Mark Melford

Mark Melford
Mark Melford in Non-suited c.1900
Born	c. 1850 Fareham, Hampshire, England
Died	4 January 1914(1914-01-04) 69 Sedgeford Rd, North Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Playwright, actor, author, political activist
Nationality	English
Genre	Farce, melodrama, comedy, drama,
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Mark Melford (c.1850 - 4 January 1914) born in Fareham, Hampshire, was a British "dramatic author, actor and variety artiste".

His career encompassed the era of the late Victorian farce, the music halls and early British cinema. Mark Melford was a prolific playwright and wrote not only dramas, farces, melodramas and comic sketches, but also a musical drama, and a comic opera. He was also an accomplished comic actor often taking the leading role in his own works.

As a playwright, the genre in which he was most prolific was farce; Jeffrey H. Huberman in his Late Victorian Farce writes that Mark Melford wrote and had produced more full-length original farces than any other Victorian playwright. The hand-list of plays in Allardyce Nicoll's six-volume A History of English Drama, 1660-1900 lists thirty nine works by Mark Melford up to 1900. From 1912 onwards he also wrote, directed, and acted in many short silent films.

Born George Smith in Fareham, Hamphshire, England, he was the son of Joseph Smith, a provisions merchant, and Priscilla Hill the daughter of a farmer. From humble beginnings working in the family business he became well-known under his stage name, Mark Melford, as an actor and dramatic author. He and his brother Alfred (later to become Austin Melford) were known in the Portsmouth area as the 'Humerous Brothers'. Alfred first appeared as an amateur in Portsmouth, carrying off all prizes at singing contests with character songs, written by his brother Mark.

During his twenties he joined a travelling portable theatre company, or booth, in the North Country of England. His adventures over the fifteen months he spent with the booth theatre are recounted in his book Life in a Booth and Something More. Later he worked in the theatre with Charles Rice, Charles James Mathews, Mrs Rousby, Walter Speakman, Eloise Juno, Willie Edouin, Alice Atherton, and Oswald Stoll, theatre manager, and the co-founder of the Stoll Moss Group theatre company. He advertised himself in his early career as an actor able to play the 'heavy lead' or villain, and burlesque, or 'character' parts. He was known affectionately in his hometown Portsmouth area, by the soubriquet "Rhymeo", and the Portsmouth Evening News noted his special rapport with the audience: "a mutual good feeling appears to exist between the performer and the public from the moment Rhymeo's genial countenance smiles upon them." In 1898 The Stage wrote “It is well nigh impossible not to laugh when Mr. Mark Melford occupies the stage, his odd grimaces, quick and extraordinary gestures, quaint antics, and generally comic behaviour make him a most droll comedian.”