Ian Ogilvy

Ian Ogilvy
Ian Ogilvy, 2007
Born	30 September 1943 (1943-09-30) (age 66) Woking, Surrey, England

Ian Raymond Ogilvy (born 30 September 1943) is an English film and television actor.

Biography

Early life

He was born in Woking, Surrey, England, the son of advertising executive Francis Ogilvy and actress Aileen Raymond (who had previously been married to John Mills).

He was educated at Eton College.

Return of the Saint

He is best known as the star of the 1978 - 1979 television series Return of the Saint in which he took over the role of Simon Templar, which Roger Moore played from 1962 to 1969. Ogilvy's role in Return of the Saint led to him being considered a leading contender for taking over 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 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. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0623231/

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

He also had a major part in the 1970 epic film Waterloo, playing the role of the Duke of Wellington's chief of staff, William de Lancey, starring alongside Christopher Plummer, Jack Hawkins and Orson Welles.

Ogilvy has had roles in over three dozen television shows. 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.

In 1976, Ogilvy featured in the pilot episode of the television comedy series Ripping Yarns, co-produced by former Monty Python members Michael Palin and Terry Jones

Other television series that he has appeared in include Upstairs, Downstairs (as Lawrence Kirbridge). He is best known to American audiences for this role. His character married the Bellamy's only daughter, Elizabeth. The marriage, however was never consummated. Instead, it was hinted that Lawrence was impotent or even homosexual. The character instead gave permission to his editor, Sir Edwin Partridge, to make love to Elizabeth. She lost her virginity to him and promptly became pregnant during their only sexual encounter. She gave birth to daughter Lucy as Lawrence pretended to be the father at the Baptism. Elizabeth seemingly divorced him and moved to America with a new husband, who was never seen on the series.

He also appeared in I, Claudius (As Drusus), and guest-starred in 5 episodes of Murder, She Wrote.

Ogilvy guest-starred in the American television series Babylon 5 in the 1998 episode "In the Kingdom of the Blind".

Ogilvy also guest-starred in The Avengers in the 1968 espisode "They Keep Killing Steed".

Writing career

He 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 Warner Brothers has announced plans to produce a film based upon Measle And The Wrathmonk.

Personal life

He has one son from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. He then married Bruce Boxleitner's ex-wife, Kathryn Holcomb in 1992. Kathryn has two sons with Boxleitner. Ogilvy is their step-father and actress Melissa Gilbert is their step-mother.

External links

• Official website
• Ian Ogilvy at the Internet Movie Database