Early Life
Michael Brandon was born Michael Feldman on April 20, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. He is of Jewish heritage, and he spent his childhood in Valley Stream, New York, where he attended Memorial Junior High and graduated from Valley Stream Central High School. He trained in New York City at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
He went on to study method acting in workshops at the Actors Studio. In 1969 he made his Broadway debut at the Belasco Theater in 'Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?', sharing the stage with a young Al Pacino. Not long after that, he moved to Los Angeles to work in film and television.
Early Career & First Roles
Brandon moved into screen work quickly. His first leading film role came in the ensemble comedy 'Lovers and Other Strangers' (1970), alongside Bea Arthur and Diane Keaton. A role in 'Jennifer on My Mind' (1971) followed, a film that featured an early performance by Robert De Niro.
He also worked in European cinema, starring as Robert Tobias in Dario Argento's Italian giallo thriller 'Four Flies on Grey Velvet' (1971). Through the 1970s he appeared in television movies, among them 'The Red Badge of Courage' (1974), 'Cage Without a Key' (1975) and the rock-radio drama 'FM' (1978).
Major Roles
Michael Brandon worked on both sides of the Atlantic. He found steady work on U.S. television, including a stint on the primetime soap 'Emerald Point N.A.S.' (1983-84), but it was in the UK that he landed the role he is best known for.
Lieutenant James Dempsey, Dempsey and Makepeace (1985-1986)
For fans of a certain vintage, Michael Brandon is Detective Lieutenant James Dempsey first and foremost. Dempsey was a rule-bending, street-smart NYPD detective "seconded" to London's Serious Crimes Unit. Brandon played him with a swaggering charm: leather jacket, Brooklyn accent, and open disdain for British bureaucracy.
His assigned partner was the aristocratic, by-the-book Detective Sergeant Harriet "Harry" Makepeace, played by Glynis Barber. The "fish-out-of-water" tension between the two of them drove the show, a running clash of cultures and methods. Dempsey got the wisecracks and the rebellious grin, and he stayed likable even when he was driving his superiors to distraction.
Beyond the banter, Dempsey was a capable detective whose unorthodox methods came from an understanding of the criminal mind and a drive for justice. The show brought out the dedication and integrity underneath the cool exterior as it went on. 'Dempsey and Makepeace' was a massive hit, and the partnership with Barber remains one of the most beloved in British crime drama.
U.S. General Sanchez, Doctor Who (2008)
Decades after 'Dempsey and Makepeace', Brandon took a guest role in 'Doctor Who', in the 2008 two-parter "The Stolen Earth" / "Journey's End". As U.S. General Sanchez, he was an authoritative military commander.
Sanchez oversaw a global environmental project, which at first made him a bureaucratic obstacle to the Doctor's investigation: a man of orders and protocols. Brandon played him stern and no-nonsense. In the face of an alien threat, Sanchez's military resolve turned into sacrifice, and Brandon moved the character from skeptical official to determined soldier.
His performance grounded the science-fiction stakes in real-world consequence. For the 'Doctor Who' audience, it was a surprise to see a face from British action television in the role, and Brandon gave Sanchez a strength and conviction that made him a memorable figure of the Tenth Doctor's era.
Other Notable Work
He also led the ITV crime series 'Murder Investigation Team' (2003-2005) as Detective Inspector Trevor Hands, and took a recurring role in the BBC's con-artist drama 'Hustle' as Marcus Wendell, a morally flexible lawyer.
He was the narrator for the American dub of 'Thomas & Friends' for nearly a decade. On stage he appeared in the West End production of 'Singin' in the Rain'. In cinema he played Senator Brandt in 'Captain America: The First Avenger' (2011).
Acting Style
Michael Brandon works in both American and British idioms and moves between them easily. He gives a cynical quip as Dempsey and a solemn order as General Sanchez with equal weight.
His training in the theater and at The Actors Studio shows in how he builds a character, from an internal logic that makes the part feel lived-in. He plays capable, often authoritative figures and finds the vulnerabilities and idiosyncrasies inside them. That mix of strength and accessibility is why audiences have stayed with him.
Personal Life
After a first marriage to actress Lindsay Wagner in the late 1970s, Brandon married his 'Dempsey and Makepeace' co-star, Glynis Barber, in 1989. The couple have a son, Alexander, born in 1992, and they live in London.
Away from the set, Brandon is an avid gardener and a fitness enthusiast who enjoys jogging. He is also a scuba diver and has kept a lifelong love of superhero comics. He cites Marlon Brando as a key acting influence.
In closing...
Michael Brandon's career runs from the Broadway stage to the streets of London as Dempsey, and from children's television narration to a 'Doctor Who' episode. For connoisseurs of mystery and crime drama, he remains the American detective on British soil. His body of work is long and varied.