Michael Peter Staniforth (15 December 1942 – 31 July 1987), born in Selly Oak, Birmingham, was a British stage actor, best known role as ghostly jester Timothy Claypole, a mischievous medieval poltergeist, in the long-running BBC children's television comedy series Rentaghost.
Life
He was born in Birmingham. It was repeated on BBC1 in 1977.
Staniforth played Timothy Claypole from 1976, when the show first aired, until 1984, and was the longest-standing member of the cast. Claypole was a bearded medieval jester, dressed in motley and bells. He caused mayhem for the rest of the Rentaghost cast. Danny Birchall at BFI Screenonline noted:
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The sheer energy of Michael Staniforth (who also performed the theme tune) as Claypole made it one of the longer-lasting children's television series, if not always the most fondly remembered.
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Staniforth also composed, played and sang the Rentaghost theme music, although he had to re-write it as "concern grew that it was too close to The Exorcist."
In 1984, Staniforth had a significant role as CB the Red Caboose in the original line-up in the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical Starlight Express.
Staniforth was gay. He died from an AIDS-related illness on 31 July 1987, aged 44. He was cremated in Golders Green Crematorium, London in August 1987. His ashes were later buried in a grave in Hawkinge Crematorium, which bears his name as well as his mother (who died in 1978) and father (who later died in 1995).