Ben Crawford (born May 22, 1982) is an American singer and stage actor from Tucson, Arizona. He played the lead role of

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...

in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

'' for five years. He made his Broadway debut in 2007 in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' as the understudy for

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

and

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables.'' He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a polic ...

. His first principal role on Broadway was the title role in ''

Shrek the Musical ''Shrek The Musical'' is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film ''Shrek'', along with elements of its sequels: ''Shrek 2'', ''Shrek Forever After'' a ...

''.

Early life

Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Crawford received a BFA in Music Theatre from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

Personal life

On June 22, 2022 he announced his engagement via Instagram to former-''Phantom'' costar, Kelsey Connolly.

''The Phantom of the Opera''

Crawford made his debut performance in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' on April 16, 2018, following the tenure of Peter Joback. After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Crawford returned to the role in October 2021 and was set to be the final Phantom when the show closed after a record 35 year run on Broadway. However, he was forced out of the show on April 1, 2023 due to sickness. He was covered the last fifteen days by Jeremy Stolle, Ted Keegan, and

Laird Mackintosh Laird Mackintosh (born in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian actor based in New York City. He notably played the title role for the last performance of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut in 2011 in the role of Geo ...

.Laird Mackintosh Will Play Phantom of the Opera's Final Broadway Performance; Principal Ben Crawford Sidelined
/ref> He has no relation to the originator of the role,

Michael Crawford Michael Patrick Smith, (born 19 January 1942), known professionally as Michael Crawford, is an English tenor, actor and comedian. Crawford is best known for playing both the hapless Frank Spencer in the sitcom ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' an ...

Stage credits

References

1982 births 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American male musical theatre actors Living people {{US-theat-actor-1980s-stub