{{Short description|British actor (1942–1987)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}} {{Use British English|date=February 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Michael Staniforth | image = | imagesize = | caption = | birthname = | birth_date = {{birth date|1942|12|15|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Birmingham]], England | death_date = {{death date and age|1987|7|31|1942|12|15|df=y}} | resting_place = Hawkinge Cemetery | othername = | homepage = | spouse = }}
'''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.<ref name="Bitcher"/>
Staniforth's father was a sergeant major in the Army and so Michael's childhood was spent with his family in Germany, Egypt and Libya.
He emigrated to [[Australia]] at the age of 21 and two years later landed a role in ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'' at The Menzies Theatre Restaurant in Sydney, where for the next few years he performed in a further 12 musicals, including ''[[Wonderful Town]]'' and Cole Porter's ''[[Out of This World (musical)|Out Of This World]]'', followed by a national tour of ''[[The Boy Friend (musical)|The Boy Friend]]''.
He returned to England in late 1969 and first appeared in the West End in ''[[Hair (musical)|Hair]]'' at the [[Shaftesbury Theatre]]. He also appeared in the ''[[Two Gentlemen of Verona (musical)|Two Gentlemen Of Verona]]'' (as Speed) and ''Winnie The Pooh'' (Tigger) at the [[Phoenix Theatre, London|Phoenix Theatre]]. In 1977 he played the role of Paul in the original British cast of ''[[A Chorus Line]]'', returning to the same venue ([[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]]) three years later as the young Tobias in Sondheim's ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street|Sweeney Todd]]''.
He appeared in the [[BBC]]'s 1975 Christmas production ''Great Big Groovy Horse'', a rock opera based on the story of the [[Trojan Horse]], which was shown on [[BBC Two|BBC2]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/612ffe3510ec4d1997059601247c58a0 |title=Great Big Groovy Horse – BBC Two England – 25 December 1975 |issue=2719 |pages=51 |journal=Radio Times |access-date=17 December 2016 |date=18 December 1975 |archive-date=11 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711100447/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/612ffe3510ec4d1997059601247c58a0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was repeated on [[BBC1]] in 1977.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/c8a45fab0e7f4d099b95b367346c3d5b |title=Great Big Groovy Horse – BBC One London – 21 December 1977 |issue=2823 |pages=47 |journal=Radio Times |access-date=17 December 2016 |date=15 December 1977 |archive-date=11 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711100619/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/c8a45fab0e7f4d099b95b367346c3d5b |url-status=dead }}</ref>
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:
<blockquote> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/969914/ |title=Rentaghost (1976-84) |publisher=BFI Screenonline |date=6 November 1984 |accessdate=5 November 2012}}</ref> </blockquote>
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]]''."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/rentaghost/trivia.shtml |title=Cult - Classic TV - Rentaghost - Trivia | publisher=BBC |date=September 2005 |accessdate=5 November 2012}}</ref>
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]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thebubbleburst.co.uk/bb.php?entry=Rentaghost |title=Rentaghost - Whatever happened to Timothy Claypole, Miss Popov and Dobbin the Pantomime Horse? |publisher=The Bubble Burst |accessdate=5 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725080210/http://www.thebubbleburst.co.uk/bb.php?entry=Rentaghost |archivedate=25 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
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).<ref name="Bitcher">{{cite news |last1=Bitcher |first1=Chris |title=The talent and tragic death of a TV Legend laid to rest in Kent |work=Medway Messenger |publisher=Kent Online |date=11 December 2025}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography}} *{{IMDb name|0822294}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staniforth, Michael}} [[Category:1942 births]] [[Category:1987 deaths]] [[Category:English male stage actors]] [[Category:AIDS-related deaths in England]] [[Category:Male actors from Birmingham, West Midlands]] [[Category:20th-century British male actors]] [[Category:English gay actors]] [[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]