Michael Crawford, great musical talent lost to the stage
Posted: February 15th, 2008, 3:41 pm
Michael Crawford had a good start to his film career, he did The Knack with Rita Tushingham and Ray Brooks. had the 2nd male lead in Hello Dolly and was one of three athletes, Ryan O'Neal another, trying to win the Olyimpic gold medal for the marathon in The Games, only for his chances to disappear after coach Stanley Baker orders him to run the race in a suicidal two hours
Michael gained great popularity in the UK for his role of camp Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Have Em on television with Michelle Dotriche as his long suffering wife Betty. Frank may have been camp, but Michael was certainly matcho in doing his own stunts in the series like driving a car of a pear, hanging on to moving bus while on roller skates and dangling from a great height when employed as a widow washer.
However, it was on the musical stage he found his mark scoring hits with Billy Liar, Barnum (where he did his own stunts on the high wire and later helped Torvil And Dean to a World Championship Gold Medal after they did a spectacular routine as a tribute of the show.
his greatest triumph came on both the West-End and Broadway stage in Phantom Of The Opera with Serah Brightman
Michael gained great popularity in the UK for his role of camp Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do Have Em on television with Michelle Dotriche as his long suffering wife Betty. Frank may have been camp, but Michael was certainly matcho in doing his own stunts in the series like driving a car of a pear, hanging on to moving bus while on roller skates and dangling from a great height when employed as a widow washer.
However, it was on the musical stage he found his mark scoring hits with Billy Liar, Barnum (where he did his own stunts on the high wire and later helped Torvil And Dean to a World Championship Gold Medal after they did a spectacular routine as a tribute of the show.
his greatest triumph came on both the West-End and Broadway stage in Phantom Of The Opera with Serah Brightman