Michael Praed
Encyclopedia
Michael Praed is a British
actor
, is probably best known for his role as Robin of Loxley (Robin Hood
) in the British television series Robin of Sherwood
, which attained cult status worldwide in the 1980s. However, the actor is also recognized for his role as Prince Michael of Moldavia on the American
primetime soap Dynasty
, Phileas Fogg
in The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
, and various films. Additionally, Praed is known in his native Britain
for his stage work (both in musicals and straight drama) and lately for his narrations. He has been the regular narrator for BBC's history programme Timewatch
since 2003. Starting from July 2009, he will be starring as Captain Von Trapp in the UK National Tour of The Sound of Music
. He was educated at the independent school Eastbourne College
.
word for "meadow". Praed picked it out of a telephone book and selected it as a stage name
after discovering that the UK actors' trade union Equity already had a "Michael Prince" among its members.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, is probably best known for his role as Robin of Loxley (Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
) in the British television series Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood
Robin of Sherwood , was a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. In America it was retitled Robin Hood and shown on the premium cable TV channel...
, which attained cult status worldwide in the 1980s. However, the actor is also recognized for his role as Prince Michael of Moldavia on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
primetime soap Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, Phileas Fogg
Phileas Fogg (SAJV)
The fictional character of Phileas Fogg was re-written for the science fiction television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and is a substantially different character than the Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days....
in The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
, and various films. Additionally, Praed is known in his native Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for his stage work (both in musicals and straight drama) and lately for his narrations. He has been the regular narrator for BBC's history programme Timewatch
Timewatch
Timewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29th September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual...
since 2003. Starting from July 2009, he will be starring as Captain Von Trapp in the UK National Tour of The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. He was educated at the independent school Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College
Eastbourne College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, situated on the south coast of England, included in the Tatler list of top public schools. The College's current headmaster is Simon Davies. The College was founded by the Duke of Devonshire...
.
Stage name
"Praed" is an old CornishCornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
word for "meadow". Praed picked it out of a telephone book and selected it as a stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
after discovering that the UK actors' trade union Equity already had a "Michael Prince" among its members.
Television
- Robin of Loxley in Robin of SherwoodRobin of SherwoodRobin of Sherwood , was a British television series, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Created by Richard Carpenter, it was produced by HTV in association with Goldcrest, and ran from 1984 to 1986 on the ITV network. In America it was retitled Robin Hood and shown on the premium cable TV channel...
(1983–84) - Prince Michael of Moldavia in DynastyDynasty (TV series)Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
(1985-86) - Jake Lovell in the mini-series Riders (1993)
- Marty James in Crown Prosecutor (1995)
- Phileas FoggPhileas Fogg (SAJV)The fictional character of Phileas Fogg was re-written for the science fiction television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne and is a substantially different character than the Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne's book Around the World in Eighty Days....
in The Secret Adventures of Jules VerneThe Secret Adventures of Jules VerneThe Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
(1999) - Michael Webb in Mile HighMile HighMile High is a British television drama based on the lives of the cabin crew members of "fresh!", a budget airline based in London. The name of the show comes from the "Mile High Club". The show was broadcast on Sky1 from 2003 to 2005.-Background:...
(2003) - Nelson Morris in Hindenburg: The Untold StoryHindenburg: The Untold StoryHindenburg: The Untold Story known in Germany as Das Geheimnis der Hindenburg and Die Hindenburg: die ungeklärte Katastrophe, is a two-hour docudrama about the disaster of the Hindenburg, and the investigation that followed. It aired on May 6, 2007 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the disaster...
(Canadian title) (2007) - In addition, guest appearances in more than a dozen television shows (1982–present)
Stage
- Frederick in the Joseph PappJoseph PappJoseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
production of the musical The Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Theatre Royal Drury Lane - London (1982–83) - D'Artagnan in the revival of Rudolf Friml's The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (musical)The Three Musketeers is a musical with a book by William Anthony McGuire, lyrics by Clifford Grey and P. G. Wodehouse, and music by Rudolf Friml. It is based on the classic 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas, père....
, Broadway Theatre - New York City (1985) - Billy Bigelow in a revival of the Rodgers and HammersteinRodgers and HammersteinRichard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
musical CarouselCarousel (musical)Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
, Tivoli Theatre - Dublin (1991) - Alex in Andrew Lloyd Webber'sAndrew Lloyd WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
musical Aspects of LoveAspects of LoveAspects of Love is a musical/chamber opera with a book and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is famous for the song "Love Changes Everything."...
at the Prince of Wales Theatre - London (1991–92) - Mick in Harold Pinter'sHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
The CaretakerThe CaretakerThe Caretaker is a play by Harold Pinter. It was first published by both Encore Publishing and Eyre Methuen in 1960. The sixth play that Pinter wrote for stage or television production, it was his first significant commercial success...
at the Nottingham Playhouse - Nottingham (1993) - Evan Davies in Daphne du Maurier'sDaphne du MaurierDame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
September Tide with Susannah YorkSusannah YorkSusannah York was a British film, stage and television actress. She was awarded a BAFTA as Best Supporting Actress for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for the same film. She won best actress for Images at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival...
at the Comedy Theatre - London (1994) - Otto in Noël Coward'sNoël CowardSir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
Design for LivingDesign for LivingDesign for Living is a comedy play written by Noël Coward in 1932. It concerns a trio of artistic characters, Gilda, Otto and Leo, and their complicated three-way relationship. Originally written to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and Coward, it was premiered on Broadway, partly because its risqué...
with Rachel WeiszRachel WeiszRachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
at the Gielgud Theatre - London (1995) - Tony/Stephen in Barry Manilow'sBarry ManilowBarry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
Copacabana: The Musical, first tour of Britain (1996–97) - Jack Locke in Dangerous to Know, tour of Britain (1998)
- Michael Wiley in Susan Stroman'sSusan StromanSusan Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director, and performer. She has won the Tony Award for both her choreography and direction, notably for the stage musical The Producers.-Early years:...
musical ContactContact (musical)Contact: The Musical is a musical "dance play" that was developed by Susan Stroman and John Weidman, with its "book" by Weidman and both choreography and direction by Stroman. It ran both off-Broadway and on Broadway in 1999 - 2000. It consists of three separate one-act dance...
with Leigh ZimmermanLeigh ZimmermanLeigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane and in London's West End in The Seven Year Itch and Chicago.In 1992, she had a minor role in Home...
at the Queen's Theatre - London (2002–03) - Bernard Kersal in Somerset Maugham's The Constant WifeThe Constant WifeThe Constant Wife, a comedy of manners, was written by W. Somerset Maugham in 1926 and later published for general sales in April 1927.- Plot :...
, tour of Britain (2003). - Theodore Hoffman in Carl Djerassi'sCarl DjerassiCarl Djerassi is an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill . Djerassi is emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University.He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E...
Three on a Couch with Leigh ZimmermanLeigh ZimmermanLeigh Zimmerman is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has appeared on Broadway in The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy for You and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Nathan Lane and in London's West End in The Seven Year Itch and Chicago.In 1992, she had a minor role in Home...
at The King's Head TheatreThe King's Head TheatreThe King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
- London (2004) - F Scott Fitzgerald in the musical Beautiful and DamnedBeautiful and DamnedBeautiful and Damned is a musical with a book by Kit Hesketh Harvey and music and lyrics by Les Reed and Roger Cook.Drawing its title from F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel, it focuses on the turbulent relationship he shared with his wife Zelda during the Jazz Age...
at the Lyric Theatre - London (2004) - Paul Sheldon in Misery with Susan PenhaligonSusan PenhaligonSusan Penhaligon is a British actress and writer, she is probably best known for her appearances in the controversial 1976 drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire and several ongoing roles in UK television series.-Early days:...
at The King's Head TheatreThe King's Head TheatreThe King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
- London (2006) - Tom Madison in Brian Stewart's Killing Castro, tour of Britain (2006)
- Neil in Derek Lister’s Blue on Blue, Haymarket Theatre - Basingstoke (2006)
- Milo Tindle in Anthony Shaffer's SleuthSleuth (play)Sleuth is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing...
with Simon MacCorkindaleSimon MacCorkindaleSimon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale was a British actor, film director, writer and producer. MacCorkindale spent much of his childhood moving around due to his father's commission with the Royal Air Force. Poor eyesight prevented him from following a similar career in the RAF, so he instead...
, tour of Britain (2008) - Sir Robert Chiltern in Oscar Wilde'sOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
An Ideal HusbandAn Ideal HusbandAn Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour...
with Kate O'MaraKate O'MaraKate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
, Carol RoyleCarol RoyleCarol Royle is an English television actress.Royle was born in Blackpool and studied drama at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She is probably best known for her leading role as Jenny Russell alongside Simon Cadell in the BBC sitcom Life Without George which ran for three series from 1987...
, Robert DuncanRobert Duncan (actor)Robert Duncan is an English actor. He is best known for his television role as Gus, the jargon-speaking manager, from Drop the Dead Donkey. He also appeared in Casualty as Peter Hayes between 1995 and 1996.-Biography:...
, Fenella FieldingFenella FieldingFenella Fielding — "England's first lady of the double entendre" — is an English actress, popular in the 1950s and 1960s. She is known for her seductive image and distinctively husky voice.-Family:...
, and Tony BrittonTony BrittonAnthony Edward Lowry "Tony" Britton is an English actor. He is the father of presenter Fern Britton, scriptwriter Cherry Britton and actor Jasper Britton.-Life and career:...
, tour of Britain (2008) - Randall Kelly in James Farewell's The Murder Game with Josefina GabrielleJosefina GabrielleJosefina Gabrielle is an Olivier Award-nominated stage and screen actress, best known for her performances in hit West End musicals and plays.-Theatrical career:Josefina Gabrielle began her professional career dancing with the National Ballet of Portugal...
at The King's Head TheatreThe King's Head TheatreThe King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
- London (2009) - Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of MusicThe Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
with Connie FisherConnie FisherConnie Fisher is a Welsh actress and singer, who won the BBC One talent contest, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?...
and Margaret PreeceMargaret PreeceMargaret Preece is a British operatic soprano. She trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and the National Opera Studio. She has worked with English National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North and the Carl Rosa Company...
- UK National Tour (2009–2010)
Film
- Royd Erris in an adaptation of George R. R. Martin'sGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
Nightflyers (1987) - Max Schrek in the vampire flick Son of Darkness: To Die For 2 (1991)
- Andrew in Writer's Block with Morgan FairchildMorgan FairchildMorgan Fairchild is an American actress. She achieved prominence during the late 1970s and early 1980s with continuing roles in several television series, in which she usually conveyed a glamorous image. Fairchild has also performed in live theater and played guest roles in television comedies...
(1991) - Gary in Staggered with Martin ClunesMartin ClunesAlexander Martin Clunes is an English actor and comedian. Clunes is perhaps best known for his roles as Gary Strang in Men Behaving Badly, Doctor Martin Ellingham in Doc Martin and the title character in Reggie Perrin....
(1994) - The Hitman in Darkness FallsDarkness Falls (1999 film)Darkness Falls is a 1999 drama film by John Howlett and directed by Gerry Lively.The film was shot in late 1997 on the Isle of Man.-Plot:...
with Ray WinstoneRay WinstoneRaymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
(1999) - The Queen in Nine Dead Gay Guys (2002)
- Himself in the documentary The King's Head: A Maverick in LondonThe King's Head TheatreThe King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
(2006)
Audio
- Narrated Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold von Sacher-MasochLeopold Ritter von Sacher-Masoch was an Austrian writer and journalist, who gained renown for his romantic stories of Galician life. The term masochism is derived from his name....
for Erotic Classics (1989, reissued 1994) - Professor Slyde in the Big Finish audio drama Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
: The Dark FlameThe Dark FlameThe Dark Flame is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Cast:*The Doctor — Sylvester McCoy*Ace — Sophie Aldred*Bernice Summerfield — Lisa Bowerman...
(2003) - Narrated Caroline Lawrence'sCaroline LawrenceCaroline Lawrence is an English American author, best known for The Roman Mysteries series of historical novels for children. The series is about a Roman girl called Flavia and her three friends: Nubia , Jonathan and Lupus...
The Roman MysteriesThe Roman MysteriesThe Roman Mysteries is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, The Thieves of Ostia, was published in 2001, finishing with The Man from Pomegranate Street, published in 2009, and 17 more novels were planned, plus a number of "mini-mysteries" and companion...
audio books (2004–05) - Narrated Stephen Clarke's A Year In The Merde (2005)
- Narrated Paul Stewart'sPaul Stewart (writer)Paul Stewart is a writer of children's books, best known for the bestselling The Edge Chronicles, the Free Lance novels and the Far Flung Adventures series which are written in collaboration with the illustrator Chris Riddell...
Beyond the Deepwoods (2005) - Narrator of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's The Wild West documentary mini-series (2007) - Soris in the B7 Media/SciFi Channel UK podcast of the Blake's 7Blake's 7Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
adventure Rebel (2007) - Co-narrator on the OnewordOnewordOneword Radio was a British commercial digital radio station featuring books, drama, comedy, children's programming, and discussion. The station was available in the UK via digital radio and digital television and was streamed on the internet 24 hours a day worldwide...
radio series Mills & Boon at the Weekend (2006–2008) - Ladiver in the Big Finish audio drama adaptation of the 1960s Doctor Who stage play, The Curse of the Daleks (2008)
- Regular narrator of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's TimewatchTimewatchTimewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29th September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual...
documentary series (2003–09)