Michael Melia (born 1945) is a British actor best known for his work on television. He appeared as Queen Vic landlord Eddie Royle in BBC One soap opera

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

between 1990 and 1991.

Early life

Melia was born in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

and attended St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill, the oldest Roman Catholic college in England. Before taking up acting he was a teacher. At one stage he ran a bar in Spain and thought about applying for a pub tenancy in England. However the idea was vetoed by his wife, former actress turned teacher, Celia Melia.

Career

He began acting in television in the early 1970s, usually playing heavies or policemen, though he spent four years performing classic plays with the National Theatre. In 1990, he joined the BBC One soap opera ''

'' as pub landlord Eddie Royle; however, he only lasted just over a year in this role as his character was killed off in September 1991. His character was stabbed by Nick Cotton ( John Altman) who was later tried for the murder but cleared. After leaving ''EastEnders'', he appeared as Frank Dagley on '' Dangerfield''; and, more recently, Jerry Block for over a hundred episodes of the footballing soap opera ''

Dream Team Dream Team may refer to: Sport Basketball * Dream Team, the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona * Dream Team II, the 1994 U.S. men's national basketball team at the FIBA World Championship * Dream Team III, the 1996 ...

''. His rugged features have led to parts in numerous crime dramas: ''

The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...

'', ‘’The Gentle Touch’’, ''

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

'', '' The Bill'', '' Minder'' in the Series 1 episode "

Monday Night Fever This episode list gives brief descriptions and some other details of the episodes of the ITV television series ''Minder'', set in contemporary London. The earliest episodes focus on Terry McCann (Dennis Waterman), a former professional boxer w ...

", ''

C.A.T.S. Eyes ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'' is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from ''The Gentle Touch'', and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police forc ...

'', '' Campion'', ''

The Chinese Detective ''The Chinese Detective'' is a British television police procedural drama series, first transmitted by the BBC between 1981 and 1982. The series was created by Ian Kennedy Martin, who had previously devised ''The Sweeney'' and '' Juliet Bravo'' ...

'', '' Dempsey and Makepeace'', '' Rumpole of the Bailey'', '' Inspector Morse'', '' Maigret'', ''

The Detectives A detective is a professional investigator. Detective(s) or The Detective(s) may also refer to: Films (Chronological) * ''Detectives'' (1928 film), an American silent comedy film by MGM, directed by Chester Franklin * ''Detective'' (1954 film) ...

'', ''Daylight Robbery'' and '' New Tricks''. He has also had parts in many other established dramas including '' When the Boat Comes In'', ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'', '' Casualty'' and most recently '' Doctors'' and '' Emmerdale''. He is also known for having appeared on ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' in full alien costume as the Terileptil Leader in the 1982 story '' The Visitation'', and had a minor part on '' Blake's 7''. In 2010, he guest starred in '' Dani's House''.

Personal life

He lives in Hampton Wick,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

with his wife, Celia. They have two children, Tom and Charlotte, who have both appeared as extras in the ''EastEnders'' market square.

External links

* 1945 births English male soap opera actors Living people Alumni of St Mary's University, Twickenham Date of birth missing (living people) {{England-tv-actor-stub