I was always The Saint and never the sinner
As the debonair star releases his long- awaited memoir he reveals how much he adored his leading ladies, fi ghting Oliver Reed and getting seriously drunk with Roger Moore
that I actually knew I wasn’t the new James Bond, which was rather a relief. “The day before yesterday I was on a bus going up Piccadilly with my wife and the chap behind me leaned forward, tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘ I hope this isn’t rude but you should have been James Bond, you know!’ “I turned round and said to him ‘ That’s the least rude thing I’ve ever heard. That’s a very sweet thing to say, thanks very much.’ “People might be surprised that The Saint travels on buses but in wonderful London how could I possibly want to travel any other way. Anyway? I’m old now and I’m rarely recognised.”
‘ Nudity? I’m awfully glad that I’m not a young actor now’
HE HAS lived in the US for 27 years and has been married to American actress Kathryn “Kitty” Holcomb, his second wife, since 1992. They live in Los Angeles where he has become a highly successful writer of children’s books and where he rides his massive 1500cc Honda Valkyrie motorbike. “Not a lot,” he chuckles, “because my wife’s not keen.” He is also back on screen playing an ageing Kray- type gangster in the fi lm We Still Kill The Old Way – “A gangster with charm, of course.”
There is one fi nal laugh to come. “Someone asked me what I’d like to have on my tombstone and I said ‘ Nothing, I’m going to be cremated.’ But a little plaque where my ashes are sprinkled would be nice – it could say ‘ from saint to cinder’.”
To Order Once A Saint: An Actor’s Memoir by Ian Ogilvy, £ 20, published by Constable, call the Express Bookshop on 01872 562310 with your credit/ debit card details. Alternatively send a cheque or PO made payable to The Express Bookshop to: Saint Offer, PO Box 200, Falmouth, TR11 4WJ or visit www. expressbookshop. co. uk UK delivery is free