The Resume

(June 27, 1962- )
Born in Bromsgrove (Worcestershire), United Kingdom
Musical theater star
Debuted on the West End as Marius in the original London production of 'Les Misérables' (1985)
Received acclaim for his portrayal of Raoul in 'The Phantom of the Opera' (1987-1989)
Sang the role of Marius in the 10th anniversary special 'Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert' (1995)
Released albums 'Heroes,' 'Together,' 'Stages,' 'The Movies,' 'Christmas,' 'Always,' 'One Careful Owner,' 'The Musicals,' 'Centre Stage,' 'One Voice,' and 'Both Sides Now'
Appeared in productions of 'Godspell' (1985), 'The Pirates of Penzance' (1984-1985), 'Aspects of Love (1989 - 1990), 'Passion' (1996), 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (2002), 'The Woman in White' (2005 - 2006), 'Kismet' (2007), 'Hairspray' (2007-2011), 'Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street' (2011 - 2012), and 'Mack and Mabel' (2015)
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) during the Annual Birthday Honors 'for his services to musical theatre' (Jun. 15, 2015)
Pictured performing 'A Little Fall of Rain' at the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert, with Lea Salonga as Eponine

Why he might be annoying:

His middle name is Ashley.
He failed to make traction as an ITV daytime-talk host.
He very frequently covers songs typically recorded by female performers.
He never took formal singing lessons, but learned by singing along to old Ella Fitzgerald and Mahalia Jackson records.
He shares a name with kid from Kitchener who was repeatedly tried for murder of a 28-year old woman.
He has been in a common-law union with 'Ready! Steady! Go!' presenter Cathy McGowan, who is nearly twenty years his senior.
He's best known as the original actor to play Marius in Les Mis, even though he spent close to nine months of the production's run on leave due to his suffering panic attacks associated with tonsillitis he had (eventually leaving the show as a result).
He was encouraged by Cameron Mackintosh to accept the role of Raoul in 'Phantom,' as a means of getting over his anxiety (he reasoned the role was undemanding enough, and besides, they were in need of a replacement as Steve Barton had departed for the Broadway production).

Why he might not be annoying:

He has a bubbly and light-hearted sense of humor in public appearances.
He originally wanted to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, as a teenager.
He reached number two in the UK singles chart with the hit song, 'Love Changes Everything' (1989).
He represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song 'One Step Out of Time' (1992).
He sang the role of Tony for a studio album of 'West Side Story' (1993).
He won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Edna Turnblad in 'Hairspray' (2008).
He won a second Best Actor in a Musical Olivier Award for his portrayal of the title character in 'Sweeney Todd' (2013).
He managed to create a name for himself as a broadcaster, hosting several telecast specials in addition to talk radio shows ('Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch,' 'Ball Over Broadway,' 'Ball on Sunday').
He has collaborated with Il Divo on several albums and national tours.
He was almost killed in a house fire, in 2000, but was pulled out in time by his girlfriend.
He sang the role of Jean Valjean in a special performance for Queen Elizabeth II and French President Jacques Chirac at Windsor Castle (2004).
His rendition of 'Empty Chairs and Empty Tables' in the Marius role has been deemed superior to both Nick Jonas' (2010; 25th Anniversary at the 02) and Eddie Redmayne's (2012 film version).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• BoyWiththeGreenHair’s Profiles [Series 09]
• Burt Bacharach Wrote My Song
• Eurovision Contestants (Ranked: 1992)
• I am Bloody Welsh
• I Covered a Queen Song
• I Covered Arthur Hamilton's 'Cry Me a River'
• I Covered 'I Dreamed a Dream'
• I Covered 'Mack the Knife'
• I Covered Marc Cohn's 'Walking in Memphis'
• I Covered 'Send in the Clowns'
• I Covered 'The Little Drummer Boy'
• I Covered 'Unchained Melody'
• I Covered 'You'll Never Walk Alone'
• I Gained a Lot of Weight/Fame Adds Pounds
• I Got Naked on the West End Stage [London]
• I Performed in a Sondheim Musical
• I Performed in an Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical
• I Portrayed a Pirate
• I Portrayed an Arab
• I Portrayed Inspector Javert [Les Miserables]
• I Portrayed Jean Valjean
• I Portrayed Myself
• I Publicly Denied Being Gay
• I Record Music That Sounds Kinda Gay
• I Recorded a Concept Album
• I Recorded a Rock Opera
• I Sing About Roses
• I Suffer Panic Attacks [Personal Anxiety]
• I'm Depressed [Reportedly Anxiety]
• Knights
• Linda Ronstadt Covered My Song
• Look at Me, I Got a Microphone
• Musical Theater Star
• My House Burned Down
• My Song Was Covered on Glee
• Opera Singers and Composers
• Profiles 38751-38951 (Ranked: 38860)
• Puppy Dog Eyes
• The Curly [Close Cropped Hair]
• Toy Names

Year In Review:

In 2023, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 57 Votes: 50.88% Annoying
In 2019, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2017, Out of 26 Votes: 65.38% Annoying