Advertisement

Mel Welles, 81; Actor in ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ Many Movies, TV Shows

Share
From Times Staff and Wire Reports

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.

Advertisement

“He had a very eclectic career,” Annie Welles said.

Advertisement