Michael Francis Gregson (born 27 January 1929),Craig's autobiography, ''The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life'' known professionally as Michael Craig, is a British actor and screenwriter, known for his work in theatre, film and television both in the United Kingdom and in Australia.

Biography

Craig was born in Poona,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, the son of Donald Gregson, who served in the 3rd Indian Cavalry as a captain. He was the elder brother of film producer and screenwriter Richard Gregson.Craig's autobiography, ''The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life''

Acting career

Theatre

Craig began his entertainment career in the theatre. His first job was as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre, Farnham, England in 1950.''" The Timeless Land" from the ABC television series'',

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

, Sydney, 1980. His stage credits include '' A Whistle in the Dark'' (

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, 1961), ''

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

'' ( RSC at Stratford 1963–64), '' Funny Girl'' (with

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

1966),

Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that span ...

's ''

The Homecoming ''The Homecoming'' is a two-act play written in 1964 by Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. Its premières in London (1965) and New York (1967) were both directed by Sir Peter Hall. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony A ...

'' (

Music Box Theatre The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...

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 ...

1966–67) and the lead role in ''Trying'' in Australia in 2007 and at the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world pr ...

, London, in 2009.

Screen: Film and television

Craig made his film debut in a non-speaking part, as an uncredited extra in 1949. He was then talent-spotted at the

Oxford Playhouse Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F.G.M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Oxfo ...

and gained his first speaking part in an uncredited role in '' Malta Story'' (1953). He gained his first credited role the following year in 1954, in '' The Embezzler'' Groomed as a star by the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distrib ...

, he appeared in a number of films, including ''

Campbell's Kingdom ''Campbell's Kingdom'' is a 1957 British adventure film directed by Ralph Thomas, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Hammond Innes. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, with Michael Craig, Barbara Murray, James Robertson Ju ...

'' (1957), '' Sea of Sand'' (1958), '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958), ''

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

'' (1959), ''

Doctor in Love ''Doctor in Love'' is a 1960 British comedy film, the fourth of the seven films in the ''Doctor'' series, starring James Robertson Justice as Sir Lancelot Spratt and Michael Craig as Dr Richard Hare. This was the first film in the series not t ...

'' (1960), '' Cone of Silence'' (1960), '' Mysterious Island'' (1961), '' The Iron Maiden'' (1962), ''

A Choice of Kings "A Choice of Kings" is a television drama film and stage play by John Mortimer. It was first produced in 1966 in the ITV Play of the Week series, directed by John Frankau, starring Michael Craig. Outline The action is set at the court of Edwar ...

'', ''

Modesty Blaise ''Modesty Blaise'' is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents ...

'' (1966), ''

Turkey Shoot A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to take advantage of a situation with a significant degree of ease. The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intention ...

'' (1982), '' Ride a Wild Pony'' (1975) and ''

Appointment with Death ''Appointment with Death'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 2 May 1938 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. The UK edition retai ...

'' (1988). He received a BAFTA Best actor nomination for his performance in '' Sea of Sand'' (1958). His television credits include '' Arthur of the Britons'' (1973), '' The Emigrants'' (1976), '' Rush'' (1976), '' The Danedyke Mystery'' (1979), '' The Professionals'' (1980), '' Shoestring'' (1980), '' The Timeless Land'' (1980), ''

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

'' (1981–83), '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1982), '' Robin of Sherwood'' (1986), '' Doctor Who'' (in the serial '' Terror of the Vervoids'' 1986), the Australian series '' G.P.'' (1989–95), ''

Brides of Christ ''Brides of Christ'' is an Australian television miniseries produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1991.Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 94 The series takes place behind the walls of a Sy ...

'' (1991), ''

Grass Roots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

'' (2000) and ''

Always Greener ''Always Greener'' was an Australian television drama/ comedy series that aired on the Seven Network which followed the fortunes of two families, one from the city and the other from the country, when they decide to switch homes and start a new ...

'' (2003). He was the subject of an hour-long interview on his life and career recorded for and broadcast on

Talking Pictures TV Talking Pictures TV (TPTV) is a British free-to-air vintage-film and nostalgia television channel. It was launched on 26 May 2015 on Sky channel 343, but later also became available on Freeview, Freesat, and Virgin Media. It is on air for 24 h ...

in 2018.

Scriptwriting credits

Craig's scriptwriting credits include the ABC-TV trilogy ''The Fourth Wish'' (1974), which starred

John Meillon John Meillon, ( ; 1 May 1934 – 11 August 1989), was an Australian character actor, known for many straight as well as comedy roles, he became most widely known internationally as Walter Reilly in the films ''Crocodile Dundee'' and ''Crocodil ...

in an award-winning performance as the father of a dying boy. Craig also wrote the screenplay for the feature film '' The Fourth Wish'' (1976), which was produced following the success of the television series. Alongside his co-writers, Richard Gregson (his brother) and

Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2013 and ...

, Craig was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for the screenplay of '' The Angry Silence'' (1960).

Personal life

Craig's first wife was Babette Collier. His second is the Australian actress Susan Walker. He is the father of Jessica Gregson; his brother was the film producer Richard Gregson and, because of Richard's marriage to

Natalie Wood Natalie Wood ( Zacharenko; July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was an American actress who began her career in film as a child and successfully transitioned to young adult roles. Wood started acting at age four and was given a co-starring r ...

, Craig is an uncle of the actress Natasha Gregson Wagner. His autobiography, ''The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life'', was published in 2005.

Selected filmography

* ''

Passport to Pimlico ''Passport to Pimlico'' is a 1949 British comedy film made by Ealing Studios and starring Stanley Holloway, Margaret Rutherford and Hermione Baddeley. It was directed by Henry Cornelius and written by T. E. B. Clarke. The story concerns the u ...

'' (1949) - (uncredited) * ''

The Lady with a Lamp ''The Lady with a Lamp'' is a 1951 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding and Felix Aylmer. The film depicts the life of Florence Nightingale and her work with wounded British soldiers duri ...

'' (1951) - Wounded soldier * '' Malta Story'' (1953) - British Officer (uncredited) * ''

The Love Lottery ''The Love Lottery'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and starring David Niven, Peggy Cummins, Anne Vernon and Herbert Lom. Produced by Ealing Studios it was one of several Ealing Comedies that veered away from the stan ...

'' (1954) - Cameraman Assistant (uncredited) * '' The Embezzler'' (1954) - Dr. Forrest * ''

Svengali Svengali () is a character in the novel ''Trilby'' which was first published in 1894 by George du Maurier. Svengali is a man who seduces, dominates and exploits Trilby, a young half-Irish girl, and makes her into a famous singer. Definition ...

'' (1954) - Zouzou * '' Passage Home'' (1955) - Burton * ''

The Black Tent ''The Black Tent'' is a 1956 British war film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Donald Sinden, Anthony Steel, Anna Maria Sandri, André Morell and Donald Pleasence. It is set in North Africa, during the Second World War and was filmed ...

'' (1956) - Sheik Faris * '' Yield to the Night'' (1956) - Jim Lancaster * '' Eyewitness'' (1956) - Jay Church * '' House of Secrets'' (1956) - Larry Ellis / Steve Chancellor (dec.) * ''

High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...

'' (1957) - Nils * ''

'' (1957) - Boy Bladen * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) - Leading Seaman Knowles * '' Nor the Moon by Night'' (1958) - Rusty Miller * '' Sea of Sand'' (1958) - Capt. Cotton * '' Life in Emergency Ward 10'' (1959) - Dr. Stephen Russell * ''

'' (1959) - Inspector Phil Learoyd * ''

Upstairs and Downstairs ''Upstairs and Downstairs'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid James. It feature ...

'' (1959) - Richard Barry * '' The Angry Silence'' (1960) - Joe Wallace * '' Cone of Silence'' (1960) - Capt. Hugh Dallas * ''

'' (1960) - Dr. Richard Hare * ''

Payroll A payroll is the list of employees of some company that is entitled to receive payments as well as other work benefits and the amounts that each should receive. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time worked or tasks pe ...

'' (1961) - Johnny Mellors * '' Mysterious Island'' (1961) - Capt. Cyrus Harding * '' No My Darling Daughter'' (1961) - Thomas Barclay * ''

A Pair of Briefs ''A Pair of Briefs'' is a 1962 black and white British courtroom comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Mary Peach, Brenda De Banzie and James Robertson Justice. The screenplay concerns a newly qualified female barri ...

'' (1962) - Tony Stevens * '' Life for Ruth'' (1962) - John Paul Harris * '' The Iron Maiden'' (1962) - Jack Hopkins * '' The Captive City'' (1962) - Capt. Robert Elliott * '' Stolen Hours'' (1963) - Dr. John Carmody * '' Sandra'' (1965) - Andrew Dawdson * '' Life at the Top'' (1965) - Mark * ''

'' (1966) - Paul Hagan * '' Star!'' (1968) - Sir Anthony Spencer * ''

The Royal Hunt of the Sun ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' is a 1964 play by Peter Shaffer that dramatizes the relation of two worlds entering in a conflict by portraying two characters: Atahuallpa Inca and Francisco Pizarro. Performance history Premiere ''The Royal Hunt ...

'' (1969) - Estete * '' Twinky'' (1970) - Daddy * ''

Country Dance A country dance is any of a very large number of social dances of a type that originated in the British Isles; it is the repeated execution of a predefined sequence of figures, carefully designed to fit a fixed length of music, performed by a ...

'' (1970) - Douglas Dow * '' Rendezvous with Dishonour'' (1970) - Colonel Stephen Mallory * '' A Town Called Bastard'' (1971) - Paco * '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) - Maitland (segment 4 "Bargain in Death") * ''

Last Rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. They may be administered to those awaiting execution, mortall ...

'' (1975) - Eric Cordett * '' Inn of the Damned'' (1975) - Paul Melford * '' Ride a Wild Pony'' (1975) - James Ellison * '' The Emigrants'' (1976) - Bill Parker * '' The Fourth Wish'' (1976) - Dr. Richardson * ''

The Irishman ''The Irishman'' (subtitled onscreen as ''I Heard You Paint Houses'') is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese and written by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 nonfiction book ''I Heard You Paint Hou ...

'' (1978) - Paddy Doolan * ''

'' (1982) - Charles Thatcher * ''

'' (1988) - Lord Peel * '' Fat Pizza'' (2003) - Judge * ''

The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant ''The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant'' is a 2005 miniseries loosely based on the life of Mary Bryant, an English girl from Cornwall who in this telling was convicted of petty theft (though the historical Mary Bryant was transported for a viole ...

'' (2005) - Judge Stephens

References

External links

* * *
Review for Trying in Australia 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craig, Michael 1929 births Living people British expatriates in Australia British male film actors Australian male film actors British male television actors Australian male television actors British male stage actors Logie Award winners British people in colonial India Male actors from Pune