Neil Melville is an Australian actor.

Early life

Melville was born in Sydney, but spent most of his childhood in Apollo Bay, Victoria. In the early 1970s he was lead singer of

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

rock band 'SteamHammer'. Melville graduated from

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

(Hons) in English Literature, Philosophy and Drama. He performed in a number of university productions, including, most notably, the world premiere of

Jack Hibberd John Charles Hibberd (12 April 1940 – 30 August 2024) was an Australian playwright best known for his plays '' Dimboola'' (1969) and '' A Stretch of the Imagination'' (1972). He was also a physician. Biography John Charles Hibberd was bor ...

's ''The Les Darcy Show'' for the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

in 1974.

Career

After graduating from university, Melville spent a year writing and performing for children with the Little Patch Children's Theatre. While with this group, he wrote the vaudeville-documentary, ''Australian Born, Australian Bred''. He also worked with the South Australian Theatre Company and toured with The South Australian Arts Council. Melville went on to serve as actor and director-in-residence at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

. While there, he secured roles in Crawford television series' ''

Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. Synopsis The show revolved arou ...

'', ''

The Sullivans ''The Sullivans'' is an Australian period drama television series produced by Crawford Productions which ran on the Nine Network from 15 November 1976 until 10 March 1983. The series tells the story of a fictional average middle-clas ...

'', ''

Carson's Law ''Carson's Law'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Ten Network between 1983-1984. The series was a period piece set in the 1920s and starred Lorraine Bayly as progressive solicitor Jennifer Carson. The e ...

'' and ''

The Flying Doctors ''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. ...

''. He also worked in cabaret and theatre at John Pinder’s ‘Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant’ and Ralph Kerle’s ‘Flying Trapeze’. Neil created the highly successful ''Busking with Brel''. He went on to perform in stage productions of '' Evita'', ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical theater, musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs's 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs (play), Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of ...

'' and ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

''. Melville has acted extensively in television, including in series' such as ''

Rafferty's Rules ''Rafferty's Rules'' is an Australian television drama series which ran from 1987 to 1991 on the Seven Network. The producers of the series were Posie Graeme-Evans (1987–1988), and Denis Phelen. The directors were Graham Thorburn, Mike Sm ...

'', ''

A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...

'', ''

The Henderson Kids ''The Henderson Kids'' is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for Network Ten between 1985 and 1987. It was created and storylined by Roger Moulton, who also wrote 5 episodes in the first series and 2 episodes in the se ...

'', '' Col’n Carpenter'', '' Snowy'', '' Phoenix'', ''

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...

'', ''

Ocean Girl ''Ocean Girl'' (known as ''Ocean Odyssey'' in the UK) is an Australian science fiction television series aimed for family audiences and starring Marzena Godecki as the lead character. The show is set in the near future, and focuses on an unusu ...

'', '' Snowy River: The McGregor Saga'', ''

Correlli ''Correlli'' is an Australian television series first broadcast by ABC TV in 1995. It starred Deborra-Lee Furness as prison psychologist Louisa Correlli. The series also featured her future husband Hugh Jackman in one of his earliest roles. ...

'', '' Flipper'', '' Stingers'', ''

Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...

'', ''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by South ...

'', ''

McLeod's Daughters ''McLeod's Daughters'' is an Australian drama television series created by Posie Graeme-Evans and Caroline Stanton for the Nine Network, which aired from 8 August 2001, to 31 January 2009, lasting eight seasons. It stars Lisa Chappell and ...

'', ''

Underbelly Underbelly is the side of something that is not normally seen. Figuratively, it means a vulnerable or weak part, similar to the term Achilles' heel, or alternatively, a hidden, illicit side of society. This term could refer to: Business * U ...

'', ''

Jack Irish ''Jack Irish'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on ABC TV on 14 October 2012. The series stars Guy Pearce as the title character, a former criminal lawyer turned investigator and debt collector. Much of the action is ...

'', ''

Offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual reproduction, sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring ...

'', '' Wentworth'', '' Playing for Keeps'' and ''

Five Bedrooms ''Five Bedrooms'' is an Australian comedy-drama television series, which first screened on Network 10. The eight part series premiered on 15 May 2019, at 8:40 pm. In the United States, the series started streaming on Peacock on April 15, ...

''. He has also appeared in films such as '' Brilliant Lies'' and '' Run Rabbit Run''. Melville is also an accomplished musician and worked as

Executive Producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

on ex-wife Debra Byrne's album, ''Heaven Down Here''.

Personal life

In 1987, Melville met fellow actor and singer Debra Byrne on the set of the Australian theatre production of ''

''. By June 1989 the couple were planning their wedding. Byrne and Melville separated in November 1996 and later divorced. Melville met his current wife, Bo, a costume designer, while touring with

Melbourne Theatre Company The Melbourne Theatre Company is a theatre company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1953 as the Union Theatre Repertory Company at the Union Theatre at the University of Melbourne, it is the oldest professional theatre com ...

. They have been married since 1997 and live in Glenaire in the Otways on the

Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian towns of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and dedica ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, where they run a hospitality business, while Melville continues to act.

Theatre

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Sources

* Stratton, David. "Brilliant Lies". Variety i2 (13–19 May 1996): 68 *
Brilliant Lies

Neil and Bo Melville at Apollo Bay
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melville, Neil Living people Australian male film actors Australian male soap opera actors Australian male stage actors Male actors from Melbourne Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Australian male actors 21st-century Australian male actors