VIDEO: On This Day, January 19- Happy Birthday, Michael Crawford!

On this day we're wishing a very Happy Birthday to Broadway's original Phantom, the great Michael Crawford!

Michael Crawford created the role of 'The Phantom' in the hit musical earning him an astonishing catalogue of critical recognition including Broadway's Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Los Angeles Dramalogue Award and Drama Critics Award. After opening in Phantom on October 9, 1986, he was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen, as well as receiving his second Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

He played the part for three and a half years as the toast of London, New York, and Los Angeles. In 2014, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for charitable and philanthropic services, particularly to children's charities. Most recently, he again returned to the West End stage, starring in the new musical The Go-Between, which played to rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences for a limited run at the Apollo Shaftesbury Theater. 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.