Part of a series on
Plato
Early life · Works · Platonism Epistemology · Idealism / Realism · Demiurge Theory of Forms Form of the Good Third man argument Euthyphro dilemma · Five regimes Philosopher king
Allegories and metaphors
Ring of Gyges · The cave The divided line · The sun Ship of state · Myth of Er The chariot
Related articles
The Academy in Athens Socratic problem Commentaries on Plato Middle Platonism · Neoplatonism Neoplatonism and Christianity
v t e

Proclus Lycaeus^{[pronunciation?]} (8 February 412 – 17 April 485 AD), called "The Successor" or "Diadochos" (Greek Πρόκλος ὁ Διάδοχος Próklos ho Diádokhos), was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major Classical philosophers (see Damascius). He set forth one of the most elaborate and fully developed systems of Neoplatonism. He stands near the end of the classical development of philosophy, and was very influential on Western medieval philosophy (Greek and Latin) as well as Islamic thought.

"Wherever there is number, there is beauty."

Proclus, quoted by M. Kline, Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times

Biography[link]

Proclus was born February 8, 412 AD (his birth date is deduced from a horoscope cast by a disciple, Marinus) in Constantinople to a family of high social status in Lycia (his father Patricius was a high legal official, very important in the Byzantine Empire's court system) and raised in Xanthus. He studied rhetoric, philosophy and mathematics in Alexandria, with the intent of pursuing a judicial position like his father. Before completing his studies, he returned to Constantinopole when his rector, his principal instructor (one Leonas), had business there.

Proclus became a successful practicing lawyer. However, the experience of the practice of law made Proclus realize that he truly preferred philosophy. He returned to Alexandria, and began determinedly studying the works of Aristotle under Olympiodorus the Elder (he also began studying mathematics during this period as well with a teacher named Heron (no relation to Hero of Alexandria who was also known as Heron). Eventually, this gifted student became dissatisfied with the level of philosophical instruction available in Alexandria, and went to Athens, the preeminent philosophical center of the day, in 431 to study at the Neoplatonic successor of the famous Academy founded 800 years (in 387 BC) before by Plato; there he was taught by Plutarch of Athens (not to be confused with Plutarch of Chaeronea), Syrianus, and Asclepigenia; he succeeded Syrianus as head of the Academy, and would in turn be succeeded on his death by Marinus of Neapolis.

He lived in Athens as a vegetarian bachelor, prosperous and generous to his friends, until the end of his life, except for a voluntary one year exile, which was designed to lessen the pressure put on him by his political-philosophical activity, little appreciated by the Christian rulers; he spent the exile traveling and being initiated into various mystery cults as befitted his universalist approach to religion, trying to become "a priest of the entire universe", worshiping all forms of the One God. He was also instructed in the "theurgic" Neoplatonism, as derived from the Orphic and Chaldean Oracles. His house has been discovered recently in Athens, under the pavement, south of Acropolis, opposite the theater of Dionysus. He had a great devotion to the Goddess Athena, whom he believed guided him at key moments in his life. Marinus reports that when Christians removed the statue of the Goddess from the Parthenon, a beautiful woman appeared to Proclus in a dream and announced that the "Athenian Lady" wished to stay at his home.^[1] Proclus died aged ~73, and was buried near Mount Lycabettus in a tomb. It is reported that he was writing 700 lines each day.

Works[link]

The majority of Proclus' works are commentaries on dialogues of Plato (Alcibiades, Cratylus, Parmenides, Republic, Timaeus). In these commentaries he presents his own philosophical system as a faithful interpretation of Plato, and in this he did not differ from other Neoplatonists, as he considered the Platonic texts to be divinely inspired (ho theios Platon -- The divine Plato, inspired by God) and therefore that they spoke often of things under a veil, hiding the truth from the philosophically uninitiate. Proclus was however a close reader of Plato, and quite often makes very astute points about his Platonic sources. A number of his Platonic commentaries are lost.

Proclus also wrote an influential commentary on the first book of Euclid's Elements of Geometry. This commentary is one of the most valuable sources we have for the history of ancient mathematics,^[2] and its Platonic account of the status of mathematical objects was influential. In this work, Proclus also listed the first mathematicians associated with Plato: a mature set of mathematicians (Leodamas of Thasos, Archytas of Taras, and Theaetetus), a second set of younger mathematicians (Neoclides, Eudoxus of Cnidus), and a third yet younger set (Amyntas, Menaechmus and his brother Dinostratus, Theudius of Magnesia, Hermotimus of Colophon and Philip of Opus). Some of these mathematicians were influential in arranging the Elements, that Euclid later published.

In addition to his commentaries, Proclus wrote two major systematic works. The Elements of Theology, which consists of 211 propositions, each followed by a proof, beginning from the existence of the One (the first principle of all things) and ending with the descent of individual souls into the material world. The Platonic Theology is a systematisation of material from Platonic dialogues, showing from them the characteristics of the divine orders, the part of the universe which is closest to the One.

We also have three essays, extant only in Latin translation: Ten doubts concerning providence; On providence and fate; On the existence of evils.

He also wrote a number of minor works, which are listed in the bibliography below.

System[link]

Proclus' system, like that of the other Neoplatonists, is a combination of Platonic, Aristotelian, and Stoic elements. In its broad outlines, Proclus' system agrees with that of Plotinus. However, following Iamblichus, Plutarch of Athens, and his master Syrianus, Proclus presents a much more elaborate universe than Plotinus, subdividing the elements of Plotinus' system into their logically distinct parts, and positing these parts as individual things. This multiplication of entities is balanced by the monism which is common to all Neoplatonists. What this means is that, on the one hand the universe is composed of hierarchically distinct things, but on the other all things are part of a single continuous emanation of power from the One. From this latter perspective, the many distinctions to be found in the universe are a result of the divided perspective of the human soul, which needs to make distinctions in its own thought in order to understand unified realities. The idealist tendency is taken further in John Scotus Eriugena

There is a double motivation found in Neoplatonic systems. The first is a need to account for the origin and character of all things in the universe. The second is a need to account for how we can know this origin and character of things. These two aims are related: they begin from the assumption that we can know reality, and then ask the question of what reality must be like, in its origin and unfolding, so that we can know it. An important element in the Neoplatonic answer to these questions is its reaction to Scepticism. In response to the sceptical position that we only know the appearances presented by our senses, and not the world as it is, Plotinus placed the object of knowledge inside the soul itself, and accounted for this interior truth through the soul's kinship with its own productive principles.

The One[link]

The first principle in Neoplatonism is the One (Greek: to Hen). It is the principle which produces all Being. For this reason, the Neoplatonists thought that the One could not itself be a being. If it were a being, it would have a particular nature, and so could not be universally productive of all being. Because it is beyond being (epekeina tes ousias is a phrase from Plato's Republic 509b), it is also beyond thought, because thinking requires the determinations which belong to being: the division between subject and object, and the distinction of one thing from another. For this reason, even the name The One isn't a positive name, but rather the most non-multiple name we can think of, a name derived from our own inadequate conception of the simplicity of the first principle. The One causes all things by conferring unity, in the form of individuality, on them, and in Neoplatonism existence, unity, and form tend to become equivalent. The One causes things to exist by donating unity, and the particular manner in which a thing is one is its form (a dog and a house are one in different manners, for example). As the One confers individuality it is in reality the principle of plurality. Because the One makes things exist by giving them the unity which makes them what they are as distinct and separate beings, the Neoplatonists thought of it also as the source of the good of everything. So the other name for the One is the Good. The first principle isn't double, however. Instead, all things have a double relation to it, as coming from it (One) and then being oriented back towards it to receive their perfection or completion (Good).

The particular characteristic of Proclus' system is his insertion of a level of individual ones, called henads between the One itself and the divine Intellect, which is the second principle. The henads are beyond being, like the One itself, but they stand at the head of chains of causation (seirai) and in some manner give to these chains their particular character. They are also identified with the traditional Greek gods, so one henad might be Apollo and be the cause of all things apollonian, while another might be Helios and be the cause of all sunny things. The henads serve both to protect the One itself from any hint of multiplicity, and to draw up the rest of the universe towards the One, by being a connecting, intermediate stage between absolute unity and determinate multiplicity.

In terms of his sources, the One is like a combination of the Platonic Form of the Good, because it confers being and intelligibility on all things, and Aristotle's Unmoved Mover, which is the final cause of all things.

Coming between the One and the henads (some scholars think after the henads) are the two principles of First Limit and First Infinity, which are the principles of the fertile production (Infinity or Unlimited, apeiron) and the controlled nature of the production (Limit, peras) of all things.

Intellect[link]

The principle which is produced below the level of the One and the Henads is the divine Intellect (Nous). The One cannot have a determinate nature if it is to be the source of all determinate natures, so what it produces is the totality of all determinate natures, or Being. By determination is meant existence within boundaries, a being this and not that. The most important determinate natures are the Greatest Kinds from Plato's Sophist (Being, Same, Other, Rest, Motion) and Aristotle's ten categories (Quantity, Quality, etc.). In other words, the One produces what Plato called the Forms, and the Forms are understood to be the first determinations into which all things fall. The One produces the Forms through the activity of thinking. The One itself does not think, but instead produces a divine mind, Intellect, whose thoughts are themselves the Forms. Intellect is both Thinking and Being. It is a mind which has its own contents as its object. All things relate to the first principle as both One and Good. As Being, Intellect is the product of the One. But it also seeks to return to its cause, and so in Thinking it attempts to grasp the One as its Good. But because the simplicity of the One/Good does not allow Intellect to grasp it, what Intellect does is generate a succession of perspectives around its simple source. Each of these perspectives is itself a Form, and is how Intellect generates for itself its own content.

Plotinus speaks about the generation of Intellect from the One, and Intellect's attempt to return to the One in a thinking which is also a desiring. Proclus systematises this production through a threefold movement of remaining, procession, and return (mone, proodos, epistrophe). Intellect remains in the One, which means that it has the One as its origin. It proceeds from the One, which means that it comes to be as a separate entity. But it returns to the One, which means that it doesn't cut itself off from its source, but receives the good which is its identity from the One. This threefold motion is used by Proclus to structure all levels of his system below the One and above material reality, so that all things except those mentioned remain, proceed, and return.

Proclus also gives a much more elaborate account of Intellect than does Plotinus. In Plotinus we find the distinction between Being and Thinking in Intellect. Proclus, in keeping with his triadic structure of remaining, procession, and return, distinguishes three moments in Intellect: Intelligible, Intelligible-Intellectual, and Intellectual. They correspond to the object of thought, the power of the object to be grasped by the subject, and the thinking subject. These three divisions are elaborated further, so that the intelligible moment consists of three triads (Being, Eternity, and the Living Being or Paradigm from Plato's Timaeus). The intelligible-intellectual moment also consists of three triads, and the intellectual moment is a hebdomad (seven elements), among which is numbered the Demiurge from Plato's Timaeus and also the monad of Time (which is before temporal things). In this elaboration of Intellect as a whole, Proclus is attempting to give a hierarchical ordering to the various metaphysical elements and principles that other philosophers have discussed, by containing them within a single triadic logic of unfolding.

Proclus' universe unfolds according to the smallest steps possible, from unity to multiplicity. With Intellect emerges the multiplicity which allows one being to be different from another being. But as a divine mind, Intellect has a complete grasp of all its moments in one act of thought. For this reason, Intellect is outside of Time.

Intellect as the second principle also gives rise to individual intellects, which hold various places within Proclus' cosmos.

In terms of his sources, Intellect is like taking the Platonic Forms and placing them in the self-thinking thought which is Aristotle's Unmoved Mover.

Soul[link]

Soul (Psuche) is produced by Intellect, and so is the third principle in the Neoplatonic system. It is a mind, like Intellect, but it does not grasp all of its own content as one. Therefore with Soul, Time comes to be, as a measure of Soul's movement from one object of thought to another. Intellect tries to grasp the One, and ends up producing its own ideas as its content. Soul attempts to grasp Intellect in its return, and ends up producing its own secondary unfoldings of the Forms in Intellect. Soul, in turn, produces Body, the material world.

In his commentary on Plato's Timaeus Proclus explains the role the Soul as a principle has in mediating the Forms in Intellect to the body of the material world as a whole. The Soul is constructed through certain proportions, described mathematically in the Timaeus, which allow it to make Body as a divided image of its own arithmetical and geometrical ideas.

Individual souls have the same overall structure as the principle of Soul, but they are weaker. They have a tendency to be fascinated with the material world, and be overpowered by it. It is at this point that individual souls are united with a material body (i.e. when they are born). Once in the body, our passions have a tendency to overwhelm our reason. According to Proclus, philosophy is the activity which can liberate the soul from a subjection to bodily passions, remind it of its origin in Soul, Intellect, and the One, and prepare it not only to ascend to the higher levels while still in this life, but to avoid falling immediately back into a new body after death.

Because the soul's attention, while inhabiting a body, is turned so far away from its origin in the intelligible world, Proclus thinks that we need to make use of bodily reminders of our spiritual origin. In this he agrees with the doctrines of theurgy put forward by Iamblichus. Theurgy is possible because the powers of the gods (the henads) extend through their series of causation even down to the material world. And by certain power-laden words, acts, and objects, the soul can be drawn back up the series, so to speak. Proclus himself was a devotee of many of the religions in Athens, considering that the power of the gods could be present in these various approaches.

For Proclus, philosophy is important because it is one of the primary ways to rescue the soul from a fascination with the body and restore it to its station. However, beyond its own station, the soul has Intellect as its goal, and ultimately has unification with the One as it goal. So higher than philosophy is the non-discursive reason of Intellect, and the pre-intellectual unity of the One. Philosophy is therefore a means of its own overcoming, in that it points the soul beyond itself.

Influence[link]

Proclus can be considered as the spokesman of mature Neoplatonism. His works had a great influence on the history of western philosophy. The extent of this influence, however, is obscured by the channels through which it was exercised. An important source of Procline ideas was through the Pseudo-Dionysius.^[3] This late 5th or early 6th century Christian Greek author wrote under the pseudonym Dionysius the Areopagite, the figure converted by St. Paul in Athens. Because of this fiction, his writings were taken to have almost apostolic authority. He is an original Christian writer, and in his works can be found a great number of Proclus' metaphysical principles.

Another important source for the influence of Proclus on the Middle Ages is Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy, which has a number of Proclus principles and motifs. The central poem of Book III is a summary of Proclus' Commentary on the Timaeus, and Book V contains the important principle of Proclus that things are known not according to their own nature, but according to the character of the knowing subject.

A summary of Proclus' Elements of Theology circulated under the name Liber de Causis (the Book of Causes). This book is of uncertain origin, but circulated in the Arabic world as a work of Aristotle, and was translated into Latin as such. It had great authority because of its supposed Aristotelian origin, and it was only when Proclus' Elements were translated into Latin that Thomas Aquinas realised its true origin.

Proclus' works also exercised an influence during the Renaissance through figures such as Georgius Gemistus Pletho and Marsilio Ficino. Before the contemporary period, the most significant scholar of Proclus in the English speaking world was Thomas Taylor, who produced English translations of most of his works, with commentaries.

His work inspired the New England Transcendentalists, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, who declared in 1843 that, in reading Proclus, "I am filled with hilarity & spring, my heart dances, my sight is quickened, I behold shining relations between all beings, and am impelled to write and almost to sing."

Modern scholarship on Proclus essentially begins with E.R. Dodd's edition of the Elements of Theology in 1933. Since then he has attracted considerable attention, especially in the French-speaking world. Procline scholarship, however, still (2006) falls far short of the attention paid to Plotinus.

The following epigram is engraved on the tomb which houses Proclus and his master Syrianus:

"I am Proclus,

Lycian whom Syrianus brought up to teach his doctrine after him.

This tomb reunites both our bodies.

May an identical sojourn be reserved to our both souls!"

The crater Proclus on the Moon is named after him.

See also[link]

• Plotinus
• Iamblichus

Bibliography[link]

Proclus' works[link]

• Platonic Theology: A long (six volumes in the Budé edition) systematic work, using evidence from Plato's dialogues to describe the character of the various divine orders
• Elements of Theology: A systematic work, with 211 propositions and proofs, describing the universe from the first principle, the One, to the descent of souls into bodies
• Elements of Physics

• Commentary on Plato's "Alcibiades I" (it is disputed whether or not this dialogue was written by Plato, but the Neoplatonists thought it was)
• Commentary on Plato's "Cratylus"
• Commentary on Plato's "Parmenides"
• Commentary on Plato's "Republic"
• Commentary on Plato's "Timaeus"

• A Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements

• Three small works: Ten doubts concerning providence; On providence and fate; On the existence of evils

• Various Hymns (fragments)
• Commentary on the Chaldaean Oracles (fragments)

• The life of Proclus, or On Happiness: written by his pupil, Marinus

A number of other minor works or fragments of works survive. A number of major commentaries have been lost.

The Liber de Causis (Book of Causes) is not a work by Proclus, but a summary of his work the Elements of Theology, likely written by an Arabic interpreter. It was mistakenly thought in the Middle Ages to be a work of Aristotle, but was recognised by Aquinas not to be so.

A list of modern editions and translations of his surviving works is available at:

"Editions and Translations: Proclus (after 1900)". De Wulf–Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy. http://www.hiw.kuleuven.ac.be/dwmc/plato/proclus/proclused.html. 

Secondary sources: monographs[link]

• Proklos: Grundzüge seiner Metaphysik, by Werner Beierwaltes
• L'Un et L'Âme selon Proclos, by Jean Trouillard
• La mystagogie de Proclos, by Jean Trouillard
• KINESIS AKINETOS: A study of spiritual motion in the philosophy of Proclus, by Stephen Gersh
• From Iamblichus to Eriugena. An investigation of the prehistory and evolution of the Pseudo-Dionysius tradition, by Stephen Gersh
• L'architecture du divin. Mathématique et Philosophie chez Plotin et Proclus, by Annick Charles-Saget
• Proclus: Neoplatonic philosophy and science, by Lucas Siorvanes
• The Philosophy of Proclus - the Final Phase of Ancient Thought, by L J Rosan
• The Logical Principles of Proclus' Stoicheiôsis Theologikê as Systematic Ground of the Cosmos, by James Lowry

Collections of essays

• Proclus et son influence, actes du Colloque de Neuchatel, Juin, 1985. Zürich: Éditions du Grand Midi, 1987.
• Proclus lecteur et interprète des anciens. Actes du Colloque internationale du C.N.R.S., Paris 2–4 October 1985. J. Pépin et H.-D. Saffrey. Paris: C.N.R.S., 1987.
• On Proclus and his Influence in Medieval Philosophy, ed. by E.P. Bos and P.A. Meijer (Philosophia antiqua 53), Leiden-Köln-New York: Brill, 1992.
• The perennial tradition of neoplatonism, ed. by J. Cleary (Ancient and medieval philosophy, Series I 24), Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1997.
• Proclus et la Théologie platonicienne: actes du colloque international de Louvain (13-16 mai 1998) en l'honneur de H. D. Saffrey et L. G. Westerink, éd. par A.-Ph. Segonds et C. Steel (Ancient and medieval philosophy, Series I 26), Leuven-Paris: Leuven University Press / Les Belles Lettres, 2000.

Bibliography

• Proclo, negli ultimi quarant' anni. Bibliografia ragionata delle letteratura primaria e secondaria riguardante il pensiero procliano e i suoi influssi storici (anni 1949–1992), by Nicoletta Scotti Muth
• "Bibliography: Proclus (covering the years 1990–2008)". De Wulf–Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy. http://www.hiw.kuleuven.ac.be/dwmc/plato/proclus/proclusbiblio.html. 

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Proclus

• Proclus entry by Christoph Helmig and Carlos Steel in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Article by Encyclopædia Britannica
• O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Proclus", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews, http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Proclus.html .
• Article at "The Encyclopedia of Goddess Athena"[1]
• The Six Books of Proclus, the Platonic Successor, on the Theology of Plato Thomas Taylor translation.
• Five Hymns of Proclus Thomas Taylor translation.
• Fragments that Remain of the Lost Writings of Proclus Thomas Taylor translation.
• Commentary on Plato's "Timaeus" Thomas Taylor translation.
• Ten Doubts Concerning Providence and On the Existence of Evils Thomas Taylor translation.
• Proclus's Life and Teachings
• Index page of the Proclus section for the "Plato Transformed" project at the University Leuven, Belgium.
• Commentary on Plato's Parmenides - (Greek text, scans of Cousin's edition)
• Catalogue of the Prometheus Trust "Thomas Taylor Series" which includes translations of many of the works of Proclus. The site has lengthy extracts of these.
• Proclus' Commentary on Euclid, Book I. PDF scans of Friedlein's Greek edition, now in the public domain (Classical Greek)
• On the Signs of Divine Possession - (partial translation of Proclus' work)
• On the Sacred Art - (translation and discussion of this surviving extract from a larger work by Proclus)
• On the Sacred Art (French introduction and Greek text)
• Proclus in English and Greek, Select Online Resources

Nicholas Pennell (19 November 1938 – 22 February 1995) was an English actor who appeared frequently on film and television in the 1960s and emigrated to Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where he became a stalwart of the Stratford Festival.

He was educated at Allhallows College, Lyme Regis, and trained at RADA. He then appeared in repertory theatre. On television he appeared in The Saint, The Flaxton Boys, The Forsyte Saga as Michael Mont and in six episodes of Doctor Who entitled Colony in Space.

On film he appeared as an RAF pilot in Battle of Britain (1969) and in Only When I Larf (1968) as Spencer.

In 1972, he joined the Stratford Festival company upon the urging of William Hutt. In his first season, he appeared as Orlando in As You Like opposite Carole Shelley as Rosalind. The following year he returned to star as Pericles in 1973 in a production designed by Leslie Hurry and directed by Jean Gascon.

When Robin Phillips became Artistic Director in 1975, he found a familiar face. The two had worked together in the film of David Copperfield, and Phillips too was also in The Forsyte Saga. Phillips recruited Pennell to join his young company and perform in The Comedy of Errors and Two Gentleman of Verona. 1976 brought Hamlet and Ariel in The Tempest. He often said he worshipped Phillips as an actor.

Pennell was now a leading member of the company and passionate about the festival and acting Shakespeare became his vocation. He was a generous company member speaking to student groups and mentoring young actors. In 24 seasons he played a wide range of characters from Stephano in The Tempest, Iago, Richard II, the Fool in Lear, Sassoon in Not About Heroes to King John.

He can be seen on DVD in the role of Malvolio in a production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (1986) CBC Home Video, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, based on the 1985 Stratford Shakespeare Festival production.

All featured his melodious voice, his supreme intelligence and his love of the language.

Pennell died on February 22, 1995, of lymphatic cancer, at the age of 56.

Little is known about Pennell's private life beyond his homosexuality.^[1] A biography was published in 2005 by Mary Z. Maher.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nicholas Pennell at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an English film and television actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Melanie Brown
Background information
Birth name	Melanie Janine Brown
Also known as	Melanie B, Mel B, Scary Spice
Born	(1975-05-29) 29 May 1975 (age 37) Harehills, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Origin	Leeds, England
Genres	Pop, R&B, hip hop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter, author
Years active	1994–present
Labels	EMI, Virgin, Amber Café
Associated acts	Spice Girls
Website	melaniebrown.com

Melanie Janine Brown (born May 29, 1975)^[1][2] is a British R&B and pop recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, author, television presenter and model. Born and raised in Harehills, Leeds, United Kindgom. Brown rose to fame when she became a member of British girl group, the Spice Girls, which she was famously known as "Scary Spice" in the group. Brown has been signed to a number of record labels during her career including Virgin Records, Independent record label, Amber Café and her latest record deal EMI Music, which she signed in 2012.

The Spice Girls signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe", which hit number-one in more than 30 countries and helped establish the group as a "global phenomenon". Followed by their debut album, Spice, which sold more than 28 million copies worldwide,^[3][4] becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They have sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them the biggest selling female group in history.^[5] The band's second debut album, Spiceworld went onto sell over 20 million records world wide.^[6] Forever selling 5 million records world wide.^[7] They have sold over 75 million records worldwide, making them the biggest selling female group in history and also one of the Best selling music artists in the world.^[8] Brown is also known for supporting Girl Power and their global grosses estimated at $500–800 million between 1996 and 1998.^[9] Return of the Spice Girls was the band's comeback turn and said to have grossed US$100 million and won the Billboard 2008 Touring Award.

Brown began her solo career when she released "I Want You Back" with Missy Elliott. The single charted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart, followed by the release of debut album, Hot—the album also saw release of top ten singles "Tell Me" and "Feel So Good". L.A. State of Mind was Brown's second studio album, which saw release in 2005 and saw the release of only one single—"Today". Brown will return to music in 2012, with EMI Music. Brown returned to television in 2011 when she joined the judging panel of the Australian version of The X Factor where she sat alongside, Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Bassingthwaighte. She later became the co-host of the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars. It was later announced that Brown would appear as a guest judge on the UK's version of The X Factor after a replacement for Kelly Rowland had not been found.

Early life[link]

Brown was born in Harehills, Leeds, England, to an English mother, Andrea, and a black Nevisian father, Martin,^[10] and grew up in Burley, Leeds, West Yorkshire. She has a younger sister named Danielle^[10] who is an actress. She studied performing arts at Intake High School, in Leeds, before entering the entertainment industry.^[11] For a time, she worked as a dancer in the holiday resort, Blackpool, Lancashire.^[12] After seeing an advertisement for an audition in a newspaper, Brown started her music career in a band known as Touch. The group left the original management team and eventually teamed up with music manager Simon Fuller. In this pairing, she and the other girls became known as the Spice Girls.

Musical career[link]

1994—99, 2007—08: Spice Girls era[link]

Brown, along with Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Adams responded to an advertisement in The Stage magazine.^[13] Around about 400 women who answered the ad went to Dance Works studios. At Brown's audition she sang "Greatest Love of All".^[14] Brown, Chisholm (who did not attend), Adams, and a few others got a callback. The group felt insecure about the lack of a contract and was frustrated by the direction in which Heart Management was steering them. In October 1994, armed with a catalogue of demos and dance routines, the group began touring management agencies. They persuaded Bob Herbert to set up a showcase performance for the group in front of industry writers, producers and A&R men in December 1994 at the Nomis Studios in Shepherds Bush where they received an "overwhelmingly positive" reaction.^[15]

Melanie Brown performing in 2007 with the Spice Girls

Due to the large interest in the group, the Herberts quickly set about creating a binding contract for the group. Encouraged by the reaction they had received at the Nomis showcase, all five members delayed signing contracts on the legal advice from, amongst others, Adams's father Anthony Adams. In March 1995, because of the group's frustration at their management's unwillingness to listen to their visions and ideas, they parted with Heart Management. The group began a relationship with Simon Fuller of 19 Entertainment and finally signed with him in March 1995. During the summer of that year the group toured record labels in London and Los Angeles with Fuller and finally signed a deal with Virgin Records in September 1995. From this point on, up to the summer of 1996, the group continued to write and record tracks for their debut album while extensively touring the west coast of the United States, where they had signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific. On 7 June 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe" in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video for "Wannabe", got a trial airing on The Box music channel. The video was an instant hit, and was played 502 times a week. After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live TV slot on broadcast on LWT's Surprise Surprise.^[16] The song proved to be a global hit, reaching number 1 in 29 countries.^[17] and becoming the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.^[18] It was followed by nine further number one singles from their albums Spice, Spiceworld and Forever.^[19] Each member of the group received a nickname from the media. Brown was named "Scary Spice".^[20][21]

The group is currently the Best selling girl group of all time selling 75 million^[22] Which also makes the group one the best selling artists music artists^[23] After the release of their third album, Forever (UK number 2), which was far less successful than their previous two albums, the Spice Girls stopped recording and the members to begin their solo careers.^[23] In 2007, the Spice Girls re-grouped and announced planns for an reunion tour,^[23] from which they were said to have earned £10 million each (approximately $20 million).^[24] The band said that they are still enjoying doing their "own thing".^[25] The group decided to release thier first Compilation albums their "Greatest Hits" album was released in early November 2007 and the tour began on 2 December 2007. During one Spice Girls performance at London's The O2 Arena, the bands children, including Brown's children accompanied her on stage during "Mama", along with the other Spice Girls' children.^[26] During the reformation Film maker Bob Smeaton directed an official film of the tour entitled Spice Girls: Giving You Everything.^[27] As well as their sell-out tour, the Spice Girls were contracted to appear in Tesco advertisements, for which they were paid £1 million each.^[28]

[edit] 2000—05: Solo career, Hot and L.A. State of Mind

Melanie B at the Who Sexiest People Party 2011.

Before the split of the Spice Girls, Brown went onto release music with Virgin Records, the label who she was signed to when a member of the Spice Girls. "I Want You Back" was released as the first offical single from the album, which charted at number-one on the UK Singles Chart and also had success around the globe. The song was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The single sold 218,000 copies and became the 82nd Bestselling British Single of 1998.^[29] While recording the album, Brown worked with producers such as Sisqo, Teddy Riley, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Prince), with whom she was also working on the Spice Girls' third album, Forever.^[30] Brown's debut album, Hot was released in November 2000, a month before the Spice Girls final album, Forever was released.^[31] At the suggestion of her then-husband Jimmy Gulzar, Brown covered Cameo's 1986 hit "Word Up" as her next solo release.^[30] The track was already released on the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The song charted poorly, peaking at fourteen on the UK Singles Chart making it the lowest-charting Spice Girls-related single of the 90s.^[32] Turning to television work, she hosted Pure Naughty, a weekly BBC2 magazine show focusing on black music.^[30] She also hosted the MOBO Awards on two occasions, in 1998 with Bill Bellamy and in 1999 with Wyclef Jean, and took part in a BBC-funded short film entitled Fish.^[30]

The third single from the album, "Tell Me", which debuted at No. 4 in the UK charts with about 40,000 copies sold in its first week.^[30] It sold approximately 100,000 copies, making it the 158th "best seller" of 2000.^[33] A fourth single was released in February 2001, "Feels So Good" which peaked at No. 5, followed by a fifth single, "Lullaby", a pop number dedicated to her daughter.^[30] It was accompanied by a video shot in Morocco and featured Brown with Phoenix Chi. The media criticised Brown for using her child in the music video and single artwork, labelling her Desperate Spice and insinuating that she was exploiting her child as a marketing tool.^[30] The single entered and peaked at #13. The album was not a success and garnered mediocre reviews,^[34] selling a disappointing 7,419 copies in its first week and charting at a weak #28, before quickly falling out of the charts,^[35] leading to Virgin dumping Brown from their label.^[36]

In April 2004, Brown was approached to take part in the musical Rent in the role of Mimi Marquez. A few weeks after Brown finished her Rent stint, she played her second gig, performing some songs from the musical and showcasing some new material she had written.^[30] Brown decided to release them a year later through an independent label, Amber Café.^[37] The only single from the album, "Today", saw a UK release in June 2005. "Today" entered the singles chart at #41, selling around 1,000 copies in its first week.^[38] The album, LA State Of Mind, was released on 27 June 2005 in two formats: as a regular CD and as a Limited Edition with a 30 minute DVD documentary detailing Brown's life in Los Angeles.^[39] In a scathing review, Allmusic stated that this album was one of the worst pop albums of the decade.^[40] The album was also released with a bonus DVD featuring an in-depth documentary filmed and directed by Mark McConnell.^[41] One of the producers which had worked with Brown's album was Rodney Jerkins, aka Darkchild, who previously worked with Brown while in the Spice Girls.^[42]

[edit] 2011—present: The X Factor and Third studio album

Melanie B at the Paris Hilton: Marquee The Star Sydney 2012

In 2011, Brown returned to the spotlight and joined the judging panel of the Australian version of The X Factor, for its third series which began airing in September 2011 on the Seven Network where she joined Ronan Keating, Guy Sebastian and Natalie Bassingthwaighte on the judging panel. Brown had previously served as a celebrity mentor on its second season during week 8 back in 2010.^[43] In February 2012, Brown was also announced to replace Sonia Kruger as co-host on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars.^[44] It was announced on 24 February that Brown was planning on releasing the second season of "It's a Scary World" in summer 2012. Brown also revealed that the Spice Girls will be having some projects later in the year dealing with the musical. ^[44] On 31 March 2012 it was announced that Brown signed a global record deal with EMI Records for the release of her third studio album. Currently recording new material to be released in late 2012, Brown had this to share about the signing, “I’m overly excited to finally announce this amazing global partnership deal back home with EMI Music. I know I have mentioned doing music in the past but for legal reasons I was not in a position to release any new music. For my fans, I am happy and proud to say my music WILL be heard this year and that is for sure a promise I’m over the moon to say the least. Love me or hate me, scary spice is back, hahahaha!!!”^[45] After Kelly Rowland left the UK's version of The X Factor it was confirmed that Brown was in the running to take over the judging role, however Brown revealed that she would not be leaving the Australian version ans she would just feature as a guest judge.^[46]

Non-musical works[link]

From 2000, Brown concentrated on a variety of non-singing projects. She hosted a number of TV shows such as This Is My Moment (a talent show) for ITV1 and shot a documentary called Voodoo Princess for Channel 4.^[47] She took part in smaller projects as a presenter such as Top of the Pops, Party in the park for the Prince's Trust and The All Star Animal Awards.^[31] She has appeared as herself in an advert for the Yorkshire tourist board in a series which included contributions from other Yorkshire-born celebrities, and in the film Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde.^[48]

Mel B is 2012

In 2002, Brown released her autobiography, Catch A Fire, which reached No. 7 in the official books chart,^[11]and saw her touring the UK to promote it with a run of book signings . Outside of SpiceWorld and 'Fish', Brown's first movie role came in the form of a British drama, Burn It.^[11] She appeared in a horror film entitled, LD 50 Lethal Dose, which was released directly to DVD in 2005.^[49] She acted in a long run of shows as part of the cast for the Vagina Monologues. She was in the movie The Seat Filler, co-produced by Will Smith and starring Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland. Brown also appeared as Mimi in the broadway production of Rent.^[11] Brown played herself in episodes of the comedy series Bo' Selecta and A Bear's Tail. In 2003, Brown made a cameo appearance in the music video Bo Selecta's Proper Crimbo. In 2005 she had a leading role in the thriller Telling Lies, released to DVD the following year.^[50]

Following an appearance in the short film Love Thy Neighbor,^[51] in September 2007, Brown joined the fifth season of the U.S. television hit Dancing with the Stars with her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. On 27 November 2007, in the season finale, although they had a perfect score on their final dance, they took second place in the show.^[52] In late 2007, she hosted a television special for Canada's MuchMoreMusic called Your Fave Videos of the 80's.^{[citation needed]}. In June 2008 she hosted, with Joey Fatone, the show The singing office broadcast by American cable TV network TLC In April 2009, Brown joined actress and former Dancing With the Stars champion Kelly Monaco as original stars of a Las Vegas revue called Peepshow at the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.^[53] On 17 August 2009, Brown was announced as a visiting panellist on ITV1's daily lunchtime show Loose Women, having been interviewed on the programme in the past. She appeared for a week of shows during September 2009.^[54] In September 2009, Brown took part in the filming of ITV1 series Seven Days on the Breadline during which she spent part of a week staying with a family living in poverty in Leeds, British.^[55] Subsequently Brown wrote an article in the tabloid paper The Mail on Sunday, titled 'My Week in Apathy City.'^[56] In January 2010, Brown was selected to replace Marissa Jaret Winokur as the new host of Oxygen's weight loss show Dance Your Ass Off.^[11] In September 2010, her own reality show aired on the Style Network called Mel B: It's a Scary World.^[11] In November 2010, Get Fit with Mel B, a fitness program, was released in North America and Europe.^[57] On 7 November 2010, Brown became the celebrity mentor for the eight week of the Australian version of The X Factor. During the results show she performed a duet with the remaining five acts singing "Stop" originally by the Spice Girls.

Personal life[link]

While on the Spiceworld Tour, Brown began a romantic relationship with Dutch dancer Jimmy Gulzar. After she became pregnant, they married in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, on 13 September 1998.^[58] Mel B changed her stage name to Melanie G. Their daughter, Phoenix Chi Gulzar, was born in Westminster, London, on 19 February 1999.^[59] In 2000, Brown filed for divorce, which was finalised later that year.^[60] The custody battle for her daughter was highly publicised. Gulzar claimed Mel's breast implants and adultery were the reason for their split.^[61] Brown won custody, but had to pay an alimony settlement of £1.25m to her ex-husband.^[62] While living in the US, she had relationships with women, according to the Daily Mail.^[63] In 2006, Brown became the subject of tabloid stories on the basis of her relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy. On 17 October 2006 AOL claimed that Brown was having a baby with Murphy.^[64] In early December 2006, news came that Brown and Murphy were no longer a couple, and Murphy told a journalist of the Dutch TV show RTL Boulevard at the Dreamgirls film premiere that the parentage of Brown's unborn baby could not be proven until a paternity test has been performed.^[65][66] Brown gave birth to daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown on Eddie Murphy's 46th birthday, 3 April 2007.^[67] On 22 June 2007, People reported the results of a court-ordered DNA test, confirming through Brown's publicist that Murphy was indeed the father of Brown's baby. Murphy then admitted paternity and indicated that he would reimburse Brown for the cost of the pregnancy.^[68]

In February 2007, Brown began dating long term friend and movie producer Stephen Belafonte.^[69] Brown and Belafonte secretly married on 6 June 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada,^[70] and they subsequently renewed their vows with a lavish ceremony in front of their friends and families on 8 November 2008 in Hurghada, Egypt. On 1 September 2011, Brown gave birth to her third child, a daughter named Madison Brown Belafonte.^[71][72]

Discography[link]

• 2000: Hot
• 2005: L.A. State of Mind

Filmography[link]

Acting[link]

• 1993 Coronation Street – Amy Nelson (Supporting artist) (Uncredited)
• 1997 Spice World – Scary Spice
• 1998 Creche Landing – TV movie (Voice)
• 2000 Fish
• 2003 Burn It – Claire (TV series – season 1 only)
• 2003 LD:50- Lethal Dose – Louise
• 2004 The Seat Filler – Sandie
• 2005 Telling Lies – Maggie Thomas
• 2006 Love Thy Neighbor – Lonnie
• 2011 Secret Diary of A Call Girl - Sylvia Burke

Herself[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Brown, Melanie. (2002). Catch a Fire: The Autobiography. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0755310630

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Melanie B

• Official website
• Melanie Brown at the Internet Movie Database
• Mel B.: It's a Scary World