Esme Melville
Esme Melville | |
|---|---|
| Born | Esme Grace Mount-Melville 23 July 1918 Norwood, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 14 September 2006 (aged 88) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Theatre, television and film actress |
| Years active | 1939-2006 |
| Known for | Neighbours |
Esme Melville (born Esme Grace Mount-Melville, 23 July 1918 – 14 September 2006) was an Australian theatre, television and film actress. At the Tropfest awards for 2003 she won Best Actor – Female for her role of Granma in the short film, Forbidden. At the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Miss Collard in Romulus, My Father.
Her theatre roles included Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver! (1961–62, 1966–67). Melville had four separate ongoing roles on television soap opera, Neighbours, including as Rose Belker during 2006.
Biography[edit]
Esme Melville was born as Esme Grace Mount-Melville on 23 July 1918 and grew up in Norwood.[1] Her mother was Margaret Mount-Melville.[1] Melville started as a theatre actress in Adelaide in 1939 – just before the outbreak of World War II.[2]
On 11 May 1944 Melville enrolled into the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service as a transport driver and was honourably discharged on 13 September 1946 from Victoria Barracks in Melbourne.[1][3] She remained in that city and from 1956 worked at St Martins Theatre for eight years.[2][4]
Television roles[edit]
Her television credits of the 1970s included various guest roles in the Crawford Productions police dramas Homicide, Division 4, Matlock Police and Bluey. Other appearances included guest roles in Crawford's adventure series Ryan (1973), and in the miniseries Power Without Glory (1976).[4]
Later television appearances include Cop Shop (1978), Sons and Daughters (1982), Special Squad (1984), The Flying Doctors (1986), Sugar and Spice (1988), Phoenix (1992), Round the Twist (1993), Wedlocked (1994), The Damnation of Harvey McHugh (1994), The Man from Snowy River (1994), Mercury (1996), Driven Crazy (1998), Eugenie Sandler P.I. (2000), SeaChange (2000), Stingers (2000), The Secret Life of Us (2001), miniseries Bootleg (2002), miniseries After the Deluge (2003), Real Stories (2006).[4]
She also made frequent appearances in televisions series Prisoner, Blue Heelers, and Neighbours. For the latter series she portrayed four different characters starting in 1986 with Mrs. York and most recently, in 2006, as the hard-of-hearing, Rose Belker.[4]
Theatre roles[edit]
Her theatre roles include Serita in Waiting in the Wings, Mrs Grey in The Secretary Bird (1969) and Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver (1961–62, 1966–67).
She worked in theatre until 2005, a year before her death[5]
Film roles[edit]
Melville also acted in several feature films including Alvin Purple Rides Again (1974), Dimboola (1979), I Can Jump Puddles (1981) (TV), Squizzy Taylor (1982), Annie's Coming Out (1984), Niel Lynne (1985), The Four Minute Mile (1988) (TV), Mull (1989), Spotswood (1992), Say a Little Prayer (1993), The Heartbreak Kid (1993), Dead End (1999), Siam Sunset (1999), A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow (2000), Dalkeith (2001), Crackerjack (2002), Forbidden (2003), Romulus, My Father (2007).
At the Tropfest awards for 2003 she won Best Actor – Female for her role of Granma in the short film, Forbidden.[6] At the 2007 Australian Film Institute Awards she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Miss Collard in Romulus, My Father.[7] She worked in student films, independent short films, did voice-overs and appeared in TV ads.[4]
Esme Melville died on 14 September 2006 after a short illness, aged 88.[4]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Title | Year | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alvin Rides Again | 1974 | Cleaning Lady | Feature film debut |
| Dimboola | 1979 | April | |
| Squizzy Taylor | 1982 | Woman in the Street | |
| Annie's Coming Out | 1984 | Mrs. Arnold | |
| Niel Lynne | 1985 | Old Woman | |
| Mull | 1985 | Fanny | |
| Frank's Chair | 1990 | [8] | |
| Spotswood | 1992 | Rose | |
| Duplex | 1993 | Elsie | [9] |
| Say a Little Prayer | 1993 | Song Mimer | |
| The Heartreak Kid | 1993 | Lady on Stairs | |
| Angel Baby | 1995 | Elderly Patient | |
| Clippings | 1995 | [10] | |
| Falling | 1995 | [11] | |
| Park Street | 1995 | [12] | |
| Dead End | 1999 | Boarding House Woman | |
| Siam Sunset | 1999 | Dot | |
| A Telephone Call for Genevieve Snow | 2000 | Madame | |
| Bare | 2000 | Cast member | [12] |
| Dalkeith | 2002 | Maisie Carter | |
| Crackerjack | 2002 | Mrs. Jenkins | |
| Forbidden | 2003 | Granma | |
| The Watch | 2004 | Opportunity Shop Lady | |
| Wally | 2005 | Granma | |
| Thirty Five Candles | 2006 | [13] | |
| Romulus, My Father | 2007 | Miss Collard |
|
| Hotel Motel | 2007 | Granny Crack |
Television[edit]
| Title | Year | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consider Your Verdict | 1963 | unnamed | Television debut: "Queen Versus Burns" (guest appearance) |
| Division 4 | 1969–72 | Mary Bentley, Mrs. Grey, Mrs.Gillespie, Mrs. McDougall | |
| Homicide | 1970–75 | Mrs. Smithers, Mrs. Carter, Emily, Kathleen Evans, Mrs. Grace, unnamed, Mama Stepanov | |
| Matlock Police | 1971–74 | Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Stevens, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Jenkins | |
| Ryan | 1973 | unnamed | |
| Bluey | 1977 | Mrs. Neilson, Old Woman | |
| Young Ramsay | 1977 | Mrs. Mclver | |
| Prisoner | 1980–86 | Vera's Neighbour (uncredited), Freda, Beryl Hudson (2×), Charlady (2×), Granny Wilkinson (2×) | First repeat role: Beryl Hudson (1982) (guest appearance) |
| Holiday Island | 1981 | Nellie | |
| Special Squad | 1984 | unnamed, unnamed in "The Patchwork" | [14] |
| The Flying Doctors | 1986 | Grace in "To the Rescue" | [15] |
| Neighbours | 1986, 1993, 2002, 2006 | Annabelle York, Jean Halliday, Moina Beresford, Rose Belker | First ongoing role(s) |
| The Henderson Kids | 1987 | Old Lady in Series Two | [16] |
| Sugar and Spice | 1988 | Mrs Watson | [17] |
| Pugwall, Pugwall Summer | 1989, 1991 | Mary, Clara | |
| Phoenix | 1992 | Mrs. Butler in "A Bunch of Big Girls" | [18] |
| Round the Twist | 1993 | Mrs. Gribble, senior in "Pink Bow Tie" | [19] |
| The Damnation of Harvey McHugh | 1994 | Old Woman | |
| Wedlocked | 1994 | unnamed in "Dating Game" | [20] |
| Blue Heelers | 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003 | Maude Keane in "Day in Court", "Damage Control"; Grace Burrell in "Stars in Their Eyes"; Amelia Dodds in "A Bit on the Side"; Elsie Wright in "A Blind Eye" | [21][22][23][24] |
| Fast Forward Presents Full Frontal, Full Frontal | 1995–96 | additional cast | |
| Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River | 1996 | Bobbe Berkovich | |
| Mercury | 1996 | Mrs. Keen | [25] |
| Driven Crazy | 1998 | Mrs. Trapp | |
| Introducing Gary Petty | 2000 | Victim of Jude's Poetry in "The Flight Attendant Who Did Me Wrong" | [26] |
| Stingers | 2000 | Old Lady | |
| SeaChange | 2000 | Ruby | |
| Eugénie Sandler P.I. | 2000 | Scottish Lady | |
| The Secret Life of Us | 2001 | Elderly Woman in "Better the Devil You Know" | [27] |
| Bootleg | 2002 | Old Lady | [28] |
| Short Cuts | 2002 | Mrs. Green in "Money or the Box", "My Funny Valentine", "Grass Is Greener" | |
| After the Deluge | 2003 | Edith | [29] |
| Legacy of the Silver Shadow | 2003 | Older Woman | |
| Real Stories | 2006 | Gran on "Episode 2" | [30] |
Theatre[edit]
| Title | Year | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | unnamed | Theatre debut | |
| 1956–1963 | St Martins Theatre | ||
| Oliver! | 1961–62, 1966–67 | Mrs. Bedwin | Musical based on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens[31] |
| Little Women | 1964 | Musical based on Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott | |
| The Secretary Bird | 1969 | Mrs. Grey | Comedy |
| An Ideal Husband | 1972 | Comedy, drama | |
| Rumpelstiltskin | 1974 | Aunty Flora Dora | Based on folk tales about Rumpelstiltskin as collected by Brothers Grimm[32] |
| Morning Sacrifice | 1989 | Drama by Dymphna Cusack | |
| Gilmore: A Portrait | 1992 | Biographical drama of Mary Gilmore by Eric Colladetti | |
| Serendipity | 1993 | Drama | |
| Waiting for Marlene | 2000 | Jessica | Review by Colin Donald, "The standout aspect of this play is the well-versed performance of Esme Melville as Jessica".[33] |
| The Opportunity Shop | 2003 | Drama | |
| Spell | 2005 | Drama |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "A6770, Mount-Melville E G". National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
Mount-Melville Esme Grace: Service Number – WR2065 : Date of birth – 23 Jul 1918 : Place of birth – Norwood SA : Place of enlistment – Port Adelaide : Next of Kin – Mount-Melville Margaret
. - ^ a b c "Crackerjack – The Veterans". The Movie Pages. Impact Services. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
- ^ "RAN/USN Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne – FRUMel". Australia @ War (Peter Dunn). Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f Moe. "Esme Melville: A Tribute". Neighbours: The Perfect Blend. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Esme Melville". AusStage (Flinders University (Jenny Fewster)). Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ^ a b Maddox, Garry (24 February 2003). "Shady Characters Help Bury the Competition at Tropfest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ a b "2007 Winners & Nominees". Australian Film Institute. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Productions: Frank's Chair (1990)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Productions: Duplex (1993)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Productions: Clippings (1995)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Productions: Falling (1995)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Esme Melville". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Productions: Thirty Five Candles (2006)". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Special Squad: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "The Flying Doctors: Series 1: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "The Henderson Kids: Cast: Series 2". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Sugar and Spice: Cast". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Phoenix: Series One". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Round the Twist: Series Two: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Wedlocked: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Blue Heelers: Series 1: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Blue Heelers: Series 5: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Blue Heelers: Series 8: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Blue Heelers: Series 10: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Mercury". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Introducing Gary Petty: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "The Secret Life of Us: Series 1: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Bootleg". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "After the Deluge". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Real Stories: Episode Guide". Australian Television Information Archive (Tony Zuk). Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ Fisher, Hugh (1966). "Edward Howell as Mr.Brownlow, Esme Melville as Mrs. Bedwin, and Alton Harvey as Mr. Grimwig in the J C Williamson production of Oliver!". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Scene from Rumpelstiltskin. From left: Darrell Hilton (in tree) as Rumpelstiltskin, Christopher Mithen as Miller, Esme Melville as Aunty Flora Dora, Beverley Gardiner as Gretchen, Paul Kennedy as Knight I, Penelope Richards as Knight II". National Library of Australia. 1974. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ Donald, Colin (26 October 2000). Tim Richards (ed.). "Stagewrite 2000 – Waiting for Marlene". Stage Left. Archived from the original on 13 June 2001. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
The standout aspect of this play is the well-versed performance of Esme Melville as Jessica
.