Michael Summerton
Michael Summerton (22 December 1943 – 16 June 2009) was an English actor and talent agent. He began as one of the original Dalek operators in Doctor Who and later started his own talent agency, Michael Summerton Management Ltd.
Born in Rochdale, Lancashire, he studied at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. In 1963 he played Abanazer in Aladdin at the Royal Tunbridge Wells Opera House. He later had small TV roles, including a postboy in the soap Compact, and a non-speaking Dalek operator part that he later viewed as a low point.
Seeking work, he joined Hazel Malone's agency, where he met David Bowie during Bowie's early acting attempts; Summerton reportedly doubted Bowie's acting ambitions.
In 1970 he started his own agency, attracting clients such as Noele Gordon, the dance groups Love Machine and Hot Gossip, Lesley Joseph, Sinitta, Bonnie Langford, and the Beverly Sisters. He also managed dancers and choreographers like Debbie Astell, Les Child, Thomas Michael Voss, Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli.
Summerton died in London in 2009 at the age of 65.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:45 (CET).