Miquel Brown facts for kids

Miquel Brown (born Michael Brown on February 8, 1945) is a Canadian singer and actress. She became famous in the 1970s and 1980s for her disco and soul songs. Her most popular songs include "Close to Perfection" and the high-energy dance tracks "So Many Men – So Little Time" and "He's a Saint, He's a Sinner".

She was originally named Michael. Her parents changed the spelling to Miquel so people wouldn't mix her up with a male author who was also named Michael Brown. Miquel is the mother of singer Sinitta and the stepsister of singer Amii Stewart.

Early Life and Career

Miquel Brown was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her career in entertainment began when she successfully auditioned for a part in the musical Hair. She toured the United States with the show.

After the tour, she moved to London, England. In 1973, she starred in a show called Decameron '73. This led to an interview on the popular Michael Parkinson Show. She also began acting in movies and television. In 1974, she appeared in the TV film Regan, which later became the hit series The Sweeney. The next year, she was in the science fiction movie Rollerball.

For the next few years, Brown appeared in the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar and on many TV shows, including Supersonic and Bring on the Girls with Bruce Forsyth.

Music and Acting Success

Breakthrough in Music

In 1976, Brown's role in the musical Mardi Gras helped her get a record deal. She worked with musician Alan Hawkshaw to create her first album, Symphony of Love, which was released in 1978. The album was filled with disco songs that were popular in dance clubs.

In 1978, she also had a small part in the famous movie Superman. She played one of the reporters in a scene after Superman is first seen by the public.

Hi-NRG Hits

In the early 1980s, Brown began working with producers Ian Levine and Fiachra Trench. Together, they created the album Manpower in 1983. This album was in the Hi-NRG style, a type of fast-paced electronic dance music.

The first song from the album, "So Many Men – So Little Time", became a huge hit in clubs and reached number 2 on the UK club chart. It also appeared on the main UK Singles Chart.

Later Career

In 1985, Brown released another album called Close to Perfection. The title song became her highest-charting single in the UK. Another song, "Black Leather", was also a hit on dance radio in the United States.

In 1986, Brown temporarily joined the famous singing group The Three Degrees to help them promote a new song in Europe.

Throughout her career, Brown has continued to act. She appeared in an episode of the British TV show Casualty in 1989. In the 1990s, she acted in the movie French Kiss with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline. She also performed in the London stage versions of the musicals Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens and Fame.

Recent Work

Miquel Brown has remained active in film and theatre into the 21st century. In 2001, she acted alongside Emma Thompson in the movie Wit. She also performed in a London play called A Streetcar Named Desire.

She has appeared in several other movies, including An American Haunting (2005) with Sissy Spacek and How To Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008) with Jeff Bridges.

Fans of the Harry Potter universe might recognize her from the 2016 movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where she played the role of Executioner 2.

Discography

Albums

• Symphony of Love (1978)
• Manpower (Record Shack Records, 1983)
• Close to Perfection (Record Shack Records, 1985)
• The Best of Miquel Brown (Hot Productions, 1991)

Singles