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Melvyn Hayes (néHyams; 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 portrayedcamp-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 musicianCliff Richard such asThe Young Ones (1961),Summer Holiday (1963) andWonderful Life (1964). He had a recurring role in the film seriesThe Magnificent Six and 1/2 in the late 60s and its subsequent series, the short lived sitcomHere Come the Double Deckers! in 1971.

Hayes' appeared as the camp characterGunner (laterBombardier) "Gloria" Beaumont in the television comedyIt 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 showSuperTed 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 asThe Alan Titchmarsh Show andWould I Lie to You?, and has made occasional performances as a one-off character in showsBenidorm andNot Going Out.

He is the father to actressCharlie Hayes, who was born while Hayes was married to actressWendy Padbury.

Born on 11 January 1935^[1][2] inWandsworth, South London as Melvyn Hyams,^[3] he was the third of four children to parents of Jewish ancestry.^[4] When he was four, the family evacuated toDawlish,Devon during theSecond World War.^[5] His father worked at a fairground before opening a suit shop in Wandsworth, which the family lived above.^[6] His mother was a housewife who sang in working men's clubs.^[7] They lived in Devon until 1944, when they moved toClapham, where they remained until the war ended.^{[citation needed]}

His first experience with acting came in primary school when he played the Gingerbread Man in a school play.^[8] After passing his 11 plus exam, Hayes attendedSir Walter St John's Grammar School For Boys, inBattersea,^{[citation needed]} where he was bullied because of his height and his Jewish background.^[3] While there, he was in the schools Chess and Boxing clubs.^{[citation needed]}

His inspiration to work in show business came in 1946, when at age 11 he sawThe Jolson Story. He sent a letter toColumbia Pictures asking for an autograph fromAl Jolson, which he received after a few weeks; Hayes kept the autograph and regarded it as his "most prized possession".^[6]

He left Sir Walter St John's Grammar School in 1949 and was unsure on what to do with his life. Because of his short stature,^[9] some suggested he be ajockey. Hayes sent a letter toPrincess Elizabeth asking if he could be an apprentice at the royal stables; Elizabeth was on holiday inMalta but wished him the best on his journey.^[6][7] Hayes got a job at a local stables, but quit the job after a fortnight because he did not like the experience. He got a job atNews Chronicle in Fleet Street, carrying advertising print blocks between newspapers.^[6]

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In 1950, Hayes saw an advertisement seeking an assistant for the conjurer The Great Massoni.^[4] He got the job and was soon "disappearing twice daily for £4 per week" performing theIndian rope trick inMaskelyne's Mysteries atThe Comedy Theatre in London.^[10] He was also in a theatrical troupe calledTerry's Juveniles and later appeared in repertory theatres inSurrey, Derbyshire andthe 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.' "^[11]

He played Tommy at theWestminster Theatre between 15 May and 14 June 1952.^[10] He returned to the Comedy Theatre in October 1952, playing Tommie, oppositeFlorence Desmond,Anthony Ireland andGeoffrey Kerr, inThe Apples of Eve. In 1955, he was in three theatre productions:The Desperate Hours,South, andEdward's Son, as Jimmy. His last stage role of the 1950s was inTelescope, performed at theSalisbury Playhouse, as Joe Palmer.

Hayes slowly began his move to film and television in the late 1950s. One of his earliest televised roles was in the BBCBilly Bunter of Greyfriars School. He played Edek inThe Silver Sword in 1957, a children's television serial about Polish refugees trying to find their father afterWorld War II. His early film roles include the youngVictor Frankenstein inThe Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Willem inOperation Amsterdam (1959), and Cecil Biggs inBottoms Up (1960).

Throughout a seven-year span (1958—1965) Hayes reappeared four times on the police drama seriesDixon of Dock Green portraying various minor characters: Larkin in series 4 episode 25 "Little Boy Blue" in 1958, Mick in series 5 episode 20 "Blue in the Night" in 1959, Dave "Cha-Cha" Charlton in series 7 episode 16 "The Burn-Up" in 1961, and finally as Atkins in series 11 episode 24 "The Inside Man" in 1965. However, none of these episodes remain the BBC archive, presumed to have beenwiped.^[12][13][14]

In 1959, Hayes guest appeared on an episode ofThis is Your Life dedicated toTed Willis. Hayes would appear on the show another fifteen times over the course of 43 years, in episodes forRichard 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), andIan Lavender (2002).^{[citation needed]}

On 1 May 1960, he performed in the one-time stage showChange for the Angel at theArts Theatre.^[15] In 1961 he was on stage inThe Fantastiks andWhy the Chicken, and on 10 November 1962 began portraying Wilfred Compton inSpring 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 musicianCliff Richard; these include as Jimmy inThe Young Ones (1961) Cyril inSummer Holiday (1963), and 'Brother' Willy inCrooks in Cloisters (1964). Hayes has mentioned many times, including on an episode ofWould I Lie to You?, that filming was terrifying as he and Richard were only taught how to drive adouble-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".^{[excessive quote][16]}

Hayes appeared in an episode of the dramaThe Human Jungle starringHerbert Lom in 1963. A day after Hayes' last performance ofSpring and Port Wine, he debuted in the showStaring at the Sun as Tom, on 13 October 1968 which lasted for another seventeen days. In December 1968, he was inToad in Toad Hall at theDuke of York's Theatre.

In 1971 he performed at theThorndike Theatre as a part of the showBallad of the Sad Cafe. In 1974, he toured South Africa in the stage showHabeus Corpus.^[10]

Hayes' biggest role came in the sitcomIt Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974–1981) as Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont. He played the flamboyantly camp character Gloria Beuamont. For the first two series, the character held the rank of gunner, but after character Gunner Solomon left, he was promoted to bombardier. Hayes appeared in all 56 episodes of the comedy show, from 1974 to 1981. He has openly criticised theBBC on many occasions over the years for refusing to repeat episodes of the show^[6][17] due to some of its dated language, and because Caucasian actorMichael Bates applied brown tan and an Asian accent to play the Indian characterBearer Rangi Ram. Hayes said toThe 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 becauseWindsor Davies's character called us a "bunch ofpoofs" and Michael Bates, who was born in India, dressed up as an Indian, the BBC won't repeat it."^[6]

During his time on the IAHHM, Hayes also appeared inCarry On England,Love Thy Neighbour andThe Thin Blue Line. He was also on the showPotter's Picture Palace on two occasions (1976 and 1978). Between March and June 1979 he was in a production ofPlay It Again, Sam as Allan Felix at theThe Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare.^{[citation needed]}

In 1980, he and IAHHM co-starWindsor Davies starred in the productionSink of Slim, in which he played Albert, which ran at theShanklin Theatre andMarlowe Theatre from April to November.^[18]

Hayes was the subject of a 1981 episode ofThis Is Your Life that aired on 28 January 1981.^{[citation needed]} He was surprised byEamonn Andrews during thecurtain call of the pantomime show Dick Whittington at theLondon Palladium on 7 January.^[19]Richard O'Sullivan,Edward Woodward andAlfred Marks all guest appeared to pay tribute to Hayes.

AfterIt 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 theBristol Hippodrome. In 1983/1984, he was inRun for Your Wife. Afterwards, he started appearing on many popular talk and game shows as himself.^{[citation needed]}

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 inSuperTed as the "flamboyantlygay" villain Skeleton^[20] from 1983 to 1986 and its revived showThe Further Adventures of SuperTed in 1989.

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

Hayes provided his voice for roles inThe Dreamstone,Little Dracula,Alfred J. Kwak,Pongwiffy andBudgie the Little Helicopter. He also provided the voice of characters in the English translation of the cartoonAlfred J. Kwak. In November-December 1993, he was at theRedgrave Theatre, Farnham as a Caretaker inA Step in Time.

He appeared in the final series ofDrop the Dead Donkey in 1998. From 2000 to 2006, he was a guest in Dictionary Corner on 27 episodes ofCountdown. Also in 2000, he was in two new stage shows:The Bespoke Overcoat as Fender in June-July, andSaved by Sex as Maybelline in August.^[21]

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 inKent.^[22]

For eight episodes in May and June 2005, he was inEastEnders as Michael Rawlins, a character introduced for a storyline in which Rawlins, a driving instructor, tries to have his way withDot Branning.^[23] In 2007, Hayes played Uncle George in the stage showCash on Delivery, which toured the UK from July to November.^[24][25] In 2008, he returned toRun for Your Wife for a few shows in June and July.^[26][27]

In March 2011, Hayes appeared as Mr Pink in theITV1 comedy TV seriesBenidorm. He was also in theDoctor Who - The Companion Chronicles audioThe Scorchies (2013).

In February 2016, Hayes publicly expressed his disapproval ofDad's Army and "You Can't Teach a New Dog Old Tricks", a one off revival episode ofAre You Being Served?, stating that theBBC should "let old TV series lie" and thatDavid Croft, who co-wrote both series plusIt Ain't Half Hot Mum, would have "turned in his grave" as Hayes claimed he was "very disappointed" in the revival film.^[28][29]

Hayes was featured on a celebrity edition ofPointless in 2019, paired up withIt Ain't Half Hot Mum co-starStuart McGugan.^[30]

Hayes was a guest speaker at a ceremony celebrating 65 years ofCarry On films in June 2023.^[31] In August 2023, he appeared in the BBC sitcomNot Going Out. In December 2023, he appeared on a Christmas edition ofWould I Lie to You?, and was onLee Mack's team, withAlex Brooker being the other guest on his panel.^[32]

In 2025, Hayes was filming inWakefield for an upcoming comedy film,Doubles, as Stan, a widowed pensioner.^[33] In August 2025, he was a star guest at Comic Con at Weston-super-Mare.^[34]

In 1986, Hayes started writing an autobiography,^[7] which is set to release in January 2026. Its original title wasIf You Ain't Got Your Sock, after something his dad used to say to him ("if you ain't got your socks, you can't pull them up"), but he changed the title toIt Ain't Half Late Mum, a play on words forIt Ain't Half Hot Mum.^[35][19]

Hayes has been married three times and has six children, thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.^[36] He had three children with his first wife, Rosalind Allen.^[9]

After they divorced, he marriedWendy Padbury in 1974, and had two daughters before divorcing in 1987,^[37] including actressCharlie Hayes.^[9]

Hayes and his third wife, Jayne Male, wed in 1992 and were married for thirty years before her death in 2022.^[5][8] They fostered over 50 children and had a child of their own.^[6][8][38]

Hayes and Jayne moved to theCotswolds in 1997.^[38] He moved toSouth London in 2022 following Jayne's death to live with his daughter and her husband.^[5]

Hayes broke his foot in while filmingWonderful Life, which delayed filming for a scene in which the cast dance on a boat.^[39]

In 2009, Hayes was diagnosed withcoronary 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.^[36] He hadbypass surgery atSt Mary's Hospital inPortsmouth.^[36]

Hayes is a member of theGrand Order of Water Rats, having been initiated in 1994, and in 2004 was made King Rat.^[40] Also in 2004, to raise money for the Grand Order, Hayes spent £3,000 on a signed photo of pantomime actorDan Leno.^[5] The organization held a special event in March 2025, for Hayes' 90th birthday, and in May 2025, awarded him two PKR medals.^[41]

In 2025, he became a patron ofThe Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America.^{[citation needed]}

He is a supporter of theGreen Party.^[5]

Hayes was at one time thepub landlord of the Stag Inn in the village ofOffchurch inWarwickshire,^[42] the White Hart Tap inSt Albans,Hertfordshire, and The Brantham Bull,Brantham,Suffolk from December 1994 to January 1997.^[38] When he owned the Brantham Bull, he was regularly in the local papers as he and the Suffolk County Council were in constant disagreement over Hayes writing comical jokes on a blackboard hung outside the pub.^[38]

Hayes donates to many charities including theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution,Great Ormond Street Hospital, andThe Salvation Army.^[5] He has supportedBarnardo's since the 1990s.^[43] In 2006, he and a performing arts charity for children inSt Neots,Cambridgeshire, held their own version of theOscars for the students.^[44]

• Hayes, Melvyn (1980). "Contributor".David Jacob's Book of Celebrities' Jokes & Anecdotes. ByJacobs, David.Robson Books. p. 65.ISBN 0860511251.

• Melvyn Hayes atIMDb 
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