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Michael's Unofficial Biography

Michael was born on June 27, 1962 in Bromsgrove in the county of Hereford and Worcester (pronounced Wooster).  Bromsgrove is a small town a few miles south of Birmingham.  

When Michael was three years old his parents moved to Devon, a beautiful county in the south west of England.  He lived in a tiny village on the edge of Dartmoor, a very picturesque national park.  The village is rarely shown on maps but often tourist maps show a large house called Buckland Monachorum, which was the home of Sir Francis Drake from 1518 and is now a museum.  The village is a few yards away from this house and lies west of Yelverton and seven miles north of Plymouth.

Michael attended preparatory school in Plymouth from the age of five (in England preparatory schools are fee paying schools which pupils attend between the ages of 5 and 11), then at the age of 11 he went to Plymouth College for Boys. 

During his childhood, Michael’s father worked in South Africa and the family moved to Cape Town for about three years.  It’s uncertain what age Michael was, but in interviews he says he remembers very little about his time out there so he can only have been very young.

When Michael was 16 his parents moved again, this time to Farnham in Surrey, where Michael completed his education.

After completing his ‘A’ levels, Michael auditioned for the Guildford School of Acting and took a full time three-year degree course.  The Guildford School of Acting is associated with the University of Surrey

There is often confusion that Michael is Welsh.  Michael in fact was born in England and has lived in this country all his life (apart from the three years in Cape Town).  However, Michael’s mother, Ruth, is Welsh and is from Mountain Ash in South Wales.  Michael has a strong affinity to Wales and often visits his mother’s family who still live there.  Michael’s voice seems to be inherited from his mother’s side of the family – his maternal grandfather was a leading tenor, as is Ruth’s brother Tom.

Michael’s father Tony’s family is English and come from Bridgewater in Somerset.  As can be seen from Tony Ball’s website, Tony is a very prominent businessman in Britain, particularly in the motor industry.  Tony was awarded the M B E (Member of the British Empire) in 1986 for services to British industry.  

 

Michael has one brother Kevin who is three years older and one sister Katherine who is eight years younger than Michael.  Kevin is a partner in his father’s business.

A compilation of info from various sources.

Note: Photos courtesy of Linda Pollock

 

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