Michael Craig
Born
Michael Francis Gregson

(1929-01-27) 27 January 1929
Poona, British India (now Pune, Maharashtra, India)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • screenwriter
Years active1949–2011, 2023[1]
Spouses
  • Babette Collier
  • Susan Walker
Children3; including Jessica Gregson
RelativesRichard Gregson (brother)
Natasha Gregson Wagner (niece)
Reginald Hanson (great-grandfather)
Julia Gregson (sister-in-law)

Michael Francis Gregson (born 27 January 1929),[1] known professionally as Michael Craig, is a British actor and screenwriter, known for his work in theatre, film and television[2] both in the United Kingdom and in Australia.[3]

Biography

Craig was born in Poona, British India, 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.[1]

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.[4] His stage credits include A Whistle in the Dark (Apollo Theatre, 1961), Wars of the Roses (RSC at Stratford 1963–64), Funny Girl (with Barbra Streisand at the Prince of Wales Theatre 1966), Pinter's The Homecoming (Music Box Theatre, Broadway 1966–67) and the lead role in Trying in Australia in 2007 and at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 2009.[4][5]

Screen: Film and television

Craig made his film debut in a non-speaking part, as an uncredited extra in 1949.[6] He was then talent-spotted at the Oxford Playhouse 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[7] Groomed as a star by the Rank Organisation, he appeared in a number of films, including Campbell's Kingdom (1957), Sea of Sand (1958), The Silent Enemy (1958), Sapphire (1959), Doctor in Love (1960), Cone of Silence (1960), Mysterious Island (1961), The Iron Maiden (1962), A Choice of Kings, Modesty Blaise (1966), Turkey Shoot (1982), Ride a Wild Pony (1975) and Appointment with Death (1988).[6] He received a BAFTA Best actor nomination for his performance in Sea of Sand (1958).[8] In October 1956, John Davis, managing director of Rank, announced him as one of the actors under contract that Davis thought would become an international star.[9]

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 (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 (1991), Grass Roots (2000) and Always Greener (2003).[10] He was the subject of an hour-long interview on his life and career recorded for and broadcast on Talking Pictures TV in 2018.

Scriptwriting credits

Craig's scriptwriting credits include the ABC-TV trilogy The Fourth Wish (1974), which starred John Meillon 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.[4] Alongside his co-writers, Richard Gregson (his brother) and Bryan Forbes, Craig was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of The Angry Silence (1960).[11]

Personal life

Craig's first wife was Babette Collier. His second is the Australian actress Susan Walker.[7] He is the father of Jessica Gregson; his brother was the film producer Richard Gregson and, because of Richard's marriage to Natalie Wood, Craig is an uncle of the actress Natasha Gregson Wagner. His autobiography, The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life, was published in 2005.[12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Type
1949 Passport to Pimlico Uncredited Feature film
1951 The Lady with a Lamp Wounded Soldier Feature film
1953 Malta Story British Officer (uncredited) Feature film
1954 The Love Lottery Cameraman Assistant (uncredited) Feature film
1954 The Embezzler Dr. Forrest Feature film
1954 Svengali Zouzou Feature film
1955 Passage Home Burton Feature film
1956 The Black Tent Sheik Faris Feature film
1956 Yield to the Night Jim Lancaster Feature film
1956 Eyewitness Jay Church Feature film
1956 House of Secrets Larry Ellis / Steve Chancellor Feature film
1957 High Tide at Noon Nils Feature film
1957 Campbell's Kingdom Boy Bladen Feature film
1958 The Silent Enemy Leading Seaman Knowles Feature film
1958 Nor the Moon by Night Rusty Miller Feature film
1958 Sea of Sand Captain Cotton Feature film
1959 Life in Emergency Ward 10 Dr. Stephen Russell Feature film
1959 Sapphire Inspector Phil Learoyd Feature film
1959 Upstairs and Downstairs Richard Barry Feature film
1960 The Angry Silence Joe Wallace Feature film
1960 Cone of Silence Captain Hugh Dallas Feature film
1960 Doctor in Love Dr. Richard Hare Feature film
1961 Payroll Johnny Mellors Feature film
1961 Mysterious Island Captain Cyrus Harding Feature film
1961 No My Darling Daughter Thomas Barclay Feature film
1962 A Pair of Briefs Tony Stevens Feature film
1962 Life for Ruth John Paul Harris Feature film
1962 The Iron Maiden Jack Hopkins Feature film
1962 The Captive City Captain Robert Elliott Feature film
1963 Stolen Hours Dr. John Carmody Feature film
1965 Sandra Andrew Dawdson Feature film
1965 Life at the Top Mark Feature film
1966 A Choice of Kings Harold Godwinson TV movie
1966 Modesty Blaise Paul Hagan Feature film
1968 Star! Sir Anthony Spencer Feature film
1969 The Royal Hunt of the Sun Estete Feature film
1970 Twinky Daddy Feature film
1970 Country Dance Douglas Dow Feature film
1970 Rendezvous with Dishonour Colonel Stephen Mallory Feature film
1971 A Town Called Bastard Paco Feature film
1973 The Vault of Horror Maitland Anthology film
Segment 4: "Bargain in Death"
1974 Essington Feature film
1975 Last Rites Eric Cordett Feature film
1975 Inn of the Damned Paul Melford Feature film
1975 Ride a Wild Pony James Ellison Feature film
1976 The Fourth Wish Dr. Richardson Feature film
1978 The Irishman Paddy Doolan Feature film
1982 Turkey Shoot Charles Thatcher Feature film
1988 Appointment with Death Lord Peel Feature film
2003 Fat Pizza Judge Feature film

Television

Year Title Role Type
1970 Shadows of Fear TV series
1973 Arthur of the Britons TV series
1976 The Emigrants Bill Parker TV miniseries
1976 Rush TV series
1979 The Danedyke Mystery Reverend Septimus Treloar TV series
1980 The Professionals TV series
1980 Shoestring TV series
1980 The Timeless Land Stephen Mannion TV series
1981-83 Triangle Captain John Anderson TV series
1982 Tales of the Unexpected TV series
1986 Robin of Sherwood Earl of Huntingdon TV series
1986 Doctor Who Commodore Travers TV series,
Serial: Terror of the Vervoids
1989-95 G.P. Dr. William Sharp TV series
1991 Brides of Christ TV miniseries
2000 Grass Roots Gordon Mahon TV series
2003 Always Greener TV series
2005 The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant Judge Stephens TV miniseries
2018 Talking Pictures TV TV special - interview

References

  1. 1 2 3 Craig's autobiography, The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life
  2. "Michael Craig". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016.
  3. "Sunday Brunch – Michael Craig". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 June 2007.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Timeless Land" from the ABC television series, Australian Broadcasting Commission, Sydney, 1980. ISBN 0-642-97469-1
  5. "Michael Craig – Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  6. 1 2 "Michael Craig – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie". AllMovie.
  7. 1 2 McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781526111975 via Google Books.
  8. "1959 Film British Actor – BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
  9. Wiseman, Thomas (22 November 1956). "Mr Davis Takes on Hollywood". Nottingham Evening Post. p. 9.
  10. "Michael Craig". aveleyman.com.
  11. "The 33rd Academy Awards – 1961".
  12. "The Smallest Giant – Michael Craig – 9781741145656 – Allen & Unwin – Australia". allenandunwin.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
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