Michael Crawford

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Michael Crawford

Michael Crawford , CBE , actually Michael Patrick Dumble-Smith , (born January 19, 1942 in Salisbury , Wiltshire , England ) is one of the most famous British musical actors and singers . In 2002 he was voted 17th of the 100 Greatest Britons . He achieved international fame for his impersonation of the superhero Condorman in the film of the same name.

Life

Michael Crawford began his acting career when he was seven. In the 1960s, he starred in several films by American director Richard Lester with, so in The Knack ( The Knack ... and How to Get It , 1964, with the film music of John Barry ), in the movie musical A Funny Thing Happened the ancient Romans ( A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum , 1966) and in the anti-war satire How I won the war ( How I won the war , in 1967, with John Lennon as a supporting actor). He became known in 1973 in the role of Frank Spencer in the successful BBC sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave' Em! .

He became known to an audience of millions in the lead role of the phantom in the successful musical Das Phantom der Oper ( The Phantom of the Opera ). For this role he received the 1986 Laurence Olivier Award and the 1988 Tony Award . His interpretation of The Music of the Night is still one of the most popular of all today, 30 years after his performance in London and on Broadway, and continues to serve as a model for the current phantom actors.

At the MGM GRAND HOTEL in Las Vegas, Crawford had EFX! 1995 premiere. This 90 minute musical had its focus on the special effects and told several fantasy short stories. Crawford took on 4 roles in this spectacular show, but in 1996 he was so badly injured in one of the many acrobatic performances that he had to leave the show.

In September 2002 he returned to Broadway as Count Giovanni von Krolock in Dance of the Vampires , a version of the Austrian-German cult musical Tanz der Vampire, which has been heavily revised in many places . Although the musical was unsuccessful and the last curtain fell at the end of January 2003, it was honored with the Drama Desk Award for its performance .

He then took on the role of Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical The Woman in White , but gave it up for health reasons.

On January 9, 2006, he attended the gala performance of The Phantom of the Opera , which made the musical the longest-running in London's musical history and thus replaced Cats .

In 2011 he played the title role in Webber's musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium . On October 2, 2011, he performed at the Royal Albert Hall in the finale for the 25th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera , in which he did not, however, sing.

On May 27, 2016, he returned to the West End of London and played the lead role of Colston in The Go-Between , a musical adaptation of the novel of the same name by LP Hartley at the Apollo Theater .

Discography

Albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1974 Billy UK-
silver
silver
UK 		-
First release: 1974
cast album
1987 Songs From The Stage And Screens UK12
platinum
platinum

(13 weeks)UK 		US192 (2 weeks)
US
First published: 1987
with the London Symphony Orchestra
1989 With Love / The Phantom Unmasked UK31
gold
gold

(7 weeks)UK 		-
First published: 1989
1991 Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Webber UK3
Double platinum
× 2
Double platinum

(36 weeks)UK 		US54
platinum
platinum

(31 weeks)US
First publication: 1991
with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
1993 A Touch Of Music In The Night UK12
platinum
platinum

(11 weeks)UK 		US39
gold
gold

(21 weeks)US
First published: 1993
1994 The Love Songs album UK64 (6 weeks)
UK 		-
First published: 1994
1998 On Eagle's Wings UK65 (4 weeks)
UK 		US57
gold
gold

(13 weeks)US
First published: 1998
1999 A Christmas album - US98 (6 weeks)
US
First published: 1999
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year UK69 (2 weeks)
UK 		-
First published: 1999
2001 The Disney album UK76 (2 weeks)
UK 		-
First published: 2001
2004 The very best of UK54
silver
silver

(5 weeks)UK 		-
First published: 2004
2012 The Ultimate Collection UK41 (4 weeks)
UK 		-
First published: 2012

More solo albums

  • 1994: Favorite Love Songs
  • 2001: The Early Years - MCIFA Members Only Exclusive
  • 2002: The Best of Michael Crawford - Australian Release

Cast albums

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
UK UK US US
1987 Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again UK7 (12 weeks)
UK 		-
First published: 1987
with Sarah Brightman
When You Wish Upon A Star UK97 (1 week)
UK 		-
First published: 1987
with the London Symphony Orchestra
1994 The Music Of The Night UK54 (3 weeks)
UK 		-
First publication: 1994
with Barbra Streisand

Filmography (selection)

Awards (selection)

  • 1988: Tony Award for best leading actor in a musical (The Phantom of the Opera) .
  • 1988: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (The Phantom of the Opera) .

Nominations

  • 2003: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Dance of the Vampires) .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Broadway World Online Review on Broadway World
  2. ↑ a b Chart sources: UK US
  3. ↑ Music Sales Awards: UK US
personal data
SURNAME Crawford, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dumble-Smith, Michael Patrick
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 19, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Salisbury , Wiltshire , England , UK