Michael Francis Craze (29 November 1942 – 8 December 1998) was a British actor noted for his role of Ben Jackson, a companion of the Doctor, in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. He played the part from 1966 to 1967 alongside both William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton.
Early life and career
Craze was born in Newquay, Cornwall. He got into acting by chance as, at the age of twelve, he discovered through Boy Scout Gang Shows that he had a perfect boy soprano voice. This led him to win parts in The King and I and Plain and Fancy, both at Drury Lane, and Damn Yankees
In the 1970s Craze appeared in two cult Norman J. Warren horror films: Satan's Slave (1976) and Terror (1978). He also appeared in the horror/fantasy/romance film Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972).
In the 1980s, Craze acted only occasionally and also managed a pub. According to his brother, the actor Peter Craze, who also appeared in Doctor Who, much of Craze's later life was occupied by attending Doctor Who fan conventions.
Personal life
Shortly before filming William Hartnell's final episode of Doctor Who, The Tenth Planet, Craze had an operation to remove a bone chip from his nose after an accident onstage. During the filming of the serial, the polystyrene "snow" thrown into a wind machine by production assistant Edwina Verner caused severe nasal irritation. Despite this, Craze would later ask her on a date and the two would marry in 1969. He had a son, Ben, with his second wife. Craze enjoyed fishing in his spare time.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1958 || Blow Your Own Trumpet || Bert || uncredited
|-
|1961 || Spare the Rod || Thatcher ||
|-
|1965 || Two Left Feet || Ronnie ||
|-
|1972 || Neither the Sea Nor the Sand || Collie Delamare ||
|-
|1974 || Madhouse || Reporter ||
|-
|1976 || Satan's Slave || John ||
|-
|1978 || Terror || Gary ||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1958 || Armchair Theatre || Boy || Episode: "The Pillars of Midnight"
|-
|1960 || Target Luna || Geoffrey Wedgwood || All 6 episodes
|-
|1962 || Dixon of Dock Green || Jimmy || Episode: "The Flemish Giant"
|-
|1966–1967 || Doctor Who || Ben Jackson || 36 episodes
|-
|rowspan="2"|1971 || Bel Ami || Max || Episode: "Georges"
|-
| Crossroads || Len Harvey || 21 episodes
|-
|1994 || The Healer || Maudie || Television film