Legendary actor says Donald Trump showed true colours when cameras weren't watching

An iconic actor has revealed what Donald Trump is like off camera (Image: Getty)

Legendary actor Michael Crawford says Donald Trump showed his ‘true colours’ when the cameras weren’t watching. The US President recently awarded the Hollywood star a medal for his services to American arts.

Michael, who originally hails from Wiltshire, has been a regular on stage and screen for more than six decades. He was the actor who played Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em and was the original star of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, performing in over 1,300 shows between its launch in 1986 and his final run in Los Angeles in 1991.

Michael was recognised at the 48th Kennedy Centre honours (Image: Getty)

Last week the star was awarded with the Kennedy Centre medal at the Oval Office. He was recognised for his contributions to the arts alongside rock band Kiss, country music star George Strait, disco legend Gloria Gaynor and Rocky actor Sylvester Stallone.

Trump honoured the actor as “the great star of Broadway” while he claimed his hand-picked award-winners in 2025 are “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class”.

The billionaire businessman claimed he was “there” for Michael’s Broadway debut in Black Comedy in 1967. An avid fan of Phantom of the Opera, he described Michael as a “generational talent” and “international sensation”.

The actor meanwhile says Trump and his political advisers were “good company”. He recalled a light-hearted exchange between the US President and actor Sly Stallone.

Donald Trump presented Michael with the award (Image: Getty)

Speaking to The Times, he said: “They were very lighthearted. The press come in and he turned harder, and then when the press leave the room again he was back to ... he was squirting cologne on Sly's [Stallone] face and Sly was going, 'I'm blind, I'm blind!'"

The star however admits he is unsure about Trump’s claim that they have Phantom of the Opera “on tape from every different angle”. He says that while clips of the show do exist, it was never filmed in full.

"Maybe Trump's got an illegal tape. I think we should follow up on that, and good luck with the legal action," he joked.

The 2025 recipients of the Kennedy Centre medal were hand-picked by the US President after he replaced the board who previously chose nominees. It comes as part of an overhaul of the Kennedy Centre, something that has reportedly become a personal project for the president.

Trump’s decision to appoint himself as chairman of the centre sparked anger among the arts community in Washington. According to the Washington Post, ticket sales have fallen since the move.