Murray Melvin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Murray Melvin
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Melvin in 2014
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| Born | 10 August 1932 London, England
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| Died | 14 April 2023 (aged 90) London, England
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| Years active | 1957–2020 |
Murray Melvin (born August 10, 1932 – died April 14, 2023) was a talented English actor. He was famous for his roles in films and plays. He worked with well-known directors like Joan Littlewood, Ken Russell, and Stanley Kubrick. Murray Melvin also wrote two books about theatre history. These books were The Art of Theatre Workshop (2006) and The Theatre Royal, A History of the Building (2009).
Contents
Murray Melvin's Early Life and Beginnings
Murray Melvin was born in St. Pancras, London, on August 10, 1932. His parents were Hugh Victor Melvin and Maisie Winifred. He left school at 14, even though he was a head prefect. He said he got this role by always having clean fingernails and neat hair. His first job was as an office boy for a travel agency.
His parents helped start a youth club in Hampstead. This club was for young people after the difficult times of the war. Murray was very keen on the drama section there.
He then worked briefly as an import and export clerk. After that, he spent two years in the Royal Air Force for National Service. His father had also served in the RAF. Murray worked as a clerk for the RAF sports board. He felt his clean fingernails and neat hair helped him get this job.
Murray Melvin's Acting Career
Starting at Theatre Workshop
Murray Melvin took evening classes to study drama, mime, and ballet. He auditioned for Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop company. He sang, danced, and even acted like a sports board director.
In 1957, he joined the company. He started as an assistant stage manager and painter. His first professional acting role was in Macbeth. He then played a bricklayer and a peasant in other plays. He also appeared in Man Beast and Virtue and Celestina.
A big moment came when he played Geoffrey in A Taste of Honey. This play was very important for British theatre. He also played the main character in The Hostage. Joan Littlewood helped make these plays exciting and truthful.
In 1959, A Taste of Honey became a huge success in London's West End. Murray Melvin played Geoffrey again in the 1961 film version. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor in 1962. He was also nominated for a BAFTA award for "Most Promising Newcomer."
He continued to work with Theatre Workshop. He performed in Sam, the Highest Jumper of Them All and Every Man in his Humour. In 1963, he was part of the musical Oh, What a Lovely War!. This show won awards in Paris and London. His last performance with Theatre Workshop was in New York in 1964.
Working with Ken Russell
Murray Melvin often worked with director Ken Russell. He appeared in many of Russell's films. These included The Devils and The Boy Friend. He also worked with Lewis Gilbert in films like H.M.S. Defiant (1962) and Alfie (1966). In Alfie, he played Michael Caine's friend.
He played Lupin, the son, in Ken Russell's TV version of Diary of a Nobody. Many actors from Theatre Workshop were in this film. His most famous role for Russell was Father Mignon in The Devils (1971).
After The Devils, Murray Melvin directed two works by the film's composer, Peter Maxwell Davies. He also had a special dance scene in Russell's film The Boy Friend. He played Hector Berlioz in Lisztomania (1975). Later, he appeared in Russell's film about the poet Samuel Coleridge. He also played a lawyer in Prisoner of Honour (1991).
Murray Melvin and Ken Russell remained close friends. Melvin often joined Russell at film screenings.
Other Film Roles
Murray Melvin had an important role as Reverend Samuel Runt in Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon (1975). He once talked about Kubrick's many takes for scenes.
He reunited with his A Taste of Honey co-stars, Rita Tushingham and Paul Danquah, in Smashing Time (1967). He also worked with Oliver Reed in Crossed Swords (1977).
Director Peter Medak cast Murray Melvin in five films. These included A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1972) and The Krays (1990). He also appeared in David Copperfield (2000).
Melvin was in two films by Christine Edzard: Little Dorrit (1988) and As You Like It (1992). He played Monsieur Reyer in the film The Phantom of the Opera (2004).
Television Appearances
Murray Melvin appeared in the first episode of The Avengers in 1960. He played the Dauphin in Shaw's St. Joan (1966). He was also in The Tyrant King (1968), a children's TV series.
In 1994, he voiced the villain Lucius in the animated series Oscar's Orchestra. He also appeared in a Christmas episode of Jonathan Creek in 1998.
From 2007, he played the mysterious Bilis Manger in the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood. He continued this role in audio dramas. In 2011, he played the Professor in a comedy-drama called The Grey Mile.
Other Contributions to Theatre
Murray Melvin helped start the Actors' Centre. He was its chairman for four years. He also opened a centre in Manchester to honor Joan Littlewood.
He directed many types of shows, including opera and comedy. He directed the first productions of three popular pantomimes by Graeme Garden.
In 1991, he joined the board of the Theatre Royal Stratford East. He stayed in this role until 2011. He became known as a knowledgeable theatre and film historian.
In 1992, he became the Theatre Royal's volunteer archivist. In 2009, he joined the Theatre Workshop Trust. He led a successful effort to build a statue of Joan Littlewood. In 2020, he finished an archive of the theatre's history from 1884 to 2017.
He received several honorary degrees for his work. These included a Doctor of Arts from De Montfort University in 2013. He also received degrees from the University of Essex and Rose Bruford College.
Murray Melvin also made several audio recordings. These included plays like Two Gentlemen of Verona and Saint Joan. He also narrated ghost stories by M. R. James and Wilkie Collins.
Murray Melvin's Later Life and Passing
In December 2022, Murray Melvin had a fall. He did not fully recover from it. He passed away in London on April 14, 2023, at the age of 90. He had no close family members living at the time. So, former Stratford East director Kerry Kyriacos Michael was named as his next of kin.
Selected Works
Film Roles
- A Taste of Honey (1961) – Geoffrey Ingham
- H.M.S. Defiant (1962) – Wagstaffe
- Alfie (1966) – Nat
- The Devils (1971) – Mignon
- The Boy Friend (1971) – Alphonse
- Barry Lyndon (1975) – Rev. Samuel Runt
- The Prince and the Pauper (1977) – Prince's Dresser
- The Krays (1990) – Newsagent
- The Phantom of the Opera (2004) – Reyer
Theatre Performances (as an actor)
- Geoffrey in Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey (1958)
- Leslie in Brendan Behan's The Hostage (1958)
- Theatre Workshop's Company musical Oh, What a Lovely War (1963)
- The Dauphin in Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan
Television Performances
- Lupin in The Diary of a Nobody (1964)
- Lucius in Oscar's Orchestra (voice, 1994)
- Lionel in Jonathan Creek (1998)
- Bilis Manger in Torchwood (2006)
Achievements and Recognition
- Honorary Doctorate of Arts from De Montfort University (2013)
- Honorary Degree from University of Essex (2015)
- Honorary Fellowship from Rose Bruford College (2016)
- The National Portrait Gallery, London has several pictures of Murray Melvin.
Images for kids
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Melvin talks to actress Georgina Hale at the Young Vic Theatre 31 October 2007
See also
In Spanish: Murray Melvin para niños
