Biography

Melvyn started in show business at the Comedy Theatre London in 1950 disappearing twice daily for £4.00 per week in Maskelyne’s Mysteries, performing The Indian Rope Trick.

After spending the next ten years working constantly in films, theatre and television drama, his first big break came in 1960, when he signed a seven-year film contract with Associated British Picture Corporation and starred in No Trees in The Street, Crooks in Cloisters and the Cliff Richard movies, The Young Ones, Summer Holiday and Wonderful Life.

Early work for the B.B.C. included the title role in the award winning drama documentary The Unloved, The Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist and Edik in The Silver Sword.

In the mid 60’s he played over a thousand performances of Bill Naughton’s Spring and Port Wine in London’s West End.
Another lucky break came in the 70’s – Bombardier ‘Gloria’ Beaumont in television’s It Ain’t Half Hot Mum.

Melvyn has more than fifty films, (including The Curse of Frankenstein, Operation Amsterdam, Santa Claus- the Movie, The Flesh and the Fiends and Carry on England), a dozen West End stage productions, (and many U.K. and Overseas theatre tours (amongst his favourites were, Play it Again Sam, Run for Your Wife, The Bespoke Overcoat and The Dresser), summer seasons, pantomimes and over five hundred television (from Quatermass, Billy Bunter and The Double Decker’s through to The Thin Blue Line, the last series of Drop The Dead Donkey, a stint in Eastenders, where he fell for the charms of Dot Cotton! that wonderful actress June Brown and Countdown!) and radio shows to his credit.

He is equally at home in cabaret or as an after dinner speaker and a familiar voice in television and radio commercials. He has provided the voice for several cartoon series, (including Superted, The Dreamstone, Alfred J Quack, Little Dracula and the Duchess of York’s Budgie) both in this country and for Walt Disney and Hanna Barberra in Hollywood.

He’s very proud to have been chosen for many Royal Variety Shows, and on 7th January 1981, whilst playing ‘‘Mate’ to Windsor Davies’s ‘Captain’ in Dick Whittington at the London Palladium, Melvyn was the subject of Thames Television’s This Is Your Life.

Recent television includes: a trip to Benidorm to play Mr Pink, meeting and working with the multi talented comedic actor/stand up comic/writer/quizmaster/total goodguy, Lee Mack in his sitcom Not Going Out and the christmas edition of Would I Lie To You? I say working, they were a joy to be involved in. Work? I’ve never done a day’s work in my life!

Once a week I introduce a television programme called Melvyn’s Talking Pictures on the TV station of the same name, Talking Pictures TV. Thank you Sarah and Noel Cronin for allowing me to talk about the classic films from the 1930’s. I get the opportunity to time travel back to the days of black and white movies and revisit some of the wonderful actors and directors, many of whom I had the good fortune to have worked with, all those many years ago.

He is very proud to be a Past King of The Grand Order of Water Rats.