Happy Birthday to Tony-winning performer Michael Crawford, born Jan. 19, 1942, in Salisbury, England. He made his stage debut in his school production of Benjamin Britten’s Let’s Make an Opera, which transferred to London’s Brixton Town Hall. He spent the rest of his teen years performing a wide range of stage, radio, and film work. Britten himself hired Crawford for the opera’s 1955 London revival and its recording later that year, and in 1958, Crawford was cast in the premiere of Britten’s opera Noye’s Fludde.
His role in the TV series Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life (1964) caught the eye of director Richard Lester, who cast Crawford in the film adaptation of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). In 1967, he made his Broadway debut in the play Black Comedy, which caught the eye of Gene Kelly, who cast Crawford in the film adaptation of Hello, Dolly! (1969). Below is Crawford and Marianne McAndrew in “It Only Takes a Moment.”
Crawford began the 1970s with the stage farce No Sex Please, We’re British (1971), which led to a starring role in the TV series Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (1973). That series made him a household name in England. His other work at that time includes the 1972 film Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the 1974 musical Billy, his first leading role on stage. His next leading roles on stage were in Flowers for Algernon (1979), which earned him an Olivier nomination, and Barnum (1981), which earned him his first Olivier Award. Below is Crawford in the 1986 TV adaptation of Barnum.
In 1986, he created the role for which he is best-known around the world, the title character of The Phantom of the Opera, winning his second Olivier and his first Tony Award. He played that role for some two and a half years and more than 1,300 shows, making his final performance on Apr. 29, 1990. Below is Crawford and Sarah Brightman at the 1988 Tony Awards.
In 1995, Crawford starred in EFX, which opened the 1,700-seat MGM Grand Theatre in Las Vegas. He returned to Broadway in the short-lived Dance of the Vampires (2002) and to the West End in The Woman in White (2004), for which he received an Olivier nomination as supporting actor. His recent work includes the London productions of Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz (2011) and The Go-Between (2016). Below is Crawford and Mandy Gonzalez in “Come with Me” from Dance of the Vampires.