Michael Ball

Date of Birth:
27th June 1962

Show History:

• Hairspray

Current Role

Michael Ball is currently playing the role of Edna Turnblad in the increasingly popular musical Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre until the 25th October 2008. Ball has appeared at various summer concerts including the Hampton Court Music Festival on Saturday 14th of June. He has also taken over as the presenter of Sunday Supplement on BBC Radio 2 every Sunday, formally presented by Michael Parkinson. Ball is now the proud owner of an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical which he won as a result of his outstanding performance in Hairspray. Ball commented after receiving the award, "It is truly something I've wanted all my life, It is the greatest theatrical honour you can receive and it really is a dream come true". He later added "I'm thrilled beyond words...although I would have preferred Best Actress!".Ball is focusing more on his theatrical acting and singing career as opposed to singular concert tours.

Early Life

Michael Ball was born in 1962 in Broomsgrove, Worcestershire to a Welsh mother and an English father. He has one sister who is nine years younger than him. At the age of three, Michael moved to Dartmoor with his parents. From an early age he has had a love for performing to an audience and it has always been his dream to sing and present. In 1992 Ball represented Great Britain in the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Performing One Step Out of Time to 600 million people worldwide. This song also made it to number one in the UK singles chart. Such success led the star to organising a mini tour around the UK which concluded at the London Palladium. Soon after, a major opportunity arose for Michael Ball. He was invited to perform for the Queen at Her Majesty's 40th Anniversary Gala and also invited to perform at The Royal Variety Show

Interesting Facts

• Michael Ball is a huge supporter of Research into Ovarian Cancer
• He had his own show aired on ITV in 1993 under the name of The Michael Ball Show
• As a result of a parachute accident more than 10 years ago, Michael Ball had to undergo 2 years of surgery

Awards

• Love Changed Everything reached No.1 in the UK singles chart in 1989
• Awarded Most Promising Artist of 1989 by the Variety Club of Great Britain
• Represented Great Britain in the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest narrowly missing out on first place
• His debut solo album Michael Ball reached No.1 in UK album chart in 1992
• Awarded 8 Gold Discs in his ongoing and illustrious career
• Awarded first Platinum Disc for The Movies in 1999
• Received Variety Club Award for Best Recording Artiste of 1998
• Theatregoer's Club of Great Britain Award for Most Popular Musical Stage Actor