According to a close friend of Murray Melvin, the actor “never fully recovered” from a December fall. Friday marked the passing of the actor from A Taste of Honey, Torchwood, and Barry Lyndon.
Murray Melvin, the “wonderful” “Torchwood” actor, died at 90. Russell T. Davies and John Barrowman paid tribute.
A friend announced his death on Friday, stating that Melvin “never fully recovered” from a December fall.
In the 1961 film A Taste of Honey, the actor portrayed a gay textile design student who befriends a teenage girl who is pregnant.
From 2006 to 2011, he also starred in the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood.
Russell T. Davies, the show’s creator, described him as a “wonderful villain” in the series while highlighting his extensive and diversified career.
On Instagram, he wrote, “He lived through a century in which the understanding of his identity changed so profoundly, and he did so with dignity, grace, and wit.
“His last email to me concluded with the phrase, ‘Take care, we still cannot afford to take chances.'” Oh, he was so sage! Evening, Murray”
John Barrowman, who portrayed the show’s protagonist, penned, “Murray Melvin always brought a cheeky, warm smile to the Torchwood set and could make us laugh.
Kerry Kyriacos Michael, a close friend and creative director, verified Melvin’s death at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London on Friday.
Posting a photo of Melvin drinking tea on Twitter, he announced with “great sadness” that the “actor, director, and theatre archivist” had passed away.
He added, “He was one of my closest friends, and he will be missed by so many of us who had the privilege to know him.”
Melvin, who was born on 10 August 1932, appeared in the musical film The Phantom Of The Opera (2004), the 1970s comedy A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg, and the 1960s comedy Smashing Time.
He also starred in several Ken Russell films from the 1970s, including The Boy Friend and The Devils, as well as Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 period drama Barry Lyndon.
