Michael Crawford, OBE (born 19 January 1942), is an English actor and singer. He has won critical acclaim and numerous awards during his career, which includes radio, television and stage (including appearing on stage in the West End in London, and on Broadway in New York). Although he most often appears on stage, in musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera and Barnum, he first became a household name and famous to millions for his role as the hapless Frank Spencer on the British television sitcom Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973-78), for which he performed most of his own stunts. The series became one of the BBC's most successful programmes of all time. Crawford has been appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and has also been named Showbusiness Personality of the Year by the Variety Club of Great Britain.