Michael Ashley Ball, OBE (born 27 June 1962) is an English actor,
singer and broadcaster. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing
Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of Les Misérables,
and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. In
1989, he reached number Two in the UK Singles Chart with "Love Changes
Everything", a song taken from the musical Aspects of Love, where he
played Alex. He played the role in London and on Broadway. His latest
album Coming Home To You reached number One in the UK making it his
4th number one album to date. On 24 April 2020, Ball entered the UK
Singles Chart at number one with a cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone",
with combined chart sales of 82,000 making it the fastest-selling
single of 2020 so far.In 1992, Ball represented the United Kingdom in
the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song "One Step
Out of Time". In 1995, he reprised the role of Marius in Les
Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert. His other West End roles
include Giorgio in Passion (1997) and Caractacus Potts in Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (2002). He has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award
for Best Actor in a Musical. He won in 2008 for his role as Edna
Turnblad in Hairspray, and then in 2013 for the title role in the
revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Ball was
appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015
Birthday Honours for his services to musical theatre.
singer and broadcaster. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing
Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of Les Misérables,
and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera. In
1989, he reached number Two in the UK Singles Chart with "Love Changes
Everything", a song taken from the musical Aspects of Love, where he
played Alex. He played the role in London and on Broadway. His latest
album Coming Home To You reached number One in the UK making it his
4th number one album to date. On 24 April 2020, Ball entered the UK
Singles Chart at number one with a cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone",
with combined chart sales of 82,000 making it the fastest-selling
single of 2020 so far.In 1992, Ball represented the United Kingdom in
the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song "One Step
Out of Time". In 1995, he reprised the role of Marius in Les
Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert. His other West End roles
include Giorgio in Passion (1997) and Caractacus Potts in Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (2002). He has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award
for Best Actor in a Musical. He won in 2008 for his role as Edna
Turnblad in Hairspray, and then in 2013 for the title role in the
revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Ball was
appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015
Birthday Honours for his services to musical theatre.
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