Josephine Melville

Josephine Melville
Melville in BiBi Crew Parody Advert 2017
Born(1961-12-04)4 December 1961
West Ham, [London], England
Died20 October 2022(2022-10-20) (aged 61)
Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
OccupationsActress, director
Known forEastEnders (1986)

Josephine Crawford Melville (12 April 1961 – 20 October 2022) was a British actress, director and writer who was best known for starring as Tessa Parker in the television soap opera EastEnders (1986).

Others credit include American Playhouse (1983), Empire State (1987), Prime Suspect (1992), Pie in the Sky (1994), The Bill (1995), Little Miss Jocelyn (2008), and Hold the Sunset (2019).

Life and career

Melville was born in West Ham, London on 12 April 1961.[1] After first appearing on television in 1983 in Luna,[2] Essex-born Melville[3][4][5][6][7] portrayed Tessa Parker in eight episodes of EastEnders in 1986, and Ellie Wright in one episode in 2005.[6] She also had roles on television in The Bill, Prime Suspect, Casualty[6] and Pie in the Sky, among others,[2] and in early 2022 she appeared in the music video for Ella Henderson's "Brave".[4][5][7]

In feature films, she had roles in Empire State (1987) and in Slammer (2022).[2] In 2021 she produced and directed Assistance, a short thriller.[6]

In 2021, Melville held workshops across Essex as part of the Know Your Roots project on preserving the stories of black women's hair.[6][8] In Southend-on-Sea, where she lived, she founded the South Essex African Caribbean Association[7] and organised the East Beach Festival.[3][9]

On 20 October 2022, Melville collapsed backstage after performing in a production of Natasha Gordon's play Nine Night at the Nottingham Playhouse. She was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.[10][3][4][5][6][11]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role
1987 Empire State Secretary [12]
2021 Dead Of Night Grandma [13]
2022 Slammer Detective Russell Film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1983 American Playhouse Free Space Company S2.E7: episode "The Files on Jill Hatch: Part III"[12]
1986 EastEnders Tessa Parker 8 episodes [12]
1992 Prime Suspect Esta S1.E1 & 2 "Operation Nadine" Parts 1 & 2
1994 Pie in the Sky Cass [12]
1995 The Bill Viv Austin S11.E94: episode: "Mother's Ruin"[12]
2005 EastEnders Ellie Wright 1 episode [12]
2008 Little Miss Jocelyn [12] S2.E3: episode "Little miss Jocelin"
2012 L8r Monique Episode: "Youngers 2"
2019 Hold the Sunset Rebecca S2.E1: episode: "The Sale" [12]

References

  1. ↑ Smurthwaite, Nick (28 October 2022). "Obituary: Josephine Melville". The Stage. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Quinn, Angie (21 October 2022). "Ex-BBC EastEnders star Josephine Melville dies backstage during play". MyLondon News. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 England, Sophie (22 October 2022). "Southend-based ex-EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage". Echo. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Haque, Sarah (22 October 2022). "Ex-EastEnders actor Josephine Melville dies backstage after play". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Josephine Melville: Ex-EastEnders actress dies backstage after play". BBC News. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Josephine Melville, respected actor and director, dead at 61". Associated Press. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Lewis, Isobel (22 October 2022). "Josephine Melville: EastEnders actor dies backstage at Nottingham Playhouse after performance". The Independent. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Know Your Roots: 'My hair is the reflection of who I am'". BBC News (with video, 2 mins 33 secs). 1 December 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  9. ↑ England, Sophie (22 October 2022). "Southend councillors pay tribute to the 'inspirational' Josephine Melville". Echo. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Former EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage after play". Oxford Mail. PA News Agency. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Former EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage after performing in play". Sky News. 22 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Josephine Melville Credits". tvguide.com. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Melville, Josephine (8 April 2021). "Actor". YouTube. Blue Moon Productions. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
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