What is Michael Crawford doing now? ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Star’s career explored amid Kennedy center honor

Michael Crawford was rightly honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The theatre legend has had a long and fabulous career. Audiences might remember him as the mask-wearing Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, as Cornelius Hackl in 1969’s Hello, Dolly!, and as Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.

In recent times, the 83-year-old star has had limited appearances, but Crawford still tries his best to participate in his art whenever he can. As per a report shared by Remind Magazine, Michael Crawford has been a part of anniversary events in relation to The Phantom of the Opera. Outside the realm of entertainment and arts, Michael Crawford has been dedicated to charity work, where he served as President of the Sick Children’s Trust.

In an interview posted by The Kennedy Center on YouTube, Michael Crawford shared his appreciation for being honored with an award that celebrates his contributions to American culture.

"There are no words for something like this to happen in one's career and especially towards the end, when you don't think there's much left for you and for this news to come through. It was so amazing and considering that the first things that ever impressed me in this business were Americans," shared Crawford.

Michael Crawford on proving his critics wrong and the moment that changed his career:

Michael Crawford earned critical success for his performance as the original Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. As per the report shared by Remind Magazine, Crawford had to prove himself back then, as critics still associated him with his sitcom character, Frank Spencer.

Things worked in his favour as Crawford ended up proving that his casting by Andrew Lloyd Webber was the right decision. His performance earned him both an Olivier Award and a Tony Award. Crawford's impact was then written in stone when he performed the role more than 1,300 times across London, Broadway, and Los Angeles.

The Sunday Times sat down for their interview with Michael Crawford, where he shared that he was thrilled to be honoured by President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center Honors. He also shared that the ordeal made him nervous, but he couldn't ignore how surreal it all felt in the moment.

“Don’t tell me you’re not nervous if you’re in the White House and it’s the president of the United States,” shared Crawford.

“Take politics away. I’m non-political, I’m not from the country, so I’m in awe of where I am and what they think you’ve achieved to give you this. It’s something my family will have when I’m gone. It means an enormous amount and it would do to anyone — my heroes are on the list of those who have been given it,” he added.

Michael Crawford on why accepting the Kennedy Center Honor wasn’t an easy decision:

In his interview with The Sunday Times, Michael Crawford shared that President Trump's reputation for being controversial made things a bit harder. He shared a personal incident with the outlet, where Crawford received a letter from a friend once his name was announced in August. Crawford's friend argued that the decision to accept the honours would be right, knowing President Trump's involvement.

“They said, ‘You shouldn’t do this, it’s wrong,’ it went on and on. I was really distressed by it and still am. I rang my agent in LA and he said, ‘What the hell? You earned this. You go and do this.’ But it had put the idea in my head that I was suddenly a political figure,” shared Crawford.

Michael Crawford then shared that he didn't write back to his friend as he personally feels everyone has the right to their opinion.

“No, I let them have their opinion. We all have our feelings about it. We all have our emotions about it. You don’t have to talk about it. Get on with your job, because you want to brighten people’s lives,” he explained.

The outlet expands on the opinion of Crawford's friend, sharing that Trump's controversial actions at the Kennedy Center included firing board members in February, having himself voted in as its chair, and inserting a new president. In the end, Michael Crawford shared a trivia that he hadn’t met the president when Donald Trump was impressed by his performance in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in 1988.

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He shared that the only memory he can think of them spending time or talking together was when Crawford did a week of concerts at the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City in 1999.

“He would shout out from the crowd, ‘We want the Phantom!’ And I would say, ‘Patience, please.’, I could say that then, he wasn’t the president.” shared Crawford.

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