Patrick Niall MacGinnis[1] (29 March 1913 – 6 January 1977) was an Irish actor who made around 80 screen appearances.

Niall MacGinnis
MacGinnis as the title character in the film Martin Luther (1953)
Born
Patrick Niall MacGinnis

(1913-03-29)29 March 1913
Dublin, Ireland
Died6 January 1977(1977-01-06) (aged 63)
Years active1935–1977
Spouses
Sheila Macdonal
(m. 1942, divorced)
Eleonore MacGinnis
(m. 1955)
Children1

Early life

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MacGinnis was born in Dublin in 1913.[2] He was educated at Stonyhurst College, a Jesuit public school in Lancashire in the North of England, and studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), qualifying as a house surgeon. During the Second World War, MacGinnis served as a surgeon in the Royal Navy.[3]

In 1938 he starred in the hit comedy play Spring Meeting in the West End.

Acting career

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Among his more notable film roles are:

On television, he played the arch-criminal A. J. Kent in the Danger Man episode "Battle of The Cameras" and Colonel Probst in The Saint episode "The Paper Chase".

Later life

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In 1942, MacGinnis married Sheila Mcdonald; the couple later divorced. In 1955, he married his second wife Eleanor, with whom he had a daughter. In the mid-1970s, he gave up acting, moved back to his native Ireland, and returned to the medical profession. He lived in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, until he died of cancer in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in January 1977,[2] aged 63, where he had been working in the medical profession. Eleanor remained in Ashford until her death in 2013. Their daughter and family still reside on the family property.

Complete filmography

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References

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  1. ^ O'Riordan, Turlough (2015). "MacGinnis, (Patrick) Niall". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Niall MacGinnis". BFI. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  3. ^ McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. p. 479; ISBN 9781526111968
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