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Michael Craze (29 November 1942 – 8 December 1998) was a British actor noted for his role of
Ben Jackson, a
companion of
the Doctor, in the long-running
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
''. He played the part from 1966 to 1967 alongside both
William Hartnell
William Henry Hartnell (8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his portrayal of the first incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 to 1966. In film, Hartnell notably appeared in '' Brig ...
and
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...
.
Early life and career
Craze was born in
Newquay
Newquay ( ; kw, Tewynblustri) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, in the south west of England. It is a civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries, spaceport and a fishing port on the North Atlantic coast of ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
.
[Anneke Wills. Obituary for Michael Craze in '']The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
''. 24 December 1998. He got into acting by chance as, at the age of twelve, he discovered through
Boy Scout Gang Show
A Gang Show is a theatrical performance by members of Scouts and Guides. The shows are produced with the dual aims of providing a learning opportunity for young people in the performing arts, as well as contributing to the artistic and cultura ...
s that he had a perfect boy soprano voice. This led him to win parts in ''
The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the chil ...
''
and ''
Plain and Fancy
''Plain and Fancy'' is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn ...
'', both at Drury Lane, and ''
Damn Yankees
''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...
''
at the Coliseum. Once he had left school, he went into repertory
and got into TV through his agent. His first television was a show called ''Family Solicitor'' for
Granada, which was followed, amongst others, by a part in
ABC TV's 1960 series ''
Target Luna
''Target Luna'' was a British television serial broadcast by ABC Weekend TV in April 1960. It was written by Malcolm Hulke and Eric Paice, directed by Adrian Brown and produced by Sydney Newman who later co-created '' Doctor Who'' for the BBC. Th ...
'' (written by
Malcolm Hulke
Malcolm Ainsworth Hulke (21 November 1924 – 6 July 1979) was a British television writer and author of the industry "bible" ''Writing for Television in the 70s''. He is remembered chiefly for his work on the science fiction series ''Doctor Wh ...
and Eric Paice and produced by
Sydney Newman
Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...
).
Before ''Doctor Who'', Craze founded a film company, Mantic, and produced an award-winning short film entitled ''Fragment'' directed by Norman J Warren. It was exhibited at the Commonwealth Film Festival.
He worked on several
ITV productions, including one episode (The Last Visitor) of Hammer Films' first TV series ''
Journey to the Unknown
''Journey to the Unknown'' is a British anthology television series, produced by Hammer Film Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired on ABC from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969.[Gideon's Way
''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. J. Marric'). The series was made at Elstree Studios in twin production with ' ...]
'', ''
Dixon of Dock Green
''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...
'' and ''
Z-Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...
''.
In the 1970s Craze appeared in two cult
Norman J. Warren
Norman John Warren (25 June 1942 – 11 March 2021) was an English film director best known for such 1970s horror films as '' Satan's Slave'' (1976), ''Prey'' (1977) and '' Terror'' (1978). Warren is also known for sex comedies such as '' Oute ...
horror films: ''
Satan's Slave'' (1976) and ''
Terror'' (1978). He also appeared in the horror/fantasy/romance film ''
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand
''Neither the Sea Nor the Sand'' (also known as ''The Exorcism of Hugh'') is a 1972 British horror film, based on the book of the same name, by Gordon Honeycombe. The film is directed by Fred Burnley, and stars Susan Hampshire, Frank Finlay, Mic ...
'' (1972).
In the 1980s, Craze acted only occasionally and also managed a pub. According to his brother, the actor
Peter Craze
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
, who also appeared in ''Doctor Who'', much of Craze's later life was occupied by attending ''Doctor Who'' fan conventions.
[Voice-over commentary on the BBC DVD "]Nightmare of Eden
''Nightmare of Eden'' is the fourth serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 24 November to 15 December 1979.
The serial is set on th ...
" (1979, 2012)
Personal life
Shortly before filming William Hartnell's final episode of ''Doctor Who'', ''
The Tenth Planet
''The Tenth Planet'' is the partly missing second serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 8 to 29 October 1966. It was William Hartnell ...
'', Craze had an operation to remove a bone chip from his nose and the polystyrene “snow” thrown into a wind machine by production assistant Edwina Verner caused severe nasal irritation. Despite this, Craze would later ask her on a date and the two would marry in 1968. He had a son, Ben, with his second wife. Craze enjoyed fishing in his spare time.
Death
Craze died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
on 8 December 1998. He had fallen down some steps the previous day while picking up his neighbour's paper for her and, owing to a heart condition, was unable to be operated on. Craze's funeral was attended by hundreds of ''Doctor Who'' fans, who had become devoted to him through his regular appearances at ''Doctor Who'' conventions, as well as series stars including
Anneke Wills
Anneke Wills (; born Anna Katarina Willys, 20 October 1941) is an English actress, best known for her role as the Doctor Who companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''.
Biography
Wills's father, ...
,
Deborah Watling
Deborah Patricia Watling (2 January 1948 – 21 July 2017) was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1967 to 1968. She began her career a ...
and
Wendy Padbury
Wendy Padbury (born 7 December 1947) is a British actress and former talent agent. She has appeared in television series since 1966, including as Zoe Heriot, a companion to Patrick Troughton's Doctor in ''Doctor Who'', from 1968 to 1969.
Earl ...
. The
Doctor Who theme music
The ''Doctor Who'' theme music is a piece of music written by Australian composer Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Created in 1963, it was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for te ...
accompanied his coffin at the funeral.
Craze was
cremated
Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning.
Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...
and his ashes were scattered on the river Thames.
Filmography
Film
Television
incomplete
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Craze, Michael
1942 births
1998 deaths
English male television actors
People from Newquay
20th-century English male actors