Ignatius Wolfington

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Ignatius 'Iggie' Wolfington was a stage actor who was born 14 October 1920 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died September 30, 2004 in Studio City, California. He married Lynn Wood, an actress, about 1972. [1]

Wolfington was related to American playwright N. G. McClernan.

1 Education
2 Military Service
3 Stage Career
4 Television Career
5 Labor Union Career
6 Awards
7 External links

[edit] Education

Wolfington attended West Philadelphia Catholic High School [2], then studied at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama. [3]

[edit] Military Service

Wolfington served with distinction in the 102nd Infantry Division (United States) at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He received a battlefield commission as a first lieutenant. He was awarded the Silver Star for his role in saving thirty men. He also received the Purple Heart for wounds he received in battle. Upon his death, Wolfington was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, where his headstone witnesses his love of country. [4]

[edit] Stage Career

Wolfington is best known for his role as Marcellus Washburn in the Broadway musical The Music Man, which earned him a nomination to receive the 1958 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. He also played the role of Chef Ellsworth in "Mrs McThing"[5], a 1952 play which featured Helen Hayes. [6]

[edit] Television Career

Wolfington worked in the earliest days of live television, then became a familiar face on popular television shows like “Gunsmoke,” “Get Smart,” “The Andy Griffith Show,” “The Waltons,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Fantasy Island,” and “The Rockford Files”. He made a few television movies and at least one film. [7]

[edit] Labor Union Career

For many years, Wolfington was a Council member of the Actors' Equity Association, a New York City-based labor union for stage actors. In 1969, Wolfington saw the need for a West Coast office of the Actors' Fund of America to provide medical and financial assistance to actors beyond Broadway. Until that time, stage actors outside of New York had experienced difficulty getting adequate support from the headquarters there. Wolfington handled over 10,000 cases over the fifteen years preceding his death in 1984. [8]