Mel Smith

Mel Smith
Mel Smith in the 1980s (with Susie Silvey)
Birth name	Melvin Kenneth Smith
Born	(1952-12-03)3 December 1952 Chiswick, London, England
Died	19 July 2013(2013-07-19) (aged 60) London, England, United Kingdom
Years active	1979–2013
Genres	Comedy
Spouse	Pam
Children	Alexandra, James (step-son)
Notable works and roles	Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982) Alas Smith and Jones (1982–1998)

Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, writer, film director, producer and actor.

Smith worked on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones. Smith and Jones founded Talkback, which grew to be one of the UK's largest producers of television comedy and light entertainment programming.

Smith's father, Kenneth, was born in Tow Law, County Durham, and worked at a coal mine during the Second World War looking after the pit ponies. After the war he moved to London, and married Smith's mother, whose parents owned a greengrocer's store in Chiswick, London. When the government legalised high street betting, he turned the shop into the first betting shop in Chiswick.

Smith was born and brought up in Chiswick. He was educated at Hogarth Primary School, Chiswick, and at Latymer Upper School, an independent school in Hammersmith. He went on to study experimental psychology at New College, Oxford.

While at Oxford University, Smith produced The Tempest, and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. One year they shared a venue with the Cambridge Footlights, directed by John Lloyd. His extra-curricular activities while at university led to his joining the Royal Court Theatre production team in London, and then 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.