Michael Crawford Biography

Long a star of stage, screen and television in his native England, Michael Crawford garnered international fame, when, in the fall of 1986, he originated the title role in Andrew Lloyd Weber's smash musical The Phantom of the Opera. Crawford's kudos included a Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Drama League Award. Back home in the U.K., his Phantom performance earned him the 1987 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, an accolade he had previously received for his role in Barnum, staged in London's West End. Crawford also made a mark with his vocal performance on Phantom, 1987's world-wide hit London cast recording, whose international sales tally stands in excess of 12 million. Other recordings include: the RIAA platinum-certified Michael Crawford Performs Andrew Lloyd Webber; Michael Crawford in Concert, the companion album to his dual Emmy-nominated PBS special; On Eagle's Wings, a collection of sacred songs that were a hit on Billboard's Contemporary Christian chart; and the companion album to EFX, which debuted in Las Vegas with Crawford in the high-profile starring role. Crawford's numerous screen and stage credits range from the acclaimed film version of Hello Dolly and his much-touted performance in the London staging of Flowers for Algernon to his much-loved character in the 1970's British sit-com Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. The story of Crawford's varied and distinguished 40-year career was told with the release of Parcel Arrived Safely: Tied With String, his autobiography which traces the road from his World War II-era youth to his film work alongside John Lennon and Steve McQueen and his years as the original Phantom.