Michael Brandon

Michael Brandon was born as Michael Feldman in Brooklyn, New York, one of three siblings of Jewish ancestry, to car mechanic Sol Feldman (1920-1988) and his wife Miriam (née Tumin or Tumen, 1922-1999). After graduating from school, he briefly attended law classes, but was already determined to forge his career as an actor in films. In 1965, Brandon successfully auditioned at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (reading scenes from Hamlet and The Teahouse of the August Moon), graduating two years later. He further honed his newfound skills at Actor's Studio workshops under the auspices of Lee Strasberg, while making ends meet sidelining as a waiter, delivery truck driver and a baker of bagels. In February 1969, Brandon made his stage debut on Broadway in the play Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, set at a rehabilitation center for juvenile drug addicts. His co-stars included a young Al Pacino on his way to stardom, as well as the highly acclaimed thespian Hal Holbrook. A Los Angeles casting agent who saw Brandon's performance helped him get a foothold in Hollywood with a small role in the TV series Medical Center (1969).

Another successful audition led to Brandon securing his first leading role in the romantic comedy Lovers and Other Strangers (1970), a palpable box-office hit. A string of steady work in TV series and made-for-television movies followed, which the actor has described on his website as 'the framework of his career'. They included Hitchhike! (1974) (as a psychotic killer), a remake of the Civil War classic The Red Badge of Courage (1974) (as a Union Army private), the musical drama Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975) and Red Alert (1977) (as one of a duo of troubleshooters, trying to prevent a potential meltdown at a nuclear power plant). He portrayed a maniacal kidnapper in his first regular stint in serial television, the short-lived military soap Emerald Point N.A.S. (1983).

Having crossed the Atlantic, Brandon co-starred in what would become his best known role: as tough, streetwise, Brooklyn-accented New York detective James Dempsey (opposite Glynis Barber, who played aristocratic-born Sergeant Harriet Makepeace), battling the London underworld in the critically-acclaimed series Dempsey and Makepeace (1985). Action, wisecracking dialogue and an undeniable chemistry between Brandon and Barber (who became husband and wife in 1989) were chief draw cards to make this one of the most popular British crime shows of the eighties.

Dividing his time between working in the U.S. and in Britain (he eventually settled in London and holds dual nationality), Brandon has guested in a variety of roles, including as a career criminal in an episode of Tales of the Unexpected (1979); a murder suspect in Agatha Christie's Marple (2004)'s 'The Sittaford Mystery'; brash casino owner Marcus Wendell, a perfect mark for Mickey's crew, in Hustle (2004); Frank Winfield Woolworth (founder of the Woolworth empire) in Mr Selfridge (2013); and U.S. General Sanchez of UNIT in the Doctor Who (2005) episode 'The Stolen Earth'. He also starred as pilot Frank Scott, one of the main protagonists in the American fantasy series Dinotopia (2002), filmed in Hungary. As a voice actor, Brandon has provided the U.S. dub for the kid's series Thomas & Friends (1984). He portrayed American physicist and radio astronomer Arno Allan Penzias in a biopic, detailing the early career of Hawking (2004) (with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role). On the big screen, he had a sympathetic supporting role as Senator Brandt in Marvel's blockbuster Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).

On stage, Brandon has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award as Best Actor in a Musical for his 2003 performance in the title role of the musical Jerry Springer: The Opera, which transferred from the National to the West End Cambridge Theatre. He has also been noted as producer R.F. Simpson in a West End revival of Singin' in the Rain (2012), and as brutish family patriarch Jake Price in the civil rights-era drama The Long Road South (2016).

Ever versatile, Brandon has narrated audio books, documentaries and jazz broadcasts for radio. His voice has featured on the classic video game Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017). In 2008, he hosted his own weekly talk show on City Talk Radio in Liverpool.

According to his website, Brandon has been a big fan of superhero comics since childhood. His favourite actor and role model remains Marlon Brando and his favourite singer is Neil Young.