight songs were later found on Ball's self-titled debut album, which peaked at number one on the UK album charts. With One Step Out of Time , Ball finally achieved second place in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Since 1992, Ball has released well over 20 albums, most of which hit the British charts and were awarded silver, gold or platinum. The collaboration with the tenor Alfie Boe has been particularly successful since 2016 , which resulted in three number one albums in a row. In April 2020, he also reached number one on the singles charts with a version of the classic You'll Never Walk Alone , which he recorded with former officer and World War II veteran Tom Moore and the NHS Voices of Care Choir.
In 2002 he played Caractacus Potts in the musical Tschitti Tschitti Bang Bang in London . He played Javert in the all-star performance of Les Misérables .
Awards
Ball is a two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical. In 2008 he won the prize for Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray , and in 2013 for the lead role in the new production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street . In 2015 he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to musical theater .
Discography
Albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
UK | |||
1992 | Michael Ball |
UK1
gold
(10 weeks)UK |
|
1993 | West Side Story |
UK33 (5 weeks) UK |
with Barbara Bonney
|
Always |
UK3
gold
(11 weeks)UK |
||
1994 | One Careful Owner |
UK7th
gold
(6 weeks)UK |
|
1996 | First love |
UK4th
silver
(8 weeks)UK |
|
The musicals |
UK20th
gold
(12 weeks)UK |
||
1998 | The Movies |
UK13
platinum
(19 weeks)UK |
|
2000 | This Time It's Personal |
UK20th
gold
(8 weeks)UK |
|
2001 | Center Stage |
UK11
gold
(9 weeks)UK |
|
2003 | A love story |
UK41 (2 weeks) UK |
|
2005 | Music |
UK11
gold
(10 weeks)UK |
|
2006 | One Voice |
UK22nd
silver
(6 weeks)UK |
|
2007 | Back to Bacharach |
UK20 (6 weeks) UK |
|
2011 | Heroes |
UK10 (7 weeks) UK |
|
2013 | Both sides now |
UK8th
silver
(10 weeks)UK |
|
2014 | If Everyone Was Listening |
UK21 (5 weeks) UK |
|
2016 | Together |
UK1 × 2
(36 weeks)UK |
with Alfie Boe
|
2017 | Together again |
UK1
platinum
(19 weeks)UK |
with Alfie Boe
|
2019 | Coming Home to You |
UK1 (9 weeks) UK |
|
Back together |
UK2
gold
(16 weeks)UK |
with Alfie Boe
|
More albums
- 1989: Rage of the Heart (with Janet Mooney)
- 1997: The Musicals and More
- 1999: In Concert - Royal Albert Hall / Christmas (UK:gold)
- 2000: Christmas (UK:gold)
- 2001: Stage and Screen (UK:gold)
- 2003: A Song for You (UK:gold)
- 2003: Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story ( Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir with Michael Ball, Barbara Bonney and Barry Wordsworth )
Compilations
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
UK | |||
1994 | The best of |
UK25th
gold
(7 weeks)UK |
|
1999 | The Very Best of Michael Ball: In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall |
UK18th
silver
(7 weeks)UK |
|
2004 | Love Changes Everything - The Essential |
UK21st
gold
(9 weeks)UK |
|
2009 | The Very Best Of - Past & Present |
UK11
silver
(6 weeks)UK |
More compilations
- 1995: The Collection (UK:gold)
- 1998: Songs of Love (UK:silver)
- 2003: I Dreamed a Dream
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
UK | |||
1989 | Love Changes Everything Aspects of Love |
UK2
silver
(15 weeks)UK |
|
The First Man You Remember Aspects of Love |
UK68 (4 weeks) UK |
with Diana Morrison
|
|
1991 | It's still you |
UK58 (2 weeks) UK |
|
1992 | One Step Out of Time Michael Ball |
UK20 (7 weeks) UK |
|
If I Can Dream Always |
UK51 (2 weeks) UK |
||
1993 | Sunset Boulevard The Musicals |
UK72 (1 week) UK |
|
1994 | From Here to Eternity One Careful Owner |
UK36 (4 weeks) UK |
|
The Lovers We Were One Careful Owner |
UK63 (2 weeks) UK |
||
Wherever You Are One Careful Owner |
UK80 (2 weeks) UK |
||
1995 | The Rose First Love |
UK42 (4 weeks) UK |
|
1996 | (Something Inside) So Strong First Love |
UK40 (2 weeks) UK |
|
2020 | You'll Never Walk Alone |
UK1 (2 weeks) UK |
with Captain Tom Moore & The NHS Voices of Care Choir
|
More singles
- 1999: Hot Stuff
- 2013: Fight the Fight
Video albums
- 2000: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (UK:× 2Double platinum )
- 2004: Live In London (UK:gold)
- 2009: Past & Present Tour - Live (UK:gold)
Individual evidence
- ↑ UK NATIONAL FINAL 1992. Retrieved May 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Michael Ball - Michael Ball. Retrieved May 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Captain Tom Moore turns 100, becomes first centenarian to have a Number 1. Retrieved on May 19, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: Singles Albums UK
- ↑ a b c UK gold / platinum database
Web links
- Official website
- Michael Ball in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Michael Ball at Allmusic (English)
- Michael Ball at Discogs (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Ball, Michael |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ball, Michael Ashley (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English actor and singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 27, 1962 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Bromsgrove , Worcestershire |