Marc Sinden
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Marc Sinden (Marcus Andrew Sinden) was born on May 9, 1954 in London, England and his career as Theatre producer, artistic director and actor has spanned West End, regional and international theatre, film, television and radio. His father is the noted thespian Sir Donald Sinden.
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[edit] Film
He made a guest appearance as 'Surveyor White' in the film version of Spike Milligan's novel Puckoon with Sir Richard Attenborough, Elliott Gould, and Sean Hughes along with most of the rest of the cast from his previous feature film, the comedy The Brylcreem Boys (the first movie to be shot on the Isle of Man since the 1930s) in which he played 'Group Captain White' opposite Gabriel Byrne and John Gordon Sinclair, which won the London International Film Festival.
His other film work has taken him around the world and to a number of war zones. He was in Baghdad at the height of the Iran-Iraq War in al-Mas' Ala Al-Kubra with Oliver Reed. During filming he was arrested by the Mukhabarat and accused of spying. He was allegedly only released on the direct instruction of Saddam Hussein who had funded the film. Consequently he had to leave the country rather suddenly still dressed in his 1920s British Army Officers costume.
Sinden was in Sierra Leone during the coup d’état in a French film Mangeuses d'Hommes, Luxembourg in Decadence with Steven Berkoff and Joan Collins; Vienna for an Italian movie Piccolo Grande Amore with Susannah York and David Warner. Michael Winner's The Wicked Lady with Faye Dunaway, Alan Bates and Sir John Gielgud (which sometimes felt like a war zone and was the Royal Command Performance film of 1983); White Nights with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Helen Mirren; 'Captain Perez' in Peter Rogers' Carry On Columbus directed by Gerald Thomas and as 'Mr. Honeythunder' in Charles Dickens' The Mystery of Edwin Drood with Robert Powell.
[edit] Theatre
Sinden's work in the Theatre is extensive, including 'Charles Surface' in The School for Scandal (Duke of York's) with his father Sir Donald Sinden. This was chosen as the British Council's 50th anniversary tour, playing in 21 cities in 10 countries.
He also starred in Two Into One (Shaftesbury) and Her Royal Highness (Palace), both written and directed by Ray Cooney; ‘Squire Sullen’ in The Beaux' Stratagem (Lyttelton, Royal National Theatre) opposite Brenda Blethyn; Over My Dead Body (Savoy) with June Whitfield; Underground with Raymond Burr (Prince of Wales and Royal Alexandra, Toronto); Ross with Simon Ward (Old Vic and Royal Alexandra, Toronto) and Alan Bennett's Enjoy at the Vaudeville with Joan Plowright.
A season at the Chichester Festival Theatre included ‘Stephen Undershaft’ in George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara with Sir Donald Sinden, directed by Christopher Morahan. At the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin, ‘Broadbent’ in Shaw's rarely seen John Bull's Other Island with Cyril Cusack, directed by Joe Dowling and a very long national tour of Noël Coward's Private Lives with Gemma Craven.
His decision to become a Producer coincided with being offered the position in 1993 of Artistic Director at Bernard Miles famous Mermaid Theatre in Blackfriars, London where he created the Bernard Miles Studio.
In 1994 he left the Mermaid and formed his own theatrical production company, presenting in 1996 the premiere of N.J. Crisp's That Good Night on a critically acclaimed national tour starring Sir Donald Sinden, Patrick Ryecart and Nigel Davenport and directing his first commercial tour, Edward Hall. During this period he also produced a highly successful series of audio tapes including The Ballad of Reading Gaol read by Sir Donald Sinden and Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales with readings by Dame Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons, Sinead Cusack, Joanna Lumley and Elaine Stritch.
In 1997 Marc was appointed Associate Producer for Bill Kenwright Ltd. As Associate Producer his West End credits are Lady Windermere's Fan (Haymarket); An Ideal Husband (Haymarket and Gielgud) and Pygmalion (Albery), which he cast and co-directed. Marc was responsible for the output of the Theatre Royal, Windsor for Bill Kenwright, casting and producing such shows and subsequent tours as Catch Me If You Can; Canaries Sometimes Sing; My Fat Friend; Dangerous To Know; Huckleberry Finn; Aladdin; Pygmalion (tour); Lady Windermere's Fan (a co-production tour with the Royal Exchange, Manchester); Noel And Gertie; Passion (in concert at the Golders Green Hippodrome for CD recording); Fallen Angels; The Woman in Black; Move Over Mrs Markham and Time's Up.
As Associate Producer Marc liaised between Bill Kenwright Ltd. and the Peter Hall Company for which he cast and was Associate Producer on the tour of Just The Three Of Us by Simon Gray and helped organise the Australian co-production tour of An Ideal Husband.
In 1998, having left Bill Kenwright Ltd. to pursue his independent career, he produced and co-directed Shakespeare's Villains with Steven Berkoff (Haymarket) which was nominated for a Society Of London Theatre Olivier Award as Best Entertainment.
He was appointed Executive Producer on the TV series Business Profiles for the satellite channel EuroNews and also produced the 25th anniversary revival of East, directed by the plays author Steven Berkoff (Edinburgh Festival Fringe Stage Award for Best Ensemble work), Theatre de Silvia Monfort, Paris and Vaudeville) and also produced the best-selling video of the production. Other productions include The Glee Club (Duchess) following its transfer from the Bush Theatre; Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners, which he directed and also co-wrote with Carry On... writer Norman Hudis and is still touring; Asking For Trouble; Sex Wars with Louise Jameson and Straker Sings Brel directed by Mel Smith.
In 2003 he established The One Night Booking Company, which presents celebrity-led anthologies and recitals nationally and internationally on 'One Night Stands' and includes the enormously successful An Evening with... series of shows, whose brand name has become instantly recognisable, showcasing acting legends and world-famous comedians etc..
In 2005 he created UKTheatreAvailability.co.uk, a website dedicated to enabling Theatre Managers and Theatre Producers to be able to find out any UK theatres' availability for any given day or week and details of their facilities, or what shows are currently available for touring.
In 2007 he created the British Theatre Season in Monaco bringing star-led theatrical shows to the Théâtre Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. In October 2007, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco graciously awarded the British Theatre Season his High Patronage.
His latest production is to be Jeffrey Archer's Prison Diaries, the theatrical adaptation of all three of the best-selling diaries.
[edit] Television
For Television he filmed Judge John Deed, the series Island set on Jersey and prior to that was ‘Martin Pryce’ in the multi award winning The Politician's Wife with Trevor Eve and Juliet Stevenson. He has also played leading roles in the BBC drama series Century Falls and Country Boy; Against All Odds filmed in Croatia, (also during the war) with Roy Marsden; a 2-hour feature length special of Magnum PI with Tom Selleck; Never The Twain; Bergerac; Home Front; Rumpole of the Bailey with Leo McKern; Emerdale; If You Go Down To The Woods Today written, directed by and with Eric Sykes; a regular character in the original series of Crossroads; Dick Turpin with Richard O’Sullivan; All At No 20 with Maureen Lipman and Wolf To The Slaughter, the first of the Ruth Rendell adaptations.
[edit] Personal life
He lives in London, is divorced and has two children; Bridie Sinden (born September 1, 1990) and Hal Sinden (born February 6, 1980).
He is a Buddhist, a Fellow of the Zoological Society, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Innholders, a Freemason, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London by the Lord Mayor Sir Kenneth Cork and is an Honorary Member of Stunts Incorporated. He represents the UK on the Artistic Advisory Board of the Colorado Festival of World Theatre, is a Founder Member of The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra's Honorary Advisory Development Board and broadcasts a regular live monthly slot ‘UK Theatre News’ on ‘The Magazine’ for BBC Radio Guernsey.
He is a landscape photographer and also sells his prints.[citation needed]
Marc Sinden had a brother, the actor Jeremy Sinden, who died in 1996.
[edit] Trivia
Marc Sinden was also part of the 'La-La' chorus on Hey Jude, recording and filming the song with The Beatles at Twickenham Film Studios on September 4, 1968.[citation needed]
