Melville Collins (December 4, 1878 — April 1, 1924) was an American musical theatre actor, baritone in light operas, composer, and pianist.
After beginning his stage career as a baritone with The Bostonians, he made his Broadway debut in 1900 as Louis XI in the original cast of Julian Edwards and Kirke La Shelle's operetta The Princess Chic.
[7] He starred alongside Golden again in the 1902-1903 national tour of Reginald de Koven's Foxy Quiller in the role of the sailor Ned Royster.
[12] Collins starred as Wakeful M. Jones in Alfred G. Wathall and George Ade's The Sultan of Sulu;[13] touring in that show to Wallack's Theatre (1903),[14] the Harlem Opera House (1903),[14] and Chicago's Studebaker Theater (1904).
[15] In 1905 Collins returned to Broadway as Raphael Rubens in the original cast of Gustav Kerker and Harry B. Smith's The Sambo Girl.
[17] The musical marked the beginning of his relationship with the actress Eva Tanguay who portrayed the title character in the show in her first leading part in a professional production.
According to journalist Wes Eichenwald, a recognized authority on Tanquay, the actress was deeply in love with Collins but he never reciprocated her feelings.