Staniforth's father was a sergeant major in the Army and so Michael's childhood was spent with his family in Germany, Egypt and Libya.
In 1977 he played the role of Paul in the original British cast of A Chorus Line, returning to the same venue (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane) three years later as the young Tobias in Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.
Staniforth's best-known role was as ghostly jester Timothy Claypole, a mischievous medieval poltergeist, in the long-running BBC children's television comedy series Rentaghost.
Danny Birchall at BFI Screenonline noted: The sheer energy of Michael Staniforth (who also performed the theme tune) as Claypole made it one of the longer-lasting children's television series, if not always the most fondly remembered.
"[2] In 1984, Staniforth had a significant role as CB the Red Caboose in the original line-up in the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical Starlight Express.