Ian Ogilvy
| Ian Ogilvy | |
|---|---|
 Ogilvy in 2007 | |
| Born |
Ian Raymond Ogilvy 30 September 1943 Woking, Surrey, England |
| Education |
Sunningdale School Eton College |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright, novelist |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Diane Sarah Patricia Hart (m.1968–1983) Kathryn Holcomb (m.1992) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
Francis Ogilvy Aileen Raymond |
| Relatives | David Ogilvy (uncle) |
| Website | |
| www.ianogilvy.com | |
Ian Raymond Ogilvy (born 30 September 1943) is an English actor, novelist and playwright.
Early life
Ogilvy was born in Woking, Surrey, England, to Francis Ogilvy, brother of advertising executive David Ogilvy[1] and actress Aileen Raymond (who had previously been married to John Mills).
He was educated at Sunningdale School, Eton College and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Return of the Saint
He is best known as the star of the television series Return of the Saint (1978–79), in which he assumed the role of Simon Templar from Roger Moore (1962–69). The role led to his being considered a leading contender for the role of James Bond in the early 1980s, when Moore announced his intention to leave the role. Ultimately, Ogilvy never played the part (in part due to Moore's reconsidering his resignation on several occasions), although he did play a Bond-like character in a series of North American TV commercials broadcast in the early 1990s. At least once, in an episode of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, "Dragon's Wing II," he played a Bond-like British agent, complete with white dinner jacket.[2]
He did, in addition, record a series of readings of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels in the early 1980s, which were released on audio cassette by the Listen for Pleasure label.
Other notable roles
Ogilvy has had an extensive career in the theatre playing leading roles in many London West End productions, including Design for Living, Happy Family, Three Sisters, Rookery Nook by Ben Travers, Run for Your Wife, The Millionairess by Shaw, The Waltz of the Toreadors, and others. He has also worked widely in the American theatre. Among his films, Ogilvy had a major part in the 1970 epic film Waterloo, playing the role of the Duke of Wellington's chief of staff, De Lancey, starring alongside Christopher Plummer, Jack Hawkins, Rod Steiger, and Orson Welles. He co-starred with Boris Karloff in The Sorcerers, with James Mason, Bobby Darin, and Geraldine Chaplin in Stranger in the House (1967), with Vincent Price in Witchfinder General, with Tom Courtenay and Candice Bergen in The Day the Fish Came Out, with Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn in Death Becomes Her, with Peter Cushing in two films for horror specialists Amicus and with Richard Dreyfuss and Nia Vardalos in My Life in Ruins – among others.
He was a friend of the film-maker Michael Reeves and starred in all three of the director's films: Revenge Of The Blood Beast, The Sorcerers and Witchfinder General (also known as The Conqueror Worm). He also had a role in the short-lived 1990s American soap opera, Malibu Shores.
He has had roles in over one hundred television shows, often appearing as a guest star. He appeared in the television series Upstairs, Downstairs (as Lawrence Kirbridge), and may be best known to American audiences for this role.
He guest-starred in The Avengers in the 1968 episode "They Keep Killing Steed", and on BBC television in Somerset Maugham's "The Door of Opportunity", in which his co-star was Marianne Faithfull. In 1976, he featured in the pilot episode of the television comedy series Ripping Yarns, co-produced by former Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Jones. He also appeared in I, Claudius (as Drusus), and guest-starred in 6 episodes of Murder, She Wrote and 4 episodes of Diagnosis Murder. He appeared as Edgar Linton in the 1970 film version of Wuthering Heights and as Owen Gereth in the 1970 BBC dramatisation of The Spoils of Poynton.
In the 1990s, he guest-starred in the American television series Babylon 5, in the 1998 episode "In the Kingdom of the Blind". The series' star, Bruce Boxleitner, is the former husband of Ogilvy's second wife Kathryn Holcomb.
Writing career
Ogilvy is also a playwright and novelist, currently working on a series of children's books: Measle and the Wrathmonk, Measle and the Dragodon, Measle and the Mallockee, Measle and the Slitherghoul, and Measle and the Doompit. The books have been translated into at least 15 languages, and there are plans to produce a film based upon Measle and the Wrathmonk.
He has written and published two novels – Loose Chippings and The Polkerton Giant – and two plays: A Slight Hangover and Swap!, which is currently running in Poland in its third successful year.
Selected filmography
- La sorella di Satana (1966)
- Stranger in the House (1967)
- The Sorcerers (1967)
- The Day the Fish Came Out (1967)
- Witchfinder General (1968)
- Wuthering Heights (1970)
- The Invincible Six (1970)
- Waterloo (1970)
- No Sex Please, We're British (1973)
- From Beyond the Grave (1973)
- And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973)
- Fugitive Mind (1999)
References
External links
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