|  Ian
Ogilvy is author of 'Measle and the Wrathmonk', publishing
June 2004. He is best known as an actor—in particular
for his takeover of the role of The Saint from Roger Moore.
He has appeared in countless television productions,
both here and in the United States and has made a number
of films and starred often on the West End stage.
Ian was born in Woking, Surrey, in 1943. His father was
an advertising executive, his mother an ex-actress.
His father had been an actor once as well, but had given
it up when he discovered that he hated actors and poverty
equally—and therefore didn’t care to experience
either of them any more.
Ian went to school in Sunningdale and then later to Eton.
At 17, he got a job as a stagehand at the Royal Court Theatre
in London. According to Ian, he was the worst stagehand
they ever had.
After about 6 months of this, the Royal Court Theatre was
very relieved when he got a place at the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art. The course there lasted 2 years, after which
Ian started his career as an actor.
Ian has two grown up children by a previous marriage –
Emma and Titus - and two grandchildren (so far) called Barnaby
and Matilda. Ian now lives in Southern California with his
wife Kitty and two stepsons, Sam and Lee.They also have
three dogs and a cat.
When he isn’t writing or acting he manages to fill
his time by building things out of wood, gardening, playing
games on his computer, riding his big black motorbike and
scuba diving. A long time ago, he learnt to fly and has
even parachuted out of a plane!
Ian wrote and illustrated his first book when he was about
six and it was called 'Cheepy The Chick'. It was very short
and about a chicken. It was very scary and involved a villainous
fox. It was never published but Ian still has it today.
He began to write seriously at the suggestion of his Literary
Agent.
'Measle and the Wrathmonk' is Ian’s first children’s
novel (he has previously written two adult novels and a
play). 'Measle and the Wrathmonk' is a rattling adventure
about a small boy who gets zapped by his horrible uncle’s
magic spell and ends up trapped on a toy train set. It is
the first part of a series published by Oxford University
Press.
Ian on his writing
‘My ideas come from out of my head mainly. But the
setting for Measle And The Wrathmonk comes from a remarkable
model train set I once saw, which was full of strange little
details—like a Victorian nanny pushing a pram up a
mountain path, towards a waiting tiger hiding round a bend
in the track. I think I write because I think I can—and
if you think you can do something, then I think you ought
to do it.’
Profile supplied by
Oxford University Press.
Last updated December 2003.
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