Whatever Happened To ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Star Michael Crawford?
What To Know
- Michael Crawford, renowned for roles such as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and the original Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, is being honored as a 2025 Kennedy Center Honoree.
- His versatile career spans stage, television, and film, earning him major awards like the Olivier and Tony, despite facing health challenges including a serious onstage injury and myalgic encephalomyelitis.
- Crawford has remained active in theater, music, and charity work, notably serving as President of the Sick Children’s Trust since 1987.
Though British actor Michael Crawford, 83, has had a long career, to many, he’ll always be the mask-wearing Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical that earned Crawford a Best Actor Tony and made him an international star. But Crawford’s full 50-year-plus career was celebrated when he became a 2025 Kennedy Center honoree. Viewers can catch all the action on December 23, 2025, on CBS at 8pm ET, when the Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast.
How did Michael Crawford begin his career?
Born Michael Patrick Smith on January 19, 1942, in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, Crawford was raised in a close-knit Roman Catholic family. By his teens, he was already working in serious stage productions associated with composer Benjamin Britten and by the late 1950s and early 1960s, Crawford was working steadily. He appeared in radio dramas, television series, and films, building a reputation as a performer capable of handling any genre. During this period, he adopted the stage name Michael Crawford to avoid confusion with another performer.
Paul Morigi/Getty Images
American audiences first saw him in 1969’s Hello, Dolly!, where he played Cornelius Hackl opposite Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau. Crawford then experienced a professional slowdown, taking non-performing jobs while waiting for his next real break. However, that changed dramatically in the early 1970s, when he was cast as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. The character’s anxious energy and mishaps turned the show into one of the BBC’s biggest hits. Crawford performed his own stunts throughout the series, drawing inspiration from silent film comedians like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The role made him a household name in the UK.
Afterwards, Crawford shifted back to the stage, determined to prove he could do more than sitcom comedy. His starring turn in the musical Barnum in London required intense physical training, including tightrope walking and aerial stunts. The performance earned him his first Laurence Olivier Award and reintroduced him as a serious force in musical theater.
Everything changed again when Andrew Lloyd Webber cast Crawford as the original Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. Despite skepticism from critics who still associated him with Frank Spencer, Crawford’s performance won over audiences and earned him both an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. He performed the role more than 1,300 times across London, Broadway, and Los Angeles, helping define the character for generations to come.
Getty Images
After leaving Phantom, Crawford continued taking on ambitious projects, including the Las Vegas production EFX, where he suffered an onstage injury that ultimately led to a hip replacement. In the years that followed, he returned to the stage in productions such as The Woman in White and The Wizard of Oz, though health issues increasingly affected his workload. He later revealed he had been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, a post-viral condition that took years to manage and recover from.
Where is Michael Crawford today?
Even as his appearances became more selective, Crawford never fully stepped away. He participated in major anniversary events for The Phantom of the Opera, reprised Frank Spencer for a one-off Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em charity special in 2016, and continued working in theater into his seventies. His recording career also remained active over the years, with multiple charting albums and collaborations, including a Grammy-nominated duet of “The Music of the Night” with Barbra Streisand.
Andrew Matthews – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Beyond performance, Crawford has long been dedicated to charity work. Since 1987, he has served as President of the Sick Children’s Trust, a role he has consistently described as one of the most meaningful parts of his life. His charitable efforts, combined with decades of artistic achievement, led to his appointment as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014. Now 83 years old, Crawford received the Kennedy Center Honor on December 7, 2025, recognizing his lifetime artistic achievement across television, film, stage and music.
Remind 
Classic Hollywood Hunks
September 2019
Cary Grant, Sean Connery, Rock Hudson and Paul Newman, smoldered onscreen and, in addition to being smokin’ hot, they were effortlessly cool.
Buy This Issue