Michael Brandon

Michael Brandon, born Michael Feldman on April 20, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American actor whose career has spanned Broadway, film, television, and radio across multiple decades. His parents, Miriam (née Tumen) and Sol Feldman, were Jewish, and Brandon grew up moving with his family to Valley Stream, New York at age nine, where he attended Memorial Junior High and later graduated from Valley Stream Central High School. He subsequently trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before making his Broadway debut.

Brandon's stage career includes the original 1969 Broadway production of Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, which remains his verified Broadway credit. He later took on the title role in Jerry Springer: The Opera during its West End run from 2003 to 2004, performing the part for over a year across its National Theatre engagement and subsequent West End transfer. In 2012, he appeared in a production of Singin' in the Rain.

His film work began in 1970 with Lovers and Other Strangers, followed by Jennifer on My Mind and the Italian thriller Four Flies on Grey Velvet, both in 1971. Subsequent film appearances included FM (1978), Promises in the Dark (1979), A Change of Seasons (1980), Rich and Famous (1981), and a supporting role as a politician in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).

Brandon became widely recognized in the United Kingdom for his lead role as James Dempsey in the British drama series Dempsey and Makepeace, which aired from 1985 to 1986. His co-star in that series was actress Glynis Barber, whom he married on November 18, 1989. The couple have a son and reside in London. Among his television movie credits are The Third Girl from the Left (1973), Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975), James Dean (1976), Deadly Messages (1985), The Lost Battalion (2001), and Hawking (2004). He also appeared in the television series Dinotopia and had guest roles in The Bill, Trial & Retribution, Dead Man Weds, and the Series 4 finale of Doctor Who in 2008, in which he played General Sanchez. That same year he appeared in Bones as Roger Frampton. In 2011 he guest-starred in Series 7 of Hustle as Marcus Wendell, and in 2022 he appeared in an episode of Casualty.

From 2004 to 2012, Brandon served as the narrator of the children's television series Thomas & Friends, succeeding Alec Baldwin and becoming the fourth American to hold the role, covering seasons seven through sixteen. He also narrated four CGI film specials for the series: Hero of the Rails, Misty Island Rescue, Day of the Diesels, and Blue Mountain Mystery. In February 2008, he launched a talk radio show on City Talk in Liverpool. In 2017, he developed an autobiographical stand-up comedy show titled Off Ramps, which he brought to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that year in collaboration with producer and director Guy Masterson.

Prior to his marriage to Barber, Brandon lived with actress Kim Novak for eighteen months between 1973 and 1974, and was married to actress Lindsay Wagner from 1976 to 1979.