Sophie Melville (born 1991) is a Welsh actor of stage and screen from Swansea, Wales. She has been the recipient of best actress at the Stage Awards for Acting Excellence and nominated for the Outstanding Solo Performance at the Drama Desk Awards and the Best Actress Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for her work in Iphigenia in Splott.
Sophie Melville | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991 (age 32–33) |
| Education | Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Iphigenia in Splott |
| Television | The Pact |
Early life
editBorn in Swansea in 1991, Melville completed a BTec in performing arts in 2009 at Gorseinon College and went on to receive a first class honours in acting at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2013.[citation needed][1]
Career
editStage
editShe had a “breakout” role in the one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott by Gary Owen which she first played in 2015 at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. The play was then chosen as part of the British Council’s Edinburgh Showcase at The Pleasance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015. The play transferred to the National Theatre’s Temporary Space in 2016.[2] Melville won The Stage Award for Acting Excellence for her role, in 2015.[3] and was nominated for an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress in 2016.[4]
Melville then appeared as Marilyn Monroe in Insignificance, at the Theatr Clwyd in Mold, in 2016. Followed by Blackbird, at Cardiff’s The Other Room in 2016. In 2017 she appeared in Low Level Panic, at the Orange Tree Theatre, London.[5]
In 2018 Melville was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and appeared in London’s West End in The Divide.[6] In 2019 she appeared alongside Erin Doherty – playing twins separated at birth, one of whom is raised by a wolf – in the Ross Willis two-hander Wolfie at London’s Theatre 503 in 2019 in which Michael Billington referred to Melville as “an astonishing, rubber-limbed shapeshifter”.[7]
In 2021 she appeared at the Soho Theatre in Herding Cats where the guardian described her as “one of the best British actors of her generation”'.[8] She also appeared in Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s play about postpartum depression, Mum, at the Soho Theatre in 2021. In 2022, she played Portia in The Merchant of Venice in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe.[9] Melville returned to Iphigenia in Splott in 2022 at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith which The Guardian said “Melville performs with such expressive athleticism that it looks like the theatrical equivalent of triple somersaults at the start“ and describes the show at “perfect theatre”.[10]
In 2023, she appeared in Cowbois at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.[11]She transferred with the production to London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2024.[12]
Television
editIn 2021, Melville could be seen as Mandy Thomas in the first series of the Welsh-set BBC One drama series The Pact.[13] In 2023, Melville was cast in the Michael Sheen project The Way alongside Luke Evans and Callum Scott Howells.[14]
Personal life
editMelville identifies as queer. She is dyslexic, has Irlen syndrome and received an ADHD diagnosis in her mid-20s.[15] [16][17]
Partial filmography
edit| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Missing | Young Nadia | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Left Behind | Lisa | TV film |
| 2020 | Call the Midwife | Yvonne Smith | 1 episode |
| 2020 | Bang | Marissa | 3 episodes |
| 2021 | The Pact | Mandy | 5 episodes |
| 2023 | The Chelsea Detective | Daisy Phillips | 1 episode |
| 2024 | The Way | Thea Driscoll | Lead role |
References
edit- ^ "Graduate Sophie Wows Edinburgh". Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Tripney, Natasha (12 September 2022). "'A call to arms': Sophie Melville returns to furious drama about austerity's brutal impact". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Hemley, Mathew (14 July 2022). "Sophie Melville to reprise her award-winning role in Iphigenia in Splott". The Stage. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Dex, Robert (24 October 2016). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2016: The shortlist". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Love, Catherine (2 March 2017). "Sophie Melville: 'I was scared theatre would be posh and I wouldn't understand it'". The Stage. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Sophie Melville". Broadway World. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Nicol, Patricia (31 March 2019). "Wolfie review — Erin Doherty and Sophie Melville showcase their remarkable range at Theatre503". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Wiegand, Chris (21 May 2021). "Herding Cats review – the super-slick return of a play that still stings". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Morgan, Fergus (18 February 2022). "Sophie Melville: 'I'm at my happiest when I sweat a lot while I'm acting'". The Stage. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Akba, Arifa (2 October 2022). "Iphigenia in Splott review – a shattering modern classic that distils all our troubles". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "RSC announces casting for queer cowboy show Cowbois". Whats on Stage. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Ez (20 January 2024). "Royal Court play Cowbois aims to put 'trans joy' centre stage". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ Cremona, Patrick (1 June 2021). "Meet the cast of BBC One drama The Pact". Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ "Stars join Michael Sheen's TV directorial debut". bbc.co.uk. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Harrison, Ellie (19 February 2024). "The Way's Sophie Melville: 'My idea of acting was middle-class people in frocks'". Independent. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ "10 LGBTQ+ rising stars". The Radio Times. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ^ Rhys, Steffan (6 February 2022). "BBC Chloe: Erin Doherty has a famous partner and they shop at Lidl together". Wales Online. Retrieved 15 May 2023.