Michael Xavier
English actor and singer (born 1977)
title: "Michael Xavier" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1977-births", "20th-century-english-male-actors", "21st-century-english-male-actors", "british-male-musical-theatre-actors", "english-male-film-actors", "english-male-musical-theatre-actors", "english-male-stage-actors", "english-male-television-actors", "living-people", "male-actors-from-liverpool"] description: "English actor and singer (born 1977)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Xavier" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary English actor and singer (born 1977) ::
::data[format=table title="infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Michael Xavier |
| image | Tom Trevatt Photography Michael HS web-7.jpg |
| birth_name | Michael David Smith |
| birth_date | |
| occupation | {{flatlist |
| years_active | 2000-present |
| nationality | British |
| alma_mater | Knutsford Academy |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | |
| website | |
| :: |
|name=Michael Xavier |image=Tom Trevatt Photography Michael HS web-7.jpg |birth_name=Michael David Smith |birth_date= |occupation={{flatlist|
- Actor
- singer |years_active = 2000-present |nationality=British |alma_mater=Knutsford Academy Manchester Metropolitan University |website= Michael D. Xavier (born Michael David Smith; 27 November 1977) is an English actor and singer. He is a two-time Laurence Olivier Award nominee and has performed on Broadway and in the West End. He’s most well known for his performances in the stage musicals Into the Woods and Sunset Boulevard.
Early life
Michael David Smith (later known as Michael Xavier) attended Knutsford High and ultimately completed his professional acting training at the Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999. His first professional role and London West End debut was in the musical comedy Pageant in 2000.
Work in theatre
Xavier has been nominated twice for a Laurence Olivier Award. He was first nominated for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2011 for his performance as the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. The same year he was also nominated for the Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Oliver in the musical Love Story at the Duchess Theatre. In January 2017, Xavier's lead performance in Sunset Boulevard (at the London Coliseum) won the 2016 BroadwayWorld UK/West End Award for Best Actor in a New Production of a Musical.
Xavier has worked in lead roles on stage in the United Kingdom and the United States of America for over 20 years. Notable productions in which he has appeared include Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway, Prince Of Broadway with the theatre director and producer Harold Prince, Miss Saigon, Freddie Eynsford-Hill and 20 years later Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Curly in Oklahoma!, and Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music. In 2014, he played Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
In 2008, Xavier played Rock Hudson in Tim Fountain's play Rock at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, the Library Theatre in Manchester, and the Oval House Theatre in London. It went on to be produced as a radio play by production company Made in Manchester, and won the Best Online Only Audio Drama award at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in 2012.
Theatre credits
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Work in television and film
Although Xavier started out primarily as a theatre actor, he has also gained many television and film credits including Lieutenant Hamilton Knox in Outlander (Stars), Christopher Miles in The Blacklist (NBC), Dr. Steph Belcombe in Gentleman Jack (BBC) and series regular DCI Elliott Wallace in season 7 and 8 of Grantchester (ITV). As well as roles in Grace (ITV) and The Chelsea Detective (ITV).
Xavier's film work includes his portrayal of Maurice in Hallmark's 'Paris, Wine & Romance' directed by Alex Zamm, Tom in the 2014 production 'Never Let Go' with director Howard J. Ford for Latitude Films, scheduled for release in 2015. In 2013, he appeared as Rob in the short film 'Gnomeland' by writer/director Francesca Jaynes, as well as playing a Russian Gulag Prisoner in Walt Disney Pictures' 'Muppets Most Wanted', filmed at Pinewood Studios.
Major television and film credits
::data[format=table]
| Year | Role | Production | Producer | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Tom | Never Let Go | Independent | Howard J. Ford |
| 2019 | Maurice | Paris, Wine & Romance | Hallmark | Alex Zamm |
| 2019 | Christopher Miles | The Blacklist | NBC | Andrew McCarthy, Michael Caraciollo, Christine Gee |
| 2019-2021 | Dr. Steph Belcombe | Gentleman Jack | BBC, HBO | Sally Wainwright, Sarah Harding |
| 2020 | Lieutenant Hamilton Knox | Outlander | Starz | Stephen Woolfenden, Meera Menon |
| 2021 | Martin Broom | Grace | ITV | Julia Ford |
| 2022 | Patrick Thompson | The Chelsea Detective | Alibi (TV channel) | Richard Signy |
| 2022-2023 | DCI Elliot Wallace | Grantchester | ITV | Tim Fywell |
| 2023 | Hellemans | Hammarskjöld | Patrick Ryborn | Per Fly |
| 2024 | Jeremy Zenner | Utopia | Steven Paul | James Bamford |
| :: |
Video games
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Josh Malone | Interactive film | |
| :: |
Presenting and recording work
In 2013, Xavier co-presented the Olivier Awards BBC Radio 2 Covent Garden Stage with Claudia Winkleman, and returned again in 2014 to co-present on the ITV Stage with Myleene Klass. He also hosted the UK Theatre Awards at the historic Guildhall in the City of London in both 2013 and 2014.
In addition, Xavier has worked as a recording artist, with both radio and original soundtrack credits to his name. In 2007, BBC Radio 2 presented a special edition of Friday Night is Music Night, celebrating the work of Leonard Bernstein and the 50th anniversary of West Side Story. Paul Gambaccini presented the program at London's Mermaid Theatre, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra and Xavier as Tony. He also played Artie Green in the BBC Radio 2 live recording of Sunset Boulevard, performed at the Cork Opera House with Michael Ball and Petula Clark. Outside of radio, his work in recordings includes Bumblescratch (2016 London Concert Cast Recording) Collaborations: The Songs of Elliot Davis (2013), Lift (2012 Concept Album), Soho Cinders (2011 Concert Cast), Love Story (2011 Original London Cast), and Little Women (2004 Studio Cast).
MX Masterclass
Xavier is the Principal of MX Masterclass, a training school for musical theatre students which aims to aid them in gaining acceptance to professional training colleges. The school runs every Sunday, based at Rambert, Upper Ground. Their patrons are Matthew Bourne, Natalie Paris, Emily Carey and Sebastian Croft. Regular teachers over the years have included Anna Tringham, Ross Sharkey, Lucinda Lawrence, Brandon Lee Sears, Nicola Coates, Peter Polycarpou and Alex Young. Students are also taught by guest performers and practitioners including Kerry Ellis, Ramin Karimloo, Rebecca Trehearn, Marc Antolin, Robbie Sherman, Katie Brayben, Louise Dearman, Trevor Dion Nicholas and Matt Henry (singer).
The students are often given an opportunity to perform at various charity and West End events at which Xavier also appears. The students also appear at a Christmas concert at St Paul's, Covent Garden, alongside industry professionals. The 2016 concert was hosted by Rufus Hound.
Students have many performance opportunities throughout the year and gain national and local news coverage in the process. On three occasions they performed at The Best of the West End concert at The Royal Albert Hall starring many big West End names including Xavier himself. They have also performed at Lambert Jackson Productions concert, West End Women and Main Men Of Musicals.
References
References
- "Chichester Festival Theatre – Michael Xavier". Chichester Festival Theatre.
- (2000). "Theatre Record". I. Herbert.
- "Pageant Confirmed for West End Run". WhatsonStage.
- "Into the Woods wins 2011 Laurence Olivier Award".
- (October 2012). "Michael Ball – The Biography". John Blake.
- (March 18, 2016). "Glenn at close quarters? She's no diva, says Sunset co-star". Evening Standard.
- "After Sunset Boulevard, Michael Xavier Will Head to Prince of Broadway". Playbill.
- (16 December 2013). "Pajama Game confirms West End transfer, Michael Xavier and Joanna Riding star". WhatsonStage.
- "The winners of the first BBC Audio Drama Awards". BBC Radio Blog.
- (30 January 2012). "Rock Hudson radio drama wins BBC award". Pink News.
- Woolfenden, Stephen. (2020-02-23). "Between Two Fires".
- McCarthy, Andrew. (2019-03-15). "Bastien Moreau (No. 20)".
- Harding, Sarah. (2019-05-13). "Most Women Are Dull and Stupid".
- Fywell, Tim. (2022-03-11). "Series 7 Episode 1".
- Ford, Julia. (2022-04-24). "Looking Good Dead".
- Signy, Richard. (2022-02-14). "Mrs Romano".
- Ford, Howard J.. (2015-02-13). "Never Let Go".
- "Howard J Ford's Never Let Go enters post production". Live For Films.
- "Gnomeland – Cast". For George Films.
- "Claudia Winkleman & Michael Xavier to host the BBC Radio 2 Stage during Olivier Awards". West End Frame.
- "Olivier Awards 2014". Olivier Awards.
- "BBC Radio 2 - The Olivier Awards, Olivier Awards, Radio 2 Audience Award nominees perform live - Michael Xavier".
- "Winners of 2013 UK Theatre Awards Announced". UK Theatre.
- "UK Theatre Awards 2014 – Winners Announced". UK Theatre.
- "Friday Night is Music Night". BBC.
- (5 September 2007). "Radio 2 marks 50 years of West Side Story". The Stage.
- "Sunset Boulevard – Cork Concert Revival 2014". Ovrtur.
- "Michael Xavier Discography". CastAlbums.
- (April 10, 2018). "Teen who flies in from Portugal each week for lesson with West End star". Evening Standard.
- "Isabella Takes to the Royal Albert Hall Stage". Morpeth Herald.
- "West End Women". Lambert Jackson.
- (31 May 2019). "Main Men Of Musicals concert".
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