Melvyn Hayes

Melvyn Hayes (né Hyams; born 11 January 1935) is an English actor and voice-over performer with a career spanning more than seven and a half decades. Performing in films, television shows and on stage, Hayes frequently portrayed camp-styled characters.

Hayes professional career began on stage before transitioning to film and television in the late 1950s. He was a recurring actor in films starring pop musician Cliff Richard such as The Young Ones (1961), Summer Holiday (1963) and Wonderful Life (1964). He had a recurring role in the film series The Magnificent Six and 1/2 in the late 1960s and its subsequent series, the short lived sitcom Here Come the Double Deckers! in 1971.

Hayes appeared as the camp character Gunner (later Bombardier) "Gloria" Beaumont in the television comedy It Ain't Half Hot Mum, from 1974 to 1981. After the show ended, he moved to voice acting, and had a role in the children's animated show SuperTed as the villain Skeleton from 1983 to 1986, and in its short reboot show, The Further Adventures of SuperTed in 1989.

Hayes has more recently appeared as himself in entertainment shows such as The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Would I Lie to You?, and has made occasional performances as a one-off character in shows Benidorm and Not Going Out.

He is the father to actress Charlie Hayes, who was born while Hayes was married to actress Wendy Padbury.

Early life and education Born on 11 January 1935 in Wandsworth, South London as Melvyn Hyams, His father worked at a fairground before opening a suit shop in Wandsworth, which the family lived above. His mother was a housewife who sang in working men's clubs. As antisemitism was common at the time, his parents went under the names Peter and Sarah. They lived with many other children in a house owned by a woman called Mrs. Cobham; during Hayes' stay at the house, one boy died of pneumonia and another was beaten for wetting the bed. After passing his 11 plus exam, Hayes attended Sir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys, in Battersea, While there, he was in the schools Chess and Boxing clubs.

His inspiration to work in show business came in 1946, when at age 11 he saw The Jolson Story. He sent a letter to Columbia Pictures asking for an autograph from Al Jolson, which he received after a few weeks; Hayes kept the autograph and regarded it as his "most prized possession". some suggested he be a jockey. Hayes sent a letter to Princess Elizabeth asking if he could be an apprentice at the royal stables; Elizabeth was on holiday in Malta but wished him the best on his journey. He was also in a theatrical troupe called Terry's Juveniles and later appeared in repertory theatres in Surrey, Derbyshire and the Midlands. Hayes revealed many years later that on the day of his audition, when he met the troupe leader Theresa Freedman, aka Miss Terry, she said to him: "'Can you sing?' No. 'Can you dance?' No. 'Are you Jewish?' Yes. 'You got the part.' " It was around this time when Melvyn changed his surname from "Hyams" to "Hayes" in order to sound "less Jewish".

In 1959, Hayes guest appeared on an episode of This is Your Life dedicated to Ted Willis. Hayes would appear on the show another fifteen times over the course of 43 years, in episodes for Richard O'Sullivan (1974), Michael Bates (1974), Windsor Davies (1976), Richard Goolden (1978), Michael Aspel (1980), his own episode (1981), Peter Adamson (1981), Catherine Cookson (1982), Jim Davidson (1984), Paul Henry (1985), Gretchen Franklin (1995), David Croft (1995), George Layton (1999), Linda Lusardi (2000) and Ian Lavender (2002).

On 1 May 1960, he performed in the one-time stage show Change for the Angel at the Arts Theatre. In 1961 he was on stage in The Fantastiks and Why the Chicken, and on 10 November 1962 began portraying Wilfred Compton in Spring and Port Wine, which would run at the Mermaid and Apollo Theatre for the next years, performing its last show on 12 October 1968.

In the mid-1960s, Hayes had recurring roles in films starring pop musician Cliff Richard; these include as Jimmy in The Young Ones (1961) Cyril in Summer Holiday (1963) and 'Brother' Willy in Crooks in Cloisters (1964). Hayes has mentioned many times, including on an episode of Would I Lie to You?, that filming was terrifying as he and Richard were only taught how to drive a double-decker bus half an hour before filming: "Coming round bends on the cliffs of Greece, I remember driving this big bus round a bend, first day of shooting, and wondering what the insurance would cost, with Cliff, The Shadows and Una Stubbs in the seats behind me. I was heading for the cameras, as I knew we wouldn't go over the edge that way, they told me if they waved their right arms, I was too near the wall, and if they waved their left, I was too close to the edge".

Hayes appeared in an episode of the drama The Human Jungle starring Herbert Lom in 1963. A day after Hayes' last performance of Spring and Port Wine, he debuted in the show Staring at the Sun as Tom, on 13 October 1968 which lasted for another seventeen days. In December 1968, he was in Toad in Toad Hall at the Duke of York's Theatre.

1970s and 1980s In 1971 he performed at the Thorndike Theatre as a part of the show Ballad of the Sad Cafe. In 1974, he toured South Africa in the stage show Habeus Corpus. due to some of its dated language, and because Caucasian actor Michael Bates applied brown tan and an Asian accent to play the Indian character Bearer Rangi Ram. Hayes said to The Telegraph in 2014: "It was one of the most popular shows on television and I don't understand the decision. Now, people can swear on television—which we never did—and you're seemingly allowed to tell any homophobic joke you want, et cetera. Yet because Windsor Davies's character called us a "bunch of poofs" and Michael Bates, who was born in India, dressed up as an Indian, the BBC won't repeat it."

Hayes was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life that aired on 28 January 1981. He was surprised by Eamonn Andrews during the curtain call of the pantomime show Dick Whittington at the London Palladium on 7 January. Richard O'Sullivan, Edward Woodward and Alfred Marks all guest appeared to pay tribute to Hayes.

After It Ain't Half Hot Mum was cancelled in 1981, Hayes appeared with most of the cast in a year long stage show of the serires from 1982 to 1983, hosted at the Bristol Hippodrome. In 1983/1984, he was in Run for Your Wife. Afterwards, he started appearing on many popular talk and game shows as himself.

Hayes found a new career path as a voice actor in the 1980s, and shifted his career toward that. He mainly voiced characters on children's cartoons, most notably in SuperTed as the "flamboyantly gay" villain Skeleton from 1983 to 1986 and its revived show The Further Adventures of SuperTed in 1989.

Hayes played the Mole in a production of The Wind in the Willows from November 1984 to February 1985. In 1988, he was a part of the shows In One Bed... Out the Other and Who Goes Bare? as Maurice and Eddie, respectively.

1990s Hayes provided his voice for roles in The Dreamstone, Little Dracula, Alfred J. Kwak, Pongwiffy and Budgie the Little Helicopter. He also provided the voice of characters in the English translation of the cartoon Alfred J. Kwak. In November to December 1993, he was at the Redgrave Theatre, Farnham as a Caretaker in A Step in Time.

He appeared in the final series of Drop the Dead Donkey in 1998.

2000s From 2000 to 2006, he was a guest in Dictionary Corner on 27 episodes of Countdown. Also in 2000, he was in two new stage shows: The Bespoke Overcoat as Fender in June and July, and Saved by Sex as Maybelline in August.

Adventure in the Hopfields, one of the first films Hayes ever appeared in, was deemed lost until a copy was found in 2002. He attended the film's first screening since the 1950s at an event in Kent.

For eight episodes in May and June 2005, he was in EastEnders as Michael Rawlins, a character introduced for a storyline in which Rawlins, a driving instructor, tries to have his way with Dot Branning. In 2007, Hayes played Uncle George in the stage show Cash on Delivery, which toured the UK from July to November. In 2008, he returned to Run for Your Wife for a few shows in June and July.

2010s In March 2011, Hayes appeared as Mr Pink in the ITV1 comedy TV series Benidorm. He was also in the Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles audio The Scorchies (2013).

In February 2016, Hayes publicly expressed his disapproval of Dad's Army and "You Can't Teach a New Dog Old Tricks", a one-off revival episode of Are You Being Served?, stating that the BBC should "let old TV series lie" and that David Croft, who co-wrote both series plus It Ain't Half Hot Mum, would have "turned in his grave" as Hayes claimed he was "very disappointed" in the revival film.

Hayes was featured on a celebrity edition of Pointless in 2019, paired up with It Ain't Half Hot Mum co-star Stuart McGugan.

2020s Hayes was a guest speaker at a ceremony celebrating 65 years of Carry On films in June 2023. In August 2023, he appeared in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out. In December 2023, he appeared on a Christmas edition of Would I Lie to You?, and was on Lee Mack's team, with Alex Brooker being the other guest on his panel.

In 2025, Hayes was filming in Wakefield for an upcoming comedy film, Doubles, as Stan, a widowed pensioner. In August 2025, he was a star guest at Comic Con at Weston-super-Mare.

In 1986, Hayes started writing an autobiography, Hayes held a book launch at Goldsboro Books in London on 22 January.

Personal life

Family Hayes has been married three times, and in 2017 had six children, thirteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He had three children with his first wife, Rosalind Allen. including actress Charlie Hayes.

Hayes and Jayne moved to the Cotswolds in 1997.

In 2009, Hayes was diagnosed with coronary heart disease, which at first only gave him indigestion but after a while began to affect his walking, which caused trouble, as he was working on various theatre productions.

Interests Hayes is a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, having been initiated in 1994, and in 2004 was made King Rat. Also in 2004, to raise money for the Grand Order, Hayes spent £3,000 on a signed photo of pantomime actor Dan Leno.

In 2024, he revealed that he had voted for the Green Party. the White Hart Tap in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and The Brantham Bull, Brantham, Suffolk from December 1994 to January 1997. In 2006, he and a performing arts charity for children in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, held their own version of the Oscars for the students.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role