Mel Welles, 81; Actor in 'Little Shop of Horrors,' Many Movies, TV
Shows
From Los Angeles Times Staff and Wire Reports
August 26, 2005
Character actor Mel Welles, 81, who played the florist Gravis Muchnik
in Roger Corman's 1960 black comedy "The Little Shop of Horrors," died
Aug. 19 of heart failure at a hospital in Norfolk, Va., his wife,
Annie, said.
Welles appeared in dozens of movies, including "Attack of the Crab
Monsters" and "Rock All Night," in which he played Sir Bop and for
which he wrote the "Unabridged Hiptionary" to help moviegoers
understand the dialogue, his wife said.
Besides his acting, which included many television roles, he directed
B movies, mostly in Europe; produced and directed concerts in
Australia; did voice-overs; was a teacher; and, in later years, was a
script supervisor.
"He had a very eclectic career," Annie Welles said.