Editing Michael Praed

{{short description|British actor (born 1960)}}
{{BLP sources|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox person
|name         = Michael Praed
|image        =
|caption      =
|birth_name   = Michael David Prince
|birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1960|4|1|df=y}}
|birth_place  = [[Berkeley, Gloucestershire|Berkeley]], [[Gloucestershire]], England
|death_date   =
|death_place  =
|spouse       = {{marriage|Karen Landau|1994|2009|end=divorce}}<br>[[Josefina Gabrielle]]
|children     = 2
|years_active = 1982–present
}}

'''Michael Praed''' ({{IPAc-en|p|r|eɪ|d}} {{Respell|PRAYD}};<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7knKGwWVxpE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20171219213130/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7knKGwWVxpE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7knKGwWVxpE|title=Interview with Michael Praed - part one|website=[[YouTube]] |accessdate=23 March 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> born 1 April 1960), birth name '''Michael David Prince''', is a British actor and narrator, best remembered for his role as [[Robin Hood|Robin of Loxley]] in the British television series ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'', which attained cult status worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|title=Robin of Sherwood Fanclubs|url=https://www.robinofsherwood.org/|website=www.robinofsherwood.org|author=Christine Alexander for Spirit of Sherwood|date=16 May 2018|access-date=29 April 2024}}</ref>

==Career==
Praed was born in [[Berkeley, Gloucestershire|Berkeley]], [[Gloucestershire]], and educated at [[Eastbourne College]], after which he became an actor.

He discovered that the British actors' union [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]] already had a "Michael Prince" among its members, so he chose a surname out of a telephone book to use as a [[stage name]]. The name Praed is a [[Cornish language|Cornish]] word meaning "meadow".<ref name="Praed webmaster">E-mail communication with Celeste Moore, webmaster of [http://www.michael-praed.com Michael Praed's official website], michael-praed.com; 19 May 2007.</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2019|reason=private email allegedly from webmaster in 2007 is not WP:RS}}

Praed is remembered for his roles as [[Prince Michael of Moldavia]] on the American primetime soap ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', [[Robin Hood]] in the ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' (1984 TV series), and as [[Phileas Fogg]] in ''[[The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne]]'' (2000). He is also known in the British Isles for his stage work in musicals and drama and lately for his narrations. He has been the regular narrator for BBC TV's history programme ''[[Timewatch]]'' since 2003. In July 2009, he starred as Captain von Trapp in a national tour of a revival of ''[[The Sound of Music]]''.

In 2016, Praed began to appear in the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] soap opera ''[[Emmerdale]]'', as Frank Clayton, the father of the characters Vanessa Woodfield and Tracy Metcalfe. His character was killed off following an explosion in the sweet factory. His last appearance aired on ITV on 1 August 2019.

==Personal life==
Praed was previously married to Karen Landau (1994–2009), with whom he has two children. He is now married to [[Josefina Gabrielle]].

==Selected credits==
===Television===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1984-85
|''[[Robin of Sherwood]]''
|[[Robin Hood#Movies and TV series|Robin of Loxley]]
|11 episodes
|-
|1985-86
|''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''
|[[Prince Michael of Moldavia]] 
|29 episodes 
|-
|1993 
|''[[Riders (1993 film)|Riders]]'' 
|Jake Lovell
|TV mini-series
|-
|1995
|''[[Crown Prosecutor (TV series)|Crown Prosecutor]]''
|Marty James
|
|-
|1999
|''[[The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne]]'' 
|Phileas Fogg
|
|-
|2002
|''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''  
|Chris Meredith
|-
|2003
|''[[Mile High]]'' 
|Michael Webb
|
|-
|2007
|''[[Hindenburg: The Untold Story]]'' (Canadian title) 
|Nelson Morris
|
|-
|2016-19
|''[[Emmerdale]]'' 
|[[Frank Clayton (Emmerdale)|Frank Clayton]]
|285 episodes 
|- 
|2017
|''[[Not Going Out]]''
|Michael Lozenzo
|Episode: ''Hot Tub'', cameo starring alongside [[Lee Mack]] and [[Sally Bretton]]
|-
|}

===Stage===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* Frederick in the [[Joseph Papp]] production of the musical ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'', [[Theatre Royal Drury Lane]] - London (1982–83)
* D'Artagnan in the revival of Rudolf Friml's ''[[The Three Musketeers (musical)|The Three Musketeers]]'', Broadway Theatre - New York City (1985)
* Billy Bigelow in a revival of the [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] musical ''[[Carousel (musical)|Carousel]]'', Tivoli Theatre - Dublin (1991)
* Alex in [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s musical ''[[Aspects of Love]]'' at the Prince of Wales Theatre - London (1991–92)
* Mick in [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]'' at Nottingham Playhouse - Nottingham (1993)
* Evan Davies in [[Daphne du Maurier]]'s ''September Tide'' with [[Susannah York]] at the Comedy Theatre - London (1994)
* Otto in [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Design for Living]]'' with [[Rachel Weisz]] at the Gielgud Theatre - London (1995)
* Tony/Stephen in [[Barry Manilow]]'s ''Copacabana: The Musical'', first tour of Britain (1996–97)
* Jack Locke in ''Dangerous to Know'', tour of Britain (1998)
* Michael Wiley in [[Susan Stroman]]'s musical ''[[Contact (musical)|Contact]]'' with [[Leigh Zimmerman]] at the Queen's Theatre - London (2002–03)
* Bernard Kersal in [[Somerset Maugham]]'s ''[[The Constant Wife]]'', tour of Britain (2003).
* Theodore Hoffman in [[Carl Djerassi]]'s ''Three on a Couch'' with [[Leigh Zimmerman]] at [[The King's Head Theatre]] - London (2004)
* F Scott Fitzgerald in the musical ''[[Beautiful and Damned]]'' at the Lyric Theatre - London (2004)
* Paul Sheldon in ''[[Misery (play)|Misery]]'' with [[Susan Penhaligon]] at [[The King's Head Theatre]] - 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 (writer)|Anthony Shaffer's]] ''[[Sleuth (play)|Sleuth]]'' with [[Simon MacCorkindale]], tour of Britain (2008)
* Sir Robert Chiltern in [[Oscar Wilde]]'s ''[[An Ideal Husband]]'' with [[Kate O'Mara]], [[Carol Royle]], [[Robert Duncan (actor)|Robert Duncan]], [[Fenella Fielding]], and [[Tony Britton]], tour of Britain (2008)
* Randall Kelly in James Farewell's ''The Murder Game'' with [[Josefina Gabrielle]] at [[The King's Head Theatre]] - London (2009)
* Captain Von Trapp in ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' with [[Connie Fisher]] and [[Margaret Preece]] - UK National Tour (2009–2011)
* Dexter Haven in ''High Society'' with [[Sophie Bould]] and [[Daniel Boys]] - UK National Tour and Ireland (January - August 2013)
* John Greenwood in ''The White Carnation'' with [[Benjamin Whitrow]], [[Robert Benfield]] and [[Tony Dale]] - Jermyn Street Theatre, London (February 2014)
* Charles Stanton in [[J.B. Priestley]]'s ''Dangerous Corner'' with [[Colin Buchanan (actor)|Colin Buchanan]], [[Kim Thomson]], [[Matt Milne]], [[Lauren Drummond]], and [[Finty Williams]], tour of Britain (September - November 2014)
* Lawrence in [[David Yazbek]]'s ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' with [[Noel Sullivan]], [[Carley Stenson]], [[Mark Benton]], and [[Gary Wilmot]], UK National Tour (May 2015-March 2016)
* George Herbert in ''The War of the Worlds'' musical with [[Madalena Alberto]], [[Heidi Range]], [[David Essex]], [[Jimmy Nail]] and [[Daniel Bedingfield]] at the [[Dominion Theatre]] (2016).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatredirect.com/news/1733/Casting-Announced-For-Jeff-Wayne-s-Musical-Phenomenon-The-War-Of-The-Worlds-With-Liam-Neeson-In-3D-Hologram.aspx|title= Casting Announced For Jeff Wayne's Musical Phenomenon The War of the Worlds With Liam Neeson in 3D Hologram|publisher=London Theatre Direct|access-date=24 January 2016|date=21 January 2016|author=Porteous, Jacob}}</ref>
* Pat Denning in ''[[42nd Street (musical)|42nd Street]]'' with [[Ruthie Henshall]], [[Adam Garcia]], Josefina Gabrielle and [[Les Dennis]], UK tour (May 2023–January 2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/ruthie-henshall-adam-garcia-more-lead-u.k.-42nd-street-beginning-may-17|title=Ruthie Henshall, Adam Garcia, More Lead U.K. 42nd Street Beginning May 17|date=May 17, 2023|access-date=June 26, 2024}}</ref>
{{div col end}}

===Film===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* Royd Erris in an adaptation of [[George R. R. Martin]]'s ''[[Nightflyers (film)|Nightflyers]]''  (1987)
* Max Schrek in the vampire flick ''Son of Darkness: To Die For 2''  (1991)
* Andrew in ''Writer's Block'' with [[Morgan Fairchild]] (1991)
* Gary in ''[[Staggered (film)|Staggered]]'' with [[Martin Clunes]] (1994)
* The Hitman in ''[[Darkness Falls (1999 film)|Darkness Falls]]'' with [[Ray Winstone]] (1999)
* The Queen in ''Nine Dead Gay Guys''  (2002)
* Himself in the documentary ''[[The King's Head Theatre|The King's Head: A Maverick in London]]'' (2006)
{{div col end}}

===Audio===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* Narrated ''Venus in Furs'' by [[Leopold von Sacher-Masoch]] for Erotic Classics (1989, reissued 1994)
* Professor Slyde in the [[List of Doctor Who audio plays by Big Finish|Big Finish audio drama]] ''[[Doctor Who]]'': ''[[The Dark Flame]]'' (2003)
* Regular narrator of [[BBC]] TV's ''[[Timewatch]]'' documentary series (2003–09)
* Narrated [[Caroline Lawrence]]'s ''[[The Roman Mysteries]]'' audio books (2004–05)
* Narrated [[Stephen Clarke (writer)|Stephen Clarke]]'s ''A Year in the Merde'' (2005)
* Narrated [[Paul Stewart (writer)|Paul Stewart's]] ''Beyond the Deepwoods'' (2005)
* Narrator of [[BBC]] TV's ''[[The Wild West (TV series)|The Wild West]]'' documentary mini-series (2007)
* Soris in the B7 Media/SciFi Channel UK podcast of the ''[[Blake's 7]]'' adventure ''Rebel'' (2007)
* Co-narrator on the [[Oneword]] 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#Audio|The Curse of the Daleks]]'' (2008)
* Narrated "[[Robin of Sherwood#Audio plays|Sanctuary]]" by Paul Birch, one of a series of new ''[[Robin of Sherwood]]'' enhanced audiobooks (2017)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
===Reviews===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
* {{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Charles|title=The Swing's the Thing (review of ''Contact'', Queen's Theatre, London)|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/10/25/btcontact25.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030105185252/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2002/10/25/btcontact25.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 January 2003|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=25 October 2002}}
* {{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Charles|title=Reach for a Sick-Bag – or the Bottle (review of ''Beautiful and Damned'', Lyric Theatre, London)|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/05/11/btdamn11.xml|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=11 May 2004}}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{cite news|last=Sullivan|first=John|author-link=John Sullivan (writer)|title=Beautifully Brazen (letter to the editor about ''Beautiful and Damned'')|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/05/19/dt1906.xml|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=19 May 2004}}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{cite news|last=Cavendish|first=Dominic|title=Misery is Pure Pleasure (review of ''Misery'', King's Head, London)|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/10/06/btmis06.xml|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=6 October 2005}}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
* {{cite news|last=Spencer|first=Charles|title=Murder Plot Stretched Too Thin (review of ''Killing Castro'', Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford)|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/29/btcastro29.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626211005/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/05/29/btcastro29.xml|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 June 2008|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=29 May 2006}}
* {{cite news|last=Ramsden|first=Timothy|title=The old games still work, with or without a police presence (review of ''Sleuth'', Richmond Theatre, Richmond)|url=http://www.reviewsgate.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3965|publisher=ReviewsGate.com|date=29 April 2008}}
{{div col end}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0695084|name=Michael Praed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Praed, Michael}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:British male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:British male television actors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:People educated at Eastbourne College]]
[[Category:People from Berkeley, Gloucestershire]]
[[Category:Actors from Stroud District]]