Melendy Britt
Melendy Britt | |
|---|---|
 Britt at the 2015 Phoenix Comicon | |
| Born | Harriet Melendy 1943 or 1944 (age 81–82) |
| Occupations | Television and voice actress |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Children | 2 |
Melendy Britt (born Harriet Melendy;[1] 1943 or 1944[2]) is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known for her voice work in animation, particularly for voicing She-Ra in the 1985 animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power and for her extensive work in various Filmation productions. Britt has also appeared in live-action television and film roles, contributing to a diverse body of work throughout her career since the 1970s. [3]
Early years
Britt was born Harriet Melendy[1] in North Carolina and moved to Texas with her family in 1949.[2] Her mother remarried after a divorce from her merchant-mariner father.[4] She gained early experience on children's television[2] and began performing on stage when she was 12 years old.[4] Venues included the Alley Theater and The Playhouse in Houston.[2] While she was a student at Lamar High School in Houston, she appeared regularly on the program Teen Time Party on KPRC-TV.[5] In the summer of 1961 she was one of a dozen apprentices who learned various aspects of theatrical production at the Alley Theatre in Houston.[6] She graduated from Lamar in 1961.[7]
Career
Britt's most notable animated work is for Filmation, voicing characters such as She-Ra, and the second animated Batgirl (Jane Webb was the first).[8][9][10][11] She also provided the voice for Penny, would-be love interest and aide to Plastic Man on The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show, which was produced by Ruby-Spears. She was also the voice of Kanna in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
On television Britt was seen in Then Came Bronson[12] and The Psychiatrist.[1] She also appeared in three different roles in three episodes of The Rockford Files, and on Cheers she played Kelly Gaines' mother, Roxanne Gaines, in the episode "Woody or Won't He". Her film credits include roles in Gray Lady Down (1978) and Being There (1979).
Britt portrayed an alcoholic mother in "Francesca, Baby", an episode of ABC Afterschool Special in October 1976.[13]
Britt's work on stage included performing in the farce-comedy Once Over Nightly at the On Broadway theater in San Francisco.[14] and in the musical comedy Bottoms Up '68 at the Hotel Sahara-Tahoe.[15] Her work in Carnival at the Playhouse in Houston led a critic to write, "Harriet Melendy, as The Incomparable Rosalie, a jealous beauty with a btroublesome liaison, is another solid hit — a definite wow in the show's funniest song, 'Here's to a Son', let us say."[16]
Personal life
She married singer Jimmy Britt, and they had two children.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | The Lawyer | Ann Greer | |
| 1978 | Gray Lady Down | Liz Bennett | |
| 1979 | Being There | Sophie | |
| 1985 | The Secret of the Sword | Adora/She-Ra, Catra, Hunga the Harpy | |
| Girls of the Moulin Rouge | Narrator | Documentary | |
| 2015 | Hotel Transylvania 2 | Additional voices |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Then Came Bronson | Marcia Ford | Episode: "The Mountain" |
| 1971 | The Interns | Rose | Episode: "Changes" |
| Men at Law | Tina Edwards | Episode: "Yesterday Is But a Dream" | |
| Sarge | Candy Mills | Episode: "Psst! Wanna Buy a Dirty Picture?" | |
| 1971–1972 | Mannix | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1971 | Longstreet | Lenore Crowley | Episode: "The Girl with the Broom" |
| 1972 | The Brian Keith Show | Claire Wells | Episode: "Little Boy Flu" |
| 1973 | Ironside | Rona Bartlet | Episode: "A Special Person" |
| 1974 | Kojak | Joan Marly | Episode: "Slay Ride" |
| Police Woman | Mary Kay | Episode: "Requiem for Bored Wives" | |
| 1975–1977 | The Rockford Files | Various roles | 3 episodes |
| 1975 | They Only Come Out at Night | Mrs. Owens | Television film |
| 1976 | Bronk | Beth | Episode: "Target: Unknown" |
| Family | Mrs. Richardson | Episode: "Monday Is Forever" | |
| The Tony Randall Show | Mrs. Jenkins | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| ABC Afterschool Special | Various roles | 2 episodes | |
| Starsky & Hutch | Janice Drew | Episode: "The Specialist" | |
| 1977 | The New Adventures of Batman | Barbara Gordon / Batgirl / Catwoman | Voice, 16 episodes |
| 1978 | Barnaby Jones | Phyllis Hunter | Episode: "Deadly Sanctuary" |
| The Love Boat | Georgina | 1 episode | |
| 1978–1979 | Tarzan and the Super 7 | Batgirl / Catwoman | Voice, 33 episodes |
| 1979–1980 | The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show | Penny / Chief | Voice, 19 episodes |
| 1979–1982 | The New Adventures of Flash Gordon | Princess Aura | Voice, 24 episodes |
| 1980 | Mother and Daughter: The Loving War | Dinah Drake | Television film |
| The Incredible Hulk | Joan Singer | Episode: "Deathmask" | |
| Reunion | Evelyn Hollander | Television film | |
| A Snow White Christmas | Wicked Queen | ||
| 1981 | Taxi | Janine | Episode: "Jim Joins the Network" |
| 1981-1982 | Shannon | Patty | 2 episodes |
| 1982 | Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure of All | Princess Aura | Voice, television film |
| 1984 | Matt Houston | Sheila | Episode: "Stolen" |
| 1985 | The Transformers | Alana | Voice, Episode: "Sea Change" |
| He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special | Adora, She-Ra, Catra, Mermista, Castaspella, Octavia, Hunga, Jewlestar | Voice, television film | |
| 1985–1987 | She-Ra: Princess of Power | Voice, 93 episodes | |
| 1986 | Falcon Crest | Skylar Kimball | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Cheers | Roxanne Gaines | Episode: "Woody or Won't He" |
| 1992 | Life Goes On | Colette Swanson | Episode: "Corky's Romance" |
| 1993 | Star | Priscilla Barclay | Television film |
| 1994 | Weird Science | Marcia Donnelly | 5 episodes |
| 2000 | Gilmore Girls | Gloria | Episode: "Kill Me Now" |
| 2001 | Jack & Jill | Cecilia Barrett | Episode: "Caution: Parents Crossing" |
| 2003 | The Wild Thornberrys | Fox | Voice, episode: "Sir Nigel: Part 2" |
| 2005 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Kanna | Voice, 2 episodes |
| The Young and the Restless | Dr. Carlene Woods | 2 episodes | |
| 2013 | Last Man Standing | Dolores | Episode: "The Fight" |
| 2017 | Michael Jackson's Halloween | Bernice | Television film |
References
- ^ a b c "Big City Beat". Houston Chronicle. June 2, 1971. p. Section 2, page 1. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Wasserman, John L. (June 27, 1966). "The Girl Behind Hasty Ann". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 50. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "She-Ra actress Melendy Britt remembers series". NewsOK.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ a b Swinkels, Gilles (April 18, 1963). "Harriet Melendy: I Lost Touch With the World". The Houston Chronicle. p. 17. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Westheimer, David (October 10, 1959). "How To Ring the Bell: Let Well Enough Do". The Houston Post. p. Section 1, page 11. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Brogan, Maryrice (July 2, 1961). "Stagestruck Young Apprentices Sweep, Crew, Learn at Alley". The Houston Chronicle. p. Section 9, page 3. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "VIP Names in the Reunion News". Houston Chronicle. May 31, 1971. p. Section 4, page 2. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ahead Of Power-Con, She-Ra Star Melendy Britt Looks Back On Show". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ "Female superhero 'She-Ra' marks 25th anniversary". CNN. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ Michelle Kung (September 28, 2010). "'She-Ra': Melendy Britt on Being the Voice Behind the 'Princess of Power' and L'Oreal". WSJ. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "Catching Up With the Voice of She-Ra, Melendy Britt". Out Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "Televiews". The Tacoma News Tribune. February 18, 1970. p. D 11. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Afterschool Specials return". The Register-Guard. Oregon, Eugene. October 3, 1976. p. TV Week, page 28. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wasserman, John L. (November 5, 1965). "'Once Over Nightly' Is True to Its Name". San Francisco Chronicle. p. 51. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Weight Hasn't Hindered Career of Nancy Austin". Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 17, 1968. p. 15. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Roussel, Hubert (March 12, 1964). "A Bright Tent: 'Carnival'". The Houston Post. p. Section 7, page 2. Retrieved April 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
External links