Michael Melia
Encyclopedia
Michael Melia is an established British
actor
best known for his work on television.
Melia was born in Berkshire
and attended St. Mary's College, Twickenham
, the oldest Roman Catholic college in England. Before taking up acting he was a teacher
. At one stage he ran a bar in Spain
and thought about applying for a pub tenancy in England. However the idea was vetoed by his wife, former actress turned teacher, Celia Melia.
He began acting in television in the early 1970s, usually playing heavies or policemen, though he spent four years performing classic plays with the National Theatre
.
He joined the BBC 1 soap opera EastEnders
in 1990 as pub landlord Eddie Royle
; however he lasted just over a year in this role as his character was killed off in September 1991 after being stabbed by Nick Cotton
(John Altman) who was later tried for the murder but cleared.
After leaving EastEnders, he appeared as Frank Dagley on Dangerfield; and, more recently, Jerry Block for over a hundred episodes of the footballing soap opera
Dream Team
.
His rugged features have led to parts in numerous crime dramas: The Sweeney
, The Bill
, Minder
in the Series 1 episode Monday Night Fever, C.A.T.S. Eyes
, Campion
, The Chinese Detective
, Dempsey & Makepeace
, Rumpole of the Bailey
, Inspector Morse
, Maigret
, The Detectives
, Daylight Robbery and New Tricks.
He has also had parts in many other established dramas including When the Boat Comes In
, Coronation Street
, Casualty
and most recently Doctors and Emmerdale
.
He is also known for having appeared on Doctor Who
in full alien costume as the Terileptil Leader in the 1982 story The Visitation; and had a minor part on Blake's 7
.
He lives in Hampton Wick, Surrey with his wife and pet cat. He has two children, Tom and Charlotte, who have both appeared as extras in the EastEnders market square.
More recently, he has appeared in short films, directed by his son Tom, which can be found on their website www.mean-eyedcat.co.uk.
His daughter, Charlotte, also stars.
In 2010, he guest starred in Dani's House
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
best known for his work on television.
Melia was born in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
and attended St. Mary's College, Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
, the oldest Roman Catholic college in England. Before taking up acting he was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. At one stage he ran a bar in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and thought about applying for a pub tenancy in England. However the idea was vetoed by his wife, former actress turned teacher, Celia Melia.
He began acting in television in the early 1970s, usually playing heavies or policemen, though he spent four years performing classic plays with the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
.
He joined the BBC 1 soap opera EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in 1990 as pub landlord Eddie Royle
Eddie Royle
Edward "Eddie" Royle is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Melia from 1990 until 1991.-Storylines:...
; however he lasted just over a year in this role as his character was killed off in September 1991 after being stabbed by Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by John Altman on a recurring basis from the soap's debut episode in February 1985, through to his last appearance to date in 2009. Nick is the son of characters Charlie and Dot Cotton, and the father of Ashley and...
(John Altman) who was later tried for the murder but cleared.
After leaving EastEnders, he appeared as Frank Dagley on Dangerfield; and, more recently, Jerry Block for over a hundred episodes of the footballing soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Dream Team
Dream Team (TV series)
Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....
.
His rugged features have led to parts in numerous crime dramas: The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
in the Series 1 episode Monday Night Fever, C.A.T.S. Eyes
C.A.T.S. Eyes
C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987.-Premise:The series was a spin-off from The Gentle Touch and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Det. Insp. Maggie Forbes, having left the police force to join a private detective agency called "Eyes" that is...
, Campion
Campion
Campion may refer to:-Biology:* Flowering plants of the Caryophyllaceae genera Lychnis and Silene, including:** Silene acaulis, or moss campion, a flower found in Eurasia and North America...
, The Chinese Detective
The Chinese Detective
The Chinese Detective is a British television series, transmitted by the BBC between 1981 and 1982 and created by Ian Kennedy Martin, who had previously devised The Sweeney and Juliet Bravo....
, Dempsey & Makepeace
Dempsey & Makepeace
Dempsey & Makepeace is a British television crime drama made by London Weekend Television for ITV, created and produced by Ranald Graham...
, Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer which starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London barrister who defends any and all clients...
, Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
, Maigret
Maigret
Jules Maigret, Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" , created by writer Georges Simenon.Seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret were published between 1931 and...
, The Detectives
The Detectives
The Detectives is a British comedy television series, starring Jasper Carrott, Robert Powell, and George Sewell. It was a spoof of police dramas, which were numerous in the 1990s, and it was aired on BBC One...
, Daylight Robbery and New Tricks.
He has also had parts in many other established dramas including When the Boat Comes In
When the Boat Comes In
When the Boat Comes In is a British television period-drama produced by the BBC between 1976 and 1981.The series stars James Bolam as Jack Ford, a First World War veteran who returns to his poverty-stricken town of Gallowshield in the North East of England in the 1920s.The memorable traditional...
, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
and most recently Doctors and Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
He is also known for having appeared on Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in full alien costume as the Terileptil Leader in the 1982 story The Visitation; and had a minor part on Blake's 7
Blake's 7
Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
.
He lives in Hampton Wick, Surrey with his wife and pet cat. He has two children, Tom and Charlotte, who have both appeared as extras in the EastEnders market square.
More recently, he has appeared in short films, directed by his son Tom, which can be found on their website www.mean-eyedcat.co.uk.
His daughter, Charlotte, also stars.
In 2010, he guest starred in Dani's House
Dani's House
Dani's House is a UK BAFTA-nominated Series produced BBC children's sitcom, starring actress Dani Harmer. The series started broadcast on 26 September 2008, three series have now aired and a fourth is currently being broadcast on CBBC, it started on 16 September 2011. A fifth series was...
.