Michael York, OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; York has an elder sister, Penelope Anne (born 1940) and younger twin sisters, Caroline and Bridget (born 1947); Bridget died a few hours after birth, according to York's autobiography. He was brought up in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
York was educated at Bromley Grammar School for Boys, Hurstpierpoint College and University College, Oxford. He did some early acting at the community theatre Bromley Little Theatre, and was its president in 2014. Fifteen years later, most of the cast (and crew) joined together in a third film titled The Return of the Musketeers based on the Dumas novel Twenty Years After.
1980 to present
thumb|upright|right|York in 1986
Following his early work in the late 1960s and the 1970s, York has had a varied career in film and television and on the stage. He appeared in two episodes in the second season of the Road to Avonlea series as Ezekiel Crane, the lighthouse keeper of Avonlea and foster father of Gus Pike.
York appeared in the 1996 Babylon 5 episode "A Late Delivery from Avalon" as a delusional man who believed himself to be King Arthur. He played President Alexander Bourne of Macaronesia on seaQuest 2032. He played Basil Exposition in all three of the Austin Powers films. York again played King Arthur in a revival of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, which began its run at the La Mirada Theatre in Southern California, and toured nationally in 2006 and 2007.
York portrays Luke in The Truth & Life Dramatised Audio New Testament Bible, a 22-hour audio dramatisation of the New Testament, which uses the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition translation. In 2008, York took part in the BBC Wales programme Coming Home about his Welsh family history. In September 2013, York played Albany in the Gala Performance of William Shakespeare's King Lear at the Old Vic in London.
Personal life
York met photographer Patricia McCallum in 1967 when she was assigned to photograph him, and they married on 27 March 1968, York's 26th birthday. His stepson is Star Wars and Young Indiana Jones producer Rick McCallum.
York was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1977.
Health problems
York announced he was suffering from the rare disease called amyloidosis in 2013. Doctors initially thought he had bone cancer. He underwent a stem cell transplant, which can alleviate symptoms, in 2012.
In 2022, in order to be closer to the Mayo Clinic for treatment, York and his wife moved to Rochester, Minnesota.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="5" |1967 || The Taming of the Shrew || Lucentio ||
|-
| Confessions of Loving Couples || Peter ||
|-
| Accident || William ||
|-
| Red and Blue || Acrobat || Short film
|-
| Smashing Time || Tom Wabe ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1968 || Separation || Himself || Uncredited
|-
| Romeo and Juliet || Tybalt ||
|-
| The Strange Affair || Peter Strange ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1969 || The Guru || Tom Pickle ||
|-
| Alfred the Great || Guthrum ||
|-
| Justine || Darley ||
|-
|1970 || Something for Everyone || Konrad Ludwig ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971 || Zeppelin || Geoffrey Richter-Douglas ||
|-
| ' || Basil ||
|-
|1972 || Cabaret || Brian Roberts ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1973 || Lost Horizon || George Conway ||
|-
| England Made Me || Anthony Farrant ||
|-
| The Three Musketeers || rowspan="2" | D'Artagnan ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1974 || The Four Musketeers ||
|-
| Great Expectations || Pip ||
|-
| Murder on the Orient Express || Count Rudolf Andrenyi ||
|-
|1975 || Conduct Unbecoming || Lieutenant Arthur Drake ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1976 || Logan's Run || Logan 5 ||
|-
| Seven Nights in Japan || Prince George ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1977 || Jesus of Nazareth || John the Baptist ||
|-
|The Island of Dr. Moreau || Andrew Braddock ||
|-
| The Last Remake of Beau Geste || Beau Geste ||
|-
|1978 || Fedora || Himself ||
|-
|1979 || The Riddle of the Sands || Charles Carruthers ||
|-
|1980 || Final Assignment || Lyosha Petrov ||
|-
|1981 || The White Lions || Chris McBride ||
|-
|1983 || For Those I Loved || Martin Gray ||
|-
|1984 || Success Is the Best Revenge || Alex Rodak ||
|-
|1986 || Dawn || John Dawson ||
|-
|1987 || Lethal Obsession || Dr. Proper ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1988 || Phantom of Death || Robert Dominici ||
|-
| Midnight Cop || Karstens ||
|-
|1989 || The Return of the Musketeers || D'Artagnan ||
|-
|1990 || Come See the Paradise || Dance Hall Band ||
|-
|1991 || Eline Vere || Lawrence St. Clare ||
|-
|1992 || The Long Shadow || Gabor Romandy ||
|-
|1993 || Wide Sargasso Sea || Paul Mason ||
|-
|1994 || Discretion Assured || Trevor McCabe ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1995 || Gospa || Milan Vukovic ||
|-
| A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court || Merlin ||
|-
| Not of This Earth || Paul Johnson ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |1997 || Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery || Basil Exposition ||
|-
| Goodbye America || Senator Bladon ||
|-
| Dark Planet || Capt. Winter ||
|-
| The Long Way Home || Narrator || Voice, documentary
|-
| A Christmas Carol || Bob Cratchit ||Voice
|-
| rowspan="6" |1998 || Merchants of Venus || Alex Jakoff ||
|-
| Wrongfully Accused || Hibbing Goodhue ||
|-
| 54 || Ambassador ||
|-
| The Treat || Simon ||
|-
| Lovers & Liars || Dick Bunche ||
|-
| One Hell of a Guy || Devil ||
|-
| rowspan="4" |1999 || Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me || Basil Exposition ||
|-
| Puss in Boots || Puss in Boots ||Voice
|-
| The Omega Code || Stone Alexander ||
|-
| The Haunting of Hell House || Professor Ambrose ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |2000 || The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire || Pterano ||Voice
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1964 || Arrest and Trial || Pete Bakalyan || Episode: "A Circle of Strangers"
|-
|1966 || The Wild Wild West || Gupta || Episode: “The Night of the Golden Cobra”
|-
| rowspan="2" |1967 || Death Valley Days || Haynie || Episode: "The Man Who Wouldn't Die"
|-
| The Forsyte Saga || Jolyon "Jolly" Forsyte ||
|-
|1968 || The Wednesday Play || Roger Porlock || Episode: "Rebel in the Grave"
|-
|1974 ||Great Expectations ||Pip || TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1977 || Jesus of Nazareth ||John the Baptist || Miniseries
|-
|BBC2 Play of the Week: True Patriot || Dietrich Bonhoeffer || rowspan="2" | TV film
|-
|1978 ||Much Ado About Nothing || Benedick
|-
|1979 ||A Man Called Intrepid || Evan Michaelian || Miniseries
|-
|1981 ||Vendredi ou la Vie Sauvage || Robinson Crusoe || rowspan="5" | TV film
|-
|1982 ||Twilight Theater ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983 ||The Phantom of the Opera || Michael Hartnell
|-
| The Weather in the Streets || Rollo Spencer
|-
|1984 || The Master of Ballantrae || James Durie
|-
|1985 || Space || Dieter Kolff || Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="6" |1986 || ABC Afterschool Special || Chet Gordon || Episode: "Are You My Mother?"
|-
|The Storybook Series with Hayley Mills || Beast ||Voice
|-
|Tall Tales & Legends || Ponce de Leon || Episode: "Ponde de Leon"
|-
| Sword of Gideon || Robert || rowspan="3" | TV film
|-
|Dark Mansions || Jason Drake
|-
| Nevil Shute's The Far Country || Carl Zlinter
|-
|1987 || The Far Country || George Miller|| 2 episodes
|-
|1987–1988 || Knots Landing || Charles Scott || 8 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1988 || The Secret of the Sahara || Desmond Jordan || rowspan="2" | Miniseries
|-
| The Four Minute Mile || Franz Stampfl
|-
| rowspan="2" |1989 || The Lady and the Highwayman || King Charles II || TV film
|-
| Judith Krantz's Till We Meet Again || Paul de Lancel || Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" |1990 || The Heat of the Day || Robert Kelway || rowspan="2" | TV film
|-
| Night of the Fox || Field Marshal Rommel
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991 || Road to Avonlea || Ezekiel Crane || 2 episodes
|-
| Duel of Hearts || Gervaise Warlingham || TV film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1992 || The Legend of Prince Valiant || Owen || Voice, 3 episodes
|-
| Rochade || Paul Grumbach || TV film
|-
|1992–1993 || Batman: The Animated Series || Count Vertigo, Montague Kane || Voice, 2 episodes