SCREEN star Murray Melvin has been honoured at the East London theatre where he began his career.

The meeting room at the Theatre Royal Stratford East has been dubbed the Murray Melvin Room to recognise the venue’s ties with the Taste Of Honey actor, now 78.

He first trod the boards of the theatre, in Gerry Raffles Square, in the late 1950s and returned in 1988 to help organise the centre’s archives.

He originally signed up to work voluntarily for just three works - but it still helping out 22 years later.

During the dedication ceremony, he also presented the theatre with a bronze bust, which was created for him by a New York artist while he was filming Oh, What A Lovely War! in the US city in 1963.

Those present at last week’s Champagne bash, which included theatre director Sally Banks and sixties screen star Barbara Ferris, were treated to Mr Melvin’s account of how he created the role of Geoffrey in Shelagh Delaney’s iconic A Taste of Honey.

He later reprised the role opposite Rita Tushingham in the acclaimed 1961 film version.