Iggie Wolfington
| Iggie Wolfington | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
Ignatius Wolfington October 14, 1919 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died |
September 30, 2004 (aged 83) Studio City, California |
| Spouse(s) | Lynn Wood (1972-2004) |
| Awards | Life Achievement Award (1984) |
Ignatius "Iggie" Wolfington (October 14, 1919 – September 30, 2004) was an American stage actor. He was the youngest member of the Wolfington family of Philadelphia, operators of a carriage business early in the 20th century and brother of the founder of Wolfington Body Company in Exton, Pennsylvania. He married Lynn Wood, an actress, in 1972.[1][2]
Early life
Wolfington was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended West Philadelphia Catholic High School,[3] then studied at the Bessie V. Hicks School of Drama.[1]
Wolfington served with distinction in the 102nd Infantry Division (United States) at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He received a battlefield commission as a first lieutenant. He was awarded the Silver Star for his role in saving thirty men. He also received the Purple Heart for wounds he received in battle. At his death he was buried with full military honors, at Arlington National Cemetery.[1][2]
Career
A life member of The Actors Studio,[4] Wolfington is best known for originating the role of Marcellus Washburn in the Broadway musical The Music Man, which earned him a nomination for the 1958 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. He played Mayor Shinn in the short-lived 1980 Broadway revival of The Music Man, starring Dick Van Dyke. He also played the role of Chef Ellsworth in "Mrs. McThing",[5] a 1952 play which featured Helen Hayes.[1][2]
Wolfington worked in the earliest days of live television, then became a familiar face on popular television shows like Gunsmoke, Get Smart, The Andy Griffith Show, The Waltons, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Fantasy Island, and The Rockford Files. He made a few television movies.[1][2] He also appeared in TV commercials. Wolfington appeared in several motion pictures including Penelope, Hex, Herbie Rides Again, The Strongest Man in the World, Telefon and 1941.[1][2]
Labor union officer
For many years, Wolfington was a council member of the Actors' Equity Association, a New York City-based labor union for stage actors. In 1969, he saw the need for a West Coast office of the Actors' Fund of America to provide medical and financial assistance to actors beyond New York. Until that time, stage actors outside of New York had experienced difficulty securing adequate support from the headquarters there. Wolfington handled over 10,000 cases in the fifteen years preceding his 2004 death in Studio City, California.[1][2]
Awards
Wolfington received the following awards:
- Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award
- Philip Loeb Humanitarian Award
- Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Actors Equity Archive
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Iggy Wolfington,Veteran Actor, Dies at 84, The New York Times, October 11, 2004
- ↑ "West Catholic Preparatory High School". westcatholic.org. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
- ↑ Garfield, David (1980). "Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980". A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc. p. 278. ISBN 0-02-542650-8.
- ↑ IMDb
External links
- Ignatius Wolfington at the Internet Movie Database
- Ignatius Wolfington at the Internet Broadway Database
- Obituary on the Actors Equity web site
- Iggie Wolfington at Find a Grave
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ralph Bellamy |
Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award 1984 |
Succeeded by Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward |