References to Andrée Melly all too often seem to suggest
that the most important fact about her was that she was George Melly’s younger
sister. This neglects a varied and lengthy acting career in roles as diverse as
Shakespeare at the Old Vic and a vampire in a Hammer horror film. Plus, significant
for Tony Hancock fans like me, she was in the original cast of Hancock’s
Half Hour.
She was born on 15th September 1932, the daughter
of Francis Heywood Melly and his Jewish wife (Edith) Maud, née Isaac. At the
time of her birth they were living at 22 Ivanhoe Road L17 but her arrival
required a larger home and they moved a short distance to 14 Sandringham Drive
L17.
By her early twenties she had performed in Romeo and
Juliet and The Merchant of Venice at the Old Vic and whilst
there worked with Peter Finch and Robert Donat. It was at this time that she came
to some national prominence appearing as Tony Hancock’s girlfriend in the first
two series of Hancock’s Half Hour. When she died in 2020 she was the
last surviving cast member from the show. Her film career included appearances
in The Belles of St. Trinians [1954] and as the vampire Mina in Brides
of Dracula [1960]. In the 1970’s she was a regular panel member in the BBC
Radio show Just a Minute. She also made frequent appearances in The Benny Hill Show - click here to see a YouTube clip in which she plays a nurse seeking a specimen from Benny Hill. If you are not a great Benny Hill fan her appearance is about 2 minutes into the clip)
In later years she lived with her actor husband, Oscar
Quitak, in Ibiza. She died on 31st January 2020, aged 87.
