What Is Michael Crawford's Net Worth?
Michael Crawford CBE is an English actor, comedian, and singer who has a net worth of $10 million. Michael Crawford is best known for portraying the character of Frank Spencer in the popular British sitcom "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em" and playing the Phantom in the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" – a role he immersed himself in for three and a half years. Crawford was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1988 and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014.
Early Years
Michael Patrick Smith, known professionally as Michael Crawford, was born on January 19, 1942, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. He is the son of Doris Agnes Mary Pike.
Crawford was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents on the Isle of Sheppey, an island off the northern coast of Kent, England. His mother's husband, Arthur Smith, was killed on September 6, 1940, at the age of 22, during the Battle of Britain. Doris then had a brief relationship which produced Michael.
Crawford attended St. Michael's School, a Catholic school in Bexleyheath, a town in southeast London. In the late 1940s, Doris married Lionel Dennis Ingram, a grocer, and the family relocated to Herne Hill in south London. There, Michael began using the surname Ingram and enrolled in the Oakfield Preparatory School, an independent coeducational school in West Dulwich.
Crawford made his stage debut as Sammy the Little Sweep in a school production of "Let's Make an Opera," written by English composer Benjamin Britten.
The Stage
In 1958, Crawford was chosen to portray Jaffet in the Benjamin Britten opera "Noye's Fludde," based on the story of Noah's Ark. Realizing that he wanted a career in the performing arts, Michael decided to change his surname again so that he would not be confused with established British entertainer Michael Ingrams.
Crawford went on to perform in numerous popular stage productions, such as "Come Blown Your Horn" by Neil Simon, "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, and Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."
In 1967, Michael made his Broadway debut in English playwright Peter Shaffer's one-act farce "Black Comedy." In 1969, Crawford came to the attention of American entertainer Gene Kelly who invited him to Hollywood to audition for the film adaption of the 1964 musical romantic comedy "Hello Dolly!" Michael won a role and co-starred in the production with Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau. The film won three Academy Awards and four additional nominations.
In 1974, Crawford was asked to star in the musical "Billy," based on the novel and play "Billy Liar" by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. Performing the show at the Theatre Royal on London's Drury Lane, this was Michael's first leading role on a West End stage.
In 1979, Crawford played Charley Gordon in the musical "Flowers for Algernon." In 1981, he portrayed American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum in a London production of American composer Cy Coleman's musical "Barnum." In preparation for the role, Michael enrolled in the Big Apple Circus School in New York, learning the arts of tightrope walking, juggling, and acrobatics. He later won an Olivier Award for "Best Actor in a Musical" on a London stage.
In 1986, at Her Majesty's Theatre in London's West End, Crawford began portraying the Phantom in the musical "Phantom of the Opera." He would carry out that role in over 1,300 performances over the next three and a half years, earning him an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical, a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role, Musical, a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theater, Lead Performance.
In 1995, Crawford starred in the Las Vegas Strip production "EFX" at the MGM Grand Theatre. However, an accident during a stunt led to his leaving the show and having hip replacement surgery.
Michael starred as Count von Krolock in the 2002 Broadway musical "Dance of the Vampires," an adaptation of the 1967 Roman Polanski film. In 2004, he played Count Fosco in the musical "The Woman in White," based on the 1860 novel by Wilkie Collins, but he had to leave the production early due to health issues.
In 2011, Crawford portrayed the Wizard in the musical version of "The Wizard of Oz" by English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and English lyricist and author Tim Rice. The show opened at the London Palladium on March 1 of that year. In 2016, Michael starred in the musical "The Go-Between" in London's Apollo Theatre.
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Television
In 1964, Crawford was offered the role of tough-guy character Byron in the British television satire series "Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life."
In 1973, Michael was cast as Frank Spencer in "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em," a British sitcom in which Frank experiences one disaster after another while trying to gain and keep employment. The show became one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's most popular television series. Crawford performed all of his own stunts on the show.
Radio
Michael appeared in hundreds of British radio and television shows, such as "Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School," a television show that ran from 1952 to 1961, and the 26-part adventure television series "Sir Francis Drake," which aired from 1961 to 1962.
Film
Crawford made his film debut in 1958 in the film "Blow Your Own Trumpet" about a young man who desperately wants to play the cornet in the local brass band.
In 1962, Michael was offered a role in the British war film "The War Lover," loosely based on the 1959 novel by John Hersey. The following year, he played the leading role in the British comedy-drama film "Two Left Feet" based on a 1960 David Stuart Leslie Novel.
In 1965, Crawford was cast in the British comedy film "The Knack… and How to Get It" which met with great success. He was also cast in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," a film adaption of American composer Stephen Sondheim's musical.
Michael was cast in the British comedy "How I Won the War" in 1967, which included musician John Lennon among its cast members. That same year, Crawford starred in the British comedy film "The Jokers," in which two brothers scheme to steal the Crown Jewels.
In 1972, Michael portrayed the White Rabbit in the British musical film "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." In 1981, he played an eccentric comic book writer named Woody Wilkins in the Disney comedy film "Condorman." Television and movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert later rated the film as one of the year's worst.
Voice Work
In 1993, Crawford voiced the character of Cornelius in the 20th Century Fox animated adventure film "Once Upon a Forest."
Music
In 1987, a double-sided single record was released featuring music from "The Phantom of the Opera." One side contained the song "The Music of the Night," sung by Crawford. It reached #7 on the United Kingdom's Singles Chart. That same year, Michael released "Songs for the Stage of Screen," an album of show tunes he recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. It reached #12 on the United Kingdom's Albums Chart. Crawford went on to release several other albums, including "With Love/The Phantom Unmasked" in 1989 and "The Disney Album" in 2001.
Personal Life
Michael married Gabrielle Lewis in 1965. They divorced in 1975, and he has three children from that relationship.
Crawford has served as president of The Sick Children's Trust charity since 1987 and is a patron of Australia's Lighthouse Foundation.
