THE MANY FACES OF MICHAEL CRAWFORD Airs on BBC Two Today

BBC Two series THE MANY FACES OF... will pay tribute to one of the most remarkable musical theatre figures of the modern age with a special salute to Michael Crawford today, April 20.

Tony Award-winning original title player in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Crawford has had a virtually incomparable career in show business, having found early success in film - including his Unforgettable supporting turn in Gene Kelly's 1969 HELLO, DOLLY!, starring Barbra Streisand, as well as in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM - and then moving onto small screen success - such as in SOME MOTHERS DO 'AVE 'EM, which he starred on for five seasons - followed by considerable stage work in the UK, including headlining BILLY, FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON and BARNUM (winning an Olivier Award), the latter of which was filmed and released on video/DVD. Then came PHANTOM.

After the worldwide success of PHANTOM - himself winning the Tony Award, Olivier Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Actor, to say nothing of a Grammy Award for "The Music Of The Night" - Crawford continued to rack up accolades and awards, finding even more acclaim and audience adulation with a dozen studio albums and various concert tours and videos, though he has found time to return to the stage in the intervening years, as well, appearing on Broadway in the short-lived DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES in 2003, and, subsequently, re-teaming with Andrew Lloyd Webber on THE WOMAN IN WHITE, and, most recently, the screen to stage adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ in 2011.

THE MANY FACES OF... Michael Crawford airs in the UK tonight at 8:30 PM on BBC Two.

More information is available at the official BBC Two site here.