Profile of Michael Crawford on Famous Like Me

Michael Patrick Dumbell-Smith (born January 19, 1942), was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. Being illegitimate, he was raised by his mother Doris and his grandparents Monty and Edith Kathleen O'Keefe till his mother remarried a man named Den Ingram. Michael Dumbell-Smith better known as Michael Crawford, is one of Britain's leading actors, so much so that he was voted into the Top "100 Greatest Britons" in a 2002 poll sponsored by the BBC. Crawford began his acting career as a seven-year-old, appearing in the première of Benjamin Britten's work for children, Let's Make an Opera. Although he most often appears in musicals, he became known to millions for his role as the hapless Frank Spencer in the television sitcom, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, for which he performed most of his own stunts. It was one of the BBC's most successful series of all time.

Crawford has played leading roles in films such as Hello, Dolly (1969), but more often appears on stage, having starred in West End productions such as Billy (based on the novel, Billy Liar) (1974), Barnum (1981) (one of the longest runs by a leading man) and, most notably, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (1986), for which he won an Olivier Award (Best Actor in a Musical), a Tony Award (Best Performance By An Actor In a Lead Role, Musical), a N.Y's Drama Desk Award, and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theatre (Lead Performance). He also performed "Music of the Night" at the Inaugural Gala for President George Bush in Washington, DC, on January 19, 1989. At the gala, Michael was presented with a birthday cake. He starred in Dance of the Vampires on Broadway during late 2002 and early 2003 and appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Woman in White which opened at the Palace Theatre, London, in September 2004. However, he was forced to leave the show in December 2004 due to ill health.

Crawford is currently (as of May 1, 2005) planning concerts for the fall, two of which are opening the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona, and the Ferguson Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia.

Filmography

1. Once Upon a Forest (1993) (voice) .... Cornelius
2. Condorman (1981) .... Woody Wilkins
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) .... White Rabbit
4. Hello-Goodbye (1970) .... Harry England
5. The Games (1970) .... Harry Hayes
6. Hello, Dolly! (1969) .... Cornelius Hackl
7. How I Won the War (1967) .... Goodbody
8. The Jokers (1967) .... Michael Tremayne
9. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) .... Hero
10. The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965) .... Colin
11. Two Left Feet (1963) .... Alan Crabbe
12. The War Lover (1962) .... Sgt. Junior Sailen
13. Two Living, One Dead (1961) .... Nils Lindwall
14. A French Mistress (1960) .... Kent
15. Soapbox Derby (1958) .... Peter Toms
16. Blow Your Own Trumpet (1958) .... Jim Fenn

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