[1] Michael Annals was born in what was then Harrow, Middlesex (later incorporated into Greater London) on 21 April 1938.
He attended the Harrow Weald County Grammar School and the Hornsey College of Art.
[2] Michael Annals began his career in 1961 by designing the sets and costumes for the Old Vic company's Soviet Union tour of Macbeth and their production of Dr Faustus at the Edinburgh Festival.
In 1964, Annals designed the sets and costumes for another production of Macbeth, this time at the National Theatre of Portugal.
[2] Annals produced designs for several original Broadway theatre productions, including The Royal Hunt of the Sun in 1965, the short-lived Those That Play the Clowns in 1966, Staircase in 1968, and Noises Off in 1983.