{{Short description|British actress, director and writer (1961–2022)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Josephine Melville | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1961|12|4|df=y}} | birth_place = [[West Ham]], [London], England | death_date = {{death date and age|2022|10|20|1961|4|12|df=y}} | death_place = [[Nottingham Playhouse]], [[Nottingham]], [[Nottinghamshire]], England | occupation = Actress, director | known_for = ''[[EastEnders]]'' (1986) }}

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

== Life and career == Melville was born in [[West Ham]], [[London]] on 12 April 1961.<ref>Smurthwaite, Nick (28 October 2022). [https://www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/josephine-melville "Obituary: Josephine Melville"]. ''[[The Stage]]''. Retrieved 29 October 2022.</ref> After first appearing on television in 1983 in ''[[Luna (TV series)|Luna]]'',<ref name=London>{{cite news |first=Angie|last= Quinn |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/tv/ex-bbc-eastenders-star-josephine-25327454 |title=Ex-BBC EastEnders star Josephine Melville dies backstage during play |website=MyLondon News |date=21 October 2022 |access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref> [[Essex]]-born Melville<ref name=Echo>{{Cite news |first=Sophie |last=England |title=Southend-based ex-EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage |url=https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23070247.ex-eastenders-actress-based-southend-dies-backstage/|date=22 October 2022 |access-date=23 October 2022|newspaper=Echo }}</ref><ref name=Guardian>{{Cite news |first=Sarah |last=Haque |title=Ex-EastEnders actor Josephine Melville dies backstage after play |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/oct/22/ex-eastenders-actor-josephine-melville-dies-backstage-after-play |date=22 October 2022 |access-date=23 October 2022|newspaper=The Guardian }}</ref><ref name=BBC>{{Cite news |title=Josephine Melville: Ex-EastEnders actress dies backstage after play |work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63349581 |date=22 October 2022|access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-obituaries-943c0fa1b46a242ad33f6f51ba192858 |title=Josephine Melville, respected actor and director, dead at 61 |website=Associated Press |date=22 October 2022|access-date=23 October 2022 }}</ref><ref name=Ind>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/josephine-melville-death-eastenders-nottingham-playhouse-b2208278.html|title=Josephine Melville: EastEnders actor dies backstage at Nottingham Playhouse after performance|newspaper=[[The Independent]] |first=Isobel|last= Lewis|date=22 October 2022 |access-date=23 October 2022 }}</ref> portrayed [[List of EastEnders characters (1986)|Tessa Parker]] in eight episodes of ''[[EastEnders]]'' in 1986, and Ellie Wright in one episode in 2005.<ref name=AP/> She also had roles on television in ''[[The Bill]]'', ''[[Prime Suspect]]'', ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''<ref name=AP/> and ''[[Pie in the Sky (TV series)|Pie in the Sky]]'', among others,<ref name=London/> and in early 2022 she appeared in the music video for [[Ella Henderson]]'s "[[Brave (Ella Henderson song)|Brave]]".<ref name=Guardian/><ref name=BBC/><ref name=Ind/>

In feature films, she had roles in ''[[Empire State (1987 film)|Empire State]]'' in 1987 and in the forthcoming ''Slammer''.<ref name=London/> In 2021 she produced and directed ''Assistance'', a short thriller.<ref name=AP/>

In 2021, Melville held workshops across Essex as part of the ''Know Your Roots'' project on preserving the stories of black women's hair.<ref name=AP/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Know Your Roots: 'My hair is the reflection of who I am' |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-essex-59489992 |date=2021-12-01 |access-date=2022-10-23 |type=with video, 2&nbsp;mins 33&nbsp;secs}}</ref> In [[Southend-on-Sea]], where she lived, she founded the South Essex African Caribbean Association<ref name=Ind/> and organised the East Beach Festival.<ref name=Echo/><ref>{{Cite news |first=Sophie |last=England |title=Southend councillors pay tribute to the 'inspirational' Josephine Melville |url=https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/23070261.southend-councillors-pay-tribute-josephine-melville/ |date=2022-10-22 |access-date=2022-10-23 |newspaper=Echo }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage after play |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/national/23070455.former-eastenders-actress-josephine-melville-dies-backstage-play/ |date=22 October 2022|access-date=2022-10-30 |agency=PA News Agency|website=Oxford Mail |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Echo/><ref name=Guardian/><ref name=BBC/><ref name=AP/><ref name=Ind/><ref name=London/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Former EastEnders actress Josephine Melville dies backstage after performing in play |url=https://news.sky.com/story/former-eastenders-actress-josephine-melville-dies-backstage-after-performing-in-play-12726949 |date=2022-10-22 |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=Sky News }}</ref>

== Filmography == {{more citations needed|section|date=October 2022}} === Film === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" ! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Title !Role |- |1987 |''[[Empire State (1987 film)|Empire State]]'' | |- |2021 |''Dead Of Night'' <ref>{{cite web |last1=Melville |first1=Josephine |title=Actor |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl17vHt53I8 |website=YouTube |date=8 April 2021 |publisher=Blue Moon Productions |access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref> |Grandma | |- |2022 |''Slammer'' |Detective Russell |}

=== Television === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" ! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Title ! scope="col" |Role ! class="unsortable" |Notes |- |1986 |''[[EastEnders]]'' |[[List of EastEnders characters (1986)|Tessa Parker]] |8 episodes |- | rowspan="6" |2000s |''[[The Bill]]'' | | |- |''[[Pie in the Sky (TV series)|Pie in the Sky]]'' | | |- |''[[Little Miss Jocelyn]]'' | | |- |''L8r'' | | |- |''[[Hold the Sunset]]'' | | |- |''[[Prime Suspect]]'' | | |- |2005 |''[[EastEnders]]'' |Ellie Wright |1 episode |}

== External links == * {{IMDb name|id=0578487}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20200921184049/https://www.blackplaysarchive.org.uk/explore/playwrights/melville-josephine-jo Melville; Josephine; Jo] at [[Black Plays Archive]]

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melville, Josephine}} [[Category:1961 births]] [[Category:2022 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century English actresses]] [[Category:21st-century English actresses]] [[Category:Actresses from Essex]] [[Category:Black British actresses]] [[Category:English film actresses]] [[Category:English soap opera actresses]] [[Category:English stage actresses]] [[Category:English television actresses]] [[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Newham]] [[Category:People from West Ham]]

{{UK-screen-actor-stub}}