Ian Ogilvy Movies
British stage and film actor Ian Ogilvy was able to obtain leading-man roles in both mediums despite his relatively short, slight frame. His entree into films was by way of such horrific productions as The Sorcerers (1967) and The Witchfinder General (1968). Casual American TV viewers first became aware of Ogilvy through his appearances in such Masterpiece Theatre serials as "The Spoils of Poynton" and "Upstairs Downstairs;" and in 1978, the actor stepped into the Simon Templar role vacated by Roger Moore in TV's The Return of the Saint. Ian Ogilvy also appeared as Reginald Hewitt in the American-produced daytime drama Generations, which ran from 1989 to 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Georgia (Nia Vardalos) came to Greece to follow a man. A few years later, she's been cast aside -- alone and adrift in a foreign land. Eventually, her passion for history leads her to a job as a tour guide. But Georgia is bored, and has lost her "kefi" (Greek for mojo) to boot. When taciturn sasquatch Poupi (Alexis Georgoulis) replaces the regular driver at the last minute, the frazzled tour guide thinks that her luck has just hit rock bottom. Thankfully, Georgia's latest batch of tourists is a more lively bunch than she's anticipated, and in between bouts with rival tour guide Nico (Alistair McGowan), she manages to form a genuine connection with wisecracking widower Irv (Richard Dreyfuss), a solo vacationer who maintains a jovial facade despite the fact that he misses his late wife dearly. With a little help from Irv, Georgia comes to realize that true love may be closer than she thinks -- if she could just recapture her kefi and open her eyes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, (more)
- 1999
- PG13
An ordinary man find out that he's been turned into a weapon in this sci-fi thriller. Robert Dean (Michael Dudikoff) is an engineer with Gencom, a multi-national technology firm. Dean enjoys an ordinary life with his wife and family, until he suddenly begins losing most of his memory. As Dean tries to figure out what is happening to him, he makes the shocking discovery that Gencom has actually been programming him to commit violent crimes for their benefit, and then forget what he's done. Now Dean must find out who is responsible and how to stop them before he can kill again. Directed by cult favorite Fred Olen Ray, The Fugitive Mind also stars Michele Greene, Heather Langenkamp, David Hedison, and Ian Ogilvy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Dudikoff, Heather Langenkamp, (more)
- 1998
Byron's refugee Telepaths issue an ultimatum to the Interstellar Alliance: Either give them a homeworld, or suffer the consequences. Meanwhile, Londo and his bodyguard visit Centauri Prime, where they are immediately swept up in intrigue and murder. The title of this episode was drawn from a quote which ends ". . .the one-eyed man is king" -- and as it turns out, the quote is more than just a proverb. Originally seen on March 18, 1998, "In the Kingdom of the Blind" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins, (more)
- 1997
Entrepreneur and aspiring film producer Kevin Johnson is presumed dead when his car is pulled out of the harbor after an accident, and a British documentary film crew comes to Los Angeles to trace the story of his rise and fall in this mockumentary. While Johnson rubbed elbows with movie stars and Hollywood power brokers, most of whom remember him fondly on camera, his greatest talent seems to have been his gift for schmoozing and his willingness to tell people what they want to hear (and get them what they want for the evening). He got his start by bribing a travel agent, Fred Barrett (Guy Siner), to put him next to the right people on flights to and from L.A., and with the help of agent Ricky Ryan (John Hillard), he begins pitching his script idea to anyone and everyone who might listen. However, it was Kevin's willingness to find female companionship for men in power (and eagerness to blackmail his new "friends") that helped get him financing for his project just before his car hit the water. James Coburn, Pierce Brosnan and Dudley Moore appear as themselves, and director Francis Megahy plays the leader of the documentary film crew. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierce Brosnan, James Coburn, (more)
- 1997
Murphy (Candice Bergen) is stunned when, in the course of a live TV interview, billionaire media mogul Duncan Briggs (Ian Ogilvy) proposes marriage. Though flattered, Murphy refuses, only to discover that Briggs is willing to go to any lengths to get an affirmative answer--even if it means "buying" our heroine from network president Stan Lansing (Garry Marshall). Politician-comic actor-game show host Ben Stein also appears in this episode (though he doesn't mention "Bueller" even once). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Enjoying some R and R in England, Jonny and Dr. Quest set out for some fishing near Devon. Along the way, they encounter the happy residents of a peaceful village. Suspecting that things are a bit too idyllic hereabouts, the Quests soon learn that the village is in the thrall of a mind-controlling computer. An intriguing homage to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, "Village of the Doomed" made its cable TV debut on December 31, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Quinton Flynn, John deLancie, (more)
- 1994
As part of a promotional book tour, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) agrees to appear in a TV informercial. Also appearing is Matt Matthews (Anthony Zerbe), a once-popular author laid low by alcoholism. It turns out that Matthews--who of course is an old friend of Jessica's--is acquainted with a member of the informercial's studio audience, and with a blackmailing professional extra, both of whom are murdered in the course of the action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- R
In this entry in the thriller series, the puppets and their guardian get into a strange, complex situation involving evil villains desiring to learn their dark secret. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Currie, Chandra West, (more)
- 1994
- R
Unorthodox FBI agent Jack Scalia is assigned to investigate the kidnapping of a prominent clothing manufacturer. It seems to Scalia that the whole event has been staged as part of a large-scale fraud. The principal suspect is onetime fashion model Bo Derek, the victim's much-younger wife. Despite his seen-it-all veneer, Scalia finds it difficult to maintain objectivity when he falls in love with Bo. Made for television, Shattered Image debuted January 21, 1994 on the USA Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Eddie Presley (Duane Whitaker is a security guard who, like his lifetime hero, is slightly overweight these days. Formerly, he occasionally worked as an Elvis impersonator. Recently he has had rather a rough time, but his spirits have improved on learning that he will have a chance to revive his impersonation routines for a single evening at a none-too spiffy nightclub. When the club's music equipment chews up his tapes, Eddie doesn't simply leave the stage. Instead, he delivers a monologue about his life and times, how he came to be so devoted to Elvis, and his recent nervous breakdown. This movie was adapted from a play and performance piece by Duane Whitaker. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Duane Whitaker, Roscoe Lee Browne, (more)
- 1993
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is back in London, there to attend the opening night of a play based on one of her novel's. The play's producer (Robin Sachs) has a reputation for ruthlessness and duplicity, so it really surprises no one when he is murdered. Nor can anyone be surprised when Jessica (Angela Lansbury) takes it upon herself to prove that the play's leading lady (Jean Marsh) is not the murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
High-concept director Robert Zemeckis applies his usual polish -- helped by an equally adept cast -- for this surprisingly gruesome and extremely funny black comedy. The film begins with narcissistic actress Madeline (Meryl Streep) stealing the latest in a series of potential fiancées, wimpy plastic surgeon Ernest (Bruce Willis), from her ex-best friend Helen (Goldie Hawn). Depressed and infuriated, Helen suffers a breakdown that lands her in a mental hospital -- in addition to a junk-food bender that seems to triple her weight. When Madeline crosses paths with Helen again many years later, she is horrified to discover her once-chunky rival looking younger, slimmer and more glamorous than ever before. Fearing that Helen will try to steal Ernest back -- and dreading the thought of not having a plastic surgeon at her beck and call -- Madeline solicits the supernatural services of an exotic New Age mystic (Isabella Rossellini), who sells her a potent youth elixir with the stipulation that she follow the dosage instructions to the letter... yeah, right. It appears that Helen owes her sexy comeback to the same magic formula, and the inevitable violent clash between the two well-dressed banshees leads to the realization that both women have become nearly impervious zombies, clawing at each other's throats long after the blood has run cold in their veins. Best remembered for Dick Smith's Oscar-winning makeup effects, which allow the rapidly-rotting undead femmes to toss off witty one-liners with ragged holes blasted through their bodies or spin their heads Exorcist-style. Not all the sight gags work, and Zemeckis' lighthearted treatment of such grotesque material tends to dull the satirical edge, but there are some truly inspired moments of dementia -- particularly a hilarious cameo from Sydney Pollack as a doctor who comes unglued while examining Streep (who has yet to realize she's dead). ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, (more)
- 1992
Robby Benson stars as an insane ex-con obsessed with a magazine journalist (Jennifer O'Neill). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Now it's off to Monte Carlo, where Jessica (Angela Lansbury) pays a visit to her old friend, the owner of a luxury hotel.. Unfortunately, the hotel proves to be the final destination for a much-despised businessman. In her efforts to solve this murder and recover a diamond stolen from the victim's wife, Jessica forms an alliance with the relentlessly charming police inspector Charles Morel (Patrick Bachau). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Peter Davison stars as bespectacled, aristocratic private detective Albert Campion in this two-part adaptation of Margery Allingham's novel Dancers in Mourning (published in the US as Who Killed Chloe?. A new musical production starring 1930s song-and-dance favorite Jimmy Sutane (Ian Ogilvy) may never open, due to a particularly vicious practical joker who has been staging several "accidents." Campion and his assistant Lugg (Brian Glover) repair to White Walls, Sutane's country estate, to get to the bottom of the sabotage. What begins as a series of nasty pranks evolves into something far more sinister with the mysterious death of bitchy Chloe Pye (Patricia Brake). Along the way, Campion falls for one of Sutane's coworkers--who promptly vanishes. In America, "ancers in Mourning" was telecast December 13 and 20, 1990, as part of the PBS anthology Mystery! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Brian Glover, (more)
- 1990
Season Six of Murder She Wrote closes with an episode centering around the exploits of Jessica Fletcher's (Angela Lansbury) erstwhile friend, suave British secret agent Michael Haggerty (Len Cariou). On assignment in Sicily, Haggerty poses as a monsignor to crack a case involving a caddish fortune hunter, a wealthy young widow and her Mafia-connected in-laws (who never let her out of her sight!), and various and sundry other intrigues. Also returning in this episode is Ian Ogilvy as Haggerty's sometime cohort Peter Baines. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
The sixth-season opener of Murder She Wrote takes place in Athens, where mystery writer Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is reunited with suave but inherently untrustworthy British secret agent Michael Haggerty (Len Cariou). In order to help Haggerty rescue a kidnapped fellow spy, Jessica reluctantly agrees to pose as Haggerty's wife. Before long, our heroine finds herself up to her neck in peril, especially after the authorities find a dead body in her hotel room. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Richard Harris is not who we've always envisioned as George Simenon's workaday French police Inspector Maigret (especially with that Irish brogue!) but one tends to overlook this odd bit of casting as the story rolls on. The usually businesslike Maigret has trouble maintaining his objectivity when a close friend is murdered. The suspect is American business mogul Patrick O'Neal, as cagey a customer as Maigret. Their guarded Columbo-style byplay is the heart of this British TV movie. Maigret was the latest in a long line of attempts to launch an internationally produced TV series based on the Simenon character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Harris, Victoria Tennant, (more)
- 1988
Ian Ogilvy headed the cast of the obscure three-part British miniseries Menace Unseen. Ogilvy played Duncan Free, a computer consultant. When one of his co-workers was murdered, Duncan used his technological savvy to determine the culprit -- who, of course, had no intention of being exposed. Boasting an unusually strong supporting cast, Menace Unseen was distributed by Anglia Television in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
The best-known of the 12 filmed adaptations of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina include the 1936 Garbo vehicle and the 1947 Vivien Leigh vehicle. This made-for-TV version is every bit as elaborate and tasteful as those earlier efforts. Jacqueline Bisset makes her TV-movie debut as Anna, the wife of 19th century Russian nobleman Karenin (Paul Scofield). When she falls in love with the dashing Count Vronsky (Christopher Reeve), Anna runs afoul of the rigid social structure of the era-and of a husband whose anguish translates into revenge. The teleplay was by James Goldman, author of The Lion in Winter and screenwriter of another Russian-based period piece, Nicholas and Alexandria. Anna Karenina premiered March 26, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Bisset, Christopher Reeve, (more)
- 1981
Saint and the Brave Goose was culled from the revived Saint TV series of the late 1970s. Ian Ogilvy takes over from Roger Moore in the role of international adventurer Simon Templar, aka "The Saint." In this one, Templar comes to the aid of an imperiled young widow, played by Gale Hunnicutt. Stratford Johns is also in the cast, but you'll have to see for yourself which side he's on. Released theatrically in US, The Saint and the Brave Goose found its true home on the Late, Late Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Ogilvy, Gayle Hunnicutt, (more)
- 1979
Written by Monty Python veterans, More Ripping Yarns includes the skits "The Testing of Eric Olwaite," "Whinfrey's Last Case" and "The Curse of the Claw." ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This bedroom farce seems better suited to a suburban dinner theatre than the Big Screen, but everyone involved strives to please, and often as not they succeed. The plot hinges upon a misdelivered parcel of pornographic postcards, which end up in the hands of a staid banker and his frigid wife. By the middle of the film (read: Act Two), everyone is being mistaken for someone else. By the end (Act Three), the leading characters have dropped their trousers or lost their dresses. No Sex Please, We're British began life as a stage play by Anthony Marriot and Alistair Foot, which ran for years in London--mostly as a tourist attraction for easily entertained Americans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronnie Corbett, Beryl Reid, (more)
- 1973
This creepy, atmospheric horror film from England's Amicus Productions dispenses with much of the tongue-in-cheek presentation of their popular '70s horror anthologies (such as Asylum and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors) in favor of a more adult-oriented approach. The story begins in the 18th century, as a young stable hand tries to prevent nobleman Fengriffen (Herbert Lom) from raping a young servant girl -- who happens to be the stable hand's wife -- and for this transgression has his hand lopped off. Flash forward to the present, where Fengriffen's ancestor (Ian Ogilvy) and his wife (Stephanie Beacham), now living on the ancestral estate, are haunted by the servant's vengeful spirit, as well as the severed hand itself, which roams the gloomy corridors of the mansion. Most video versions are taken from the TV print, which is missing some scenes of violence and nudity. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom, (more)
