Torchwood and Phantom Of The Opera star Murray Melvin dies at 90 | Ents & Arts News

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A close friend of Murray Melvin said the actor “never fully recovered” from the fall in December. A Taste Of Honey and Torchwood star Barry Lyndon passed away on Friday.

Sunday, April 16, 2023 07:37, United Kingdom

Torchwood star Murray Melvin has died at the age of 90, with Russell T Davies and John Barrowman leading the “remarkable” actor’s honors.

A friend announced his death on Friday and said Melvin “never fully recovered” from his fall in December.

The actor is best known for the 1961 film A Taste Of Honey, in which he played a gay textile design student who befriends a pregnant teenage girl.

He also starred in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood, which aired from 2006 to 2011.

Showrunner Russell T Davies said he was a “fantastic villain” in the series as it highlighted his long and varied career.

He wrote on Instagram: “He lived through a century that saw a profound change in the understanding of his identity, and he did so with dignity, class and intelligence.

“The last email he sent me ended with, ‘Take care of yourself, we still can’t take the risk.’ Oh that was wise. Night, Murray.”

John Barrowman, who starred in the show, wrote: “Murray Melvin, he always brought a warm, sassy smile to the Torchwood set and had the ability to make us all laugh.”

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Melvin’s close friend, creative director Kerry Kyriakos Michael, confirmed the actor’s death at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on Friday.

He posted a picture on Twitter of Melvin drinking a cup of tea, and wrote that it was “with great sadness” that he was announcing the death of the “actor, director and theatrical archivist”.

He added, “He was one of my closest friends and he will be missed by many of us who have had the pleasure of knowing him.”

Born August 10, 1932, Melvin had film roles in the musical The Phantom Of The Opera, the comedy A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg in the 1970s, and Smashing Time in the 1960s.

He also starred in several Ken Russell films in the 1970s, including the musical comedy The Boy Friend and the historical drama The Devils alongside Stanley Kubrick in the 1975 drama Barry Lyndon.

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