A Herne Hill-based actor, most famous for his role as the ‘hapless’ Frank Spencer in the 70s sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’, has been nominated to receive a blue plaque.
Michael Crawford OBE CBE (Michael Patrick Smith), 80, moved to Herne Hill at the age of ten, where he attended Oakfield Preparatory School in West Dulwich. He had a few stage roles as a teenager and by age fourteen, he was working steadily as an actor.
He is perhaps most famous for his role as Frank Spencer in the 70s sitcom ‘Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em’ – and later for his portrayal of the original Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ in 1986.
In 2002, he was voted 17th in a BBC television poll of ‘100 Greatest Britons.’
Crawford lived at 16 Half Moon Lane, Herne Hill, above the David Greig store (now the Peachy Goat vegetarian restaurant) where his stepfather worked as a grocer.
The distinctive ‘DG’ tiling of the former David Greig store can still be seen at the address, which is now a vegetarian restaurant, Peachy Goat.
In recognition of his career achievements, Michael was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, and a Commander of The British Empire (CBE) in 2014 for his services to charity, namely the Michael Crawford Children’s Charity and The Sick Children’s Trust.
For the past nineteen years the News is proud to have been one of the founders of the Blue Plaque scheme here in Southwark and nominations are now open for next year.
The scheme came about after the News and Southwark Heritage Association tried to find a way around English Heritage’s strict criteria, that a building must be standing and the person dead for them to qualify.
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The latter was not really a problem, but the idea that so much of our rich heritage could not be recognised because a building was no longer there was not acceptable to us. Much of our physical heritage was destroyed in the Blitz, but it is perhaps the 1960s and ‘70s architects who did the most damage. So, we invited Southwark Council to join us in drawing up our own Blue Plaques and getting local people to vote. There are now well over 50 blue plaques across the borough.
To vote for Michael Crawford or any of the nominees for a Southwark Blue Plaque, please email [email protected] or [email protected] with the name of the person you want to nominate. Voting closes on Thursday 1st June.
