Meet the author and actor from Wimbledon Village
Meet the author and actor from Wimbledon Village
Michael Norman-Smith has lived in Wimbledon Village for most of his life and we caught up with him to talk about his work and home in SW19.
In December 2024 Michael launched his book ’50 Years On The Stage’, which covers his illustrious and varied career, which began at Wimbledon Library when he was 13 years old, in what is now Arts Space.
Wimbledon has been his home for most of his life and the affection and connection he has to the area is evident.
“It’s a special place, the history, the geography and the environment… I love the trees in Cannizaro park. I was married there and lots of the trees I have planted around the park are in memory of my parents and grandparents.”
Sitting in his living room on The Grange near the common, in the home that has been in his family since 1945, I am overwhelmed with the number of books, art work and cultural influences. From the West Indies, to local scenes of Wimbledon Common and many photos of his ancestors from SW19 who have influenced and inspired him.
Michael’s maternal grandparents came to Merton Park in 1914, and his grandmother stood for the council at a time when women weren’t even allowed to vote.
His grandfather worked for the Ministry of Labour, and his father worked at the Colonial Office, which became the Foreign and Commonwealth office.
Michael’s grandparents worked in the West Indies in WW2 and his grandfather wrote his biography, ‘From Whitehall To The West Indies.’
His grandparents moved back to Wimbledon and bought their house in SW19 in 1945.
A love of travel and of creativity is clearly in Michael’s DNA and when I ask him what the traits of his family are he says: “A love of the area, an interest in people and trying to do good.”
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Michael himself was educated at King’s College Wimbledon, he then went to university in Northern Ireland where he studied education and this led to him working predominantly in special needs education, firstly in Sussex and then in Bristol.
“In the 80s and 90s it was my job in Barnett to write the statements declaring the children’s needs at a time when not much was known about them and then placements and provisions would be made.”
A decline in his mother’s health brought Michael back to Wimbledon, and he started working for Mencap in Merton in 2002.
It was after this point in his career that he moved his focus and energy to travelling, acting, performing and writing.
“I had spent a lot of time working with and for other people and I felt like I wanted to move towards a life where I was doing more for myself.
“I had always been a keen actor and then the writing came later and the transition felt quite natural and easy and I became involved in the Wimbledon National Trust and Wimbledon Society and Museum.”
But his main pieces of writing weren’t all locally inspired: “I went to India and decided to write a poetry book all about elephants in all shapes and forms.
“There were lots of different components, from riding on an elephant, to owning a toy elephant to looking at their physical appearance. I also wrote a children’s book about an elephant in the first world war, which was called Bala: The Elephant That Went To War.”
Michael has covered many different topics and written books on Shakespeare such as “ A Bright Particular Star,” to books on Wimbledon writers.
As far as plays are concerned he has written several, including “A Fiver For Eliza” which was based on the journalist William Stead, who campaigned to raise the age of consent to 16, and most recently he performed as the Wizard of Oz in a production at St Mary’s Church in Merton Park in the Parish Players’ production.
For the last 20 years Michael has performed in shows around local areas, including performances in Mitcham, Raynes Park, West Barnes and Wimbledon.
He also gives lectures on a wide range of topics from ‘Oscar: The Wilde Man’, ‘Wimbledon Women Writers’ and ‘When Shakespeare Visited India’, to name but a few.
Reflecting on his time in the acting and writing industry he says:
‘It is great fun and very therapeutic as an escape, but you have to be patient and realise that in life you can’t win them all.”
