Mel Smith: Difference between revisions

Mel Smith (born in London on December 3, 1952) is an English actor, film director, writer, and producer.

Biography

The son of a Chiswick based bookie, Smith was educated at Latymer Upper School and New College, Oxford [1]

He produced The Tempest, while at the University of Oxford, and this led to him joining the Royal Court Theatre production team in London, followed by Bristol Old Vic. He was also associate director of Sheffield's Crucible Theatre for two years. Later, he directed a theatre production of Not in Front of the Audience.

In television, he made his breakthrough in the topically satirical BBC television series Not the Nine O'clock News. This was followed briefly by Smith and Goody (with Bob Goody) and then the comedy sketch series Alas Smith and Jones, co-starring Griff Rhys Jones, its title being a pun on the name of the American TV series Alias Smith and Jones. He also appeared in Muck and Brass, and also guest starred on an episode of The Goodies.

In 1981, Smith and Griff Rhys Jones founded TalkBack Productions, a company which has produced many of the most significant British comedy shows of the past two decades, including Smack the Pony, Da Ali G Show, I'm Alan Partridge and Big Train. In 2000, they sold the company to Thames TV for £62 million.

In 1987, he recorded a single with Kim Wilde for Comic Relief, a cover of the Christmas song Rockin' around the Christmas tree with some extra comedy lines written by Smith and Rhys Jones.

Smith returned to the theatre stage after some 20years in August 2006, appearing in Irish journalist and author Mary Kenny's play about Churchill's encounter with the Irish nationalist leader Michael Collins in 1921, at the Edinburgh Fringe festival [2]

In Autumn 2006, Smith will star opposite Belinda Lang in a tour of a new comedy "An Hour and a Half Late" by French playwright Gérald Sibleyras, and adapted by Smith. He will then direct a West End revival of "Charley's Aunt" starring Stephen Tomkinson

Personal life

Smith is married to Pam, a former model, and the couple have houses in St Johns Wood and the West Country.

Smith ended up seriously ill in hospital in 1999 after consuming more than 50 Nurofen tablets, the culmination of a growing addiction to the pills. He said at the time that the pressures of film work were a contributing factor, along with a desperate need to ease the pain caused by gout. Partly as a result, he agreed to sell Talkback, but Smith admited to restlessness: "I said to my wife that I needed to do something to get me out of the house."

The actor has had a long time love of Rolls Royce cars, buying his first Silver Shadow at Brighton race course from an advert in Sporting Life for £5000. He presently drives a Rolls Royce Corniche Convertible [3]

TV shows

Performer

• Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979)
• Smith And Goody (1980)
• Fundamental Frolics (1981)
• Alas Smith and Jones (1982)
• Weekend In Wallop (1984)
• Comedians Do It On Stage (1986)
• The Home-made Xmas Video (1987)
• The World According To Smith And Jones (1987)
• Colin's Sandwich (1988)
• Smith And Jones (1989)
• Amnesty International's Big 30 (1991)
• Comic Relief (1991)
• The Night Of Comic Relief (1995)
• A Gala Comedy Hour (Best Of The Prince's Trust) (1996)
• The Sittaford Mystery, an episode of Miss Marple (2006)

Writer

• Not The Nine O'clock News (1979)
• Smith And Goody (1980)
• Fundamental Frolics (1981)
• Alas Smith And Jones (1982)
• Weekend In Wallop (1984)
• Comedians Do It On Stage (1986)
• Smith And Jones (1989)
• Amnesty International's Big 30 (1991)
• A Gala Comedy Hour (Best Of The Prince's Trust) (1996)

Producer

• Too Much Sun (2000)

Filmography

Director

• The Tall Guy (1989)
• Radioland Murders (1994)
• Bean (1997)
• High Heels and Low Lifes (2001)
• Blackball (2003)

Actor

• Bullshot (1983) - Crouch
• Slayground (1983) - Terry Abbatt
• Morons from Outer Space (1985) - Bernard; also co-wrote the script with Griff Rhys Jones
• National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) - London Hotel Receptionist
• The Princess Bride (1987) - The Albino
• The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1988) - Mr. Grimshaw
• Wilt (from a novel by Tom Sharpe) (1989) - Inspector Flint
• Brain Donors (aka Lame Ducks) (1992) - Rocco Melonchek
• Twelfth Night (1996) - Sir Toby Belch

External links

• Mel Smith at IMDb