ABOUT
The Beginning
Mark during his pro bodybuilding days
Mark David Charles Griffin was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire on 25 February 1968. He attended Brighton Hill secondary school. By this time Mark was becoming sporty and started playing squash after being introduced to the sport by his father. He became county champion and received an invitation into the National squad training camp; he also competed in the World Open under 19 Squash Championships. Mark showed all the signs that he would, eventually, become a professional squash player and coach, even his parents believed this would happen but he was also interested in many other sports including rugby, javelin, discuss and shot and represented his district at them all.
It was at this time, the summer of 1985, that one day Mark realised what it was exactly that he wanted to be -he wanted to be famous-in which capacity he wasn’t so sure but he wanted to be on the TV and to be recognised and he was sure that one day he would make that happen.
He began attending Farnborough College of technology where he studied business studies and economics. He graduated with an hnd in business management and around Christmas that same year Mark’s sister Melissa sent him book and that book would change his life forever. It was about bodybuilding and it captured his imagination to the point, in fact, that he read it from cover to cover in three hours and he soon decided to see how he himself measured up against the guys in the book and begin working on getting bigger. Within a year he had gained a stone in weight and was well on the way to getting the body he wanted but his parents weren’t so sure that bodybuilding was the way forward for their boy and doubted that he’d be able to get a good job even if he did have a great body.
By 1988 Mark had qualified from college and was working at the Westside Health and Fitness Club in Kensington where he would learn much about training and fitness and he also made some lifelong friends at a pivotal part of his life and development. Mark designed his own workout plan but instead of training all of the body every session he came up with a split routine where he trained individual body parts on different days. He never had a day off!
It was at this time, the summer of 1985, that one day Mark realised what it was exactly that he wanted to be -he wanted to be famous-in which capacity he wasn’t so sure but he wanted to be on the TV and to be recognised and he was sure that one day he would make that happen.
He began attending Farnborough College of technology where he studied business studies and economics. He graduated with an hnd in business management and around Christmas that same year Mark’s sister Melissa sent him book and that book would change his life forever. It was about bodybuilding and it captured his imagination to the point, in fact, that he read it from cover to cover in three hours and he soon decided to see how he himself measured up against the guys in the book and begin working on getting bigger. Within a year he had gained a stone in weight and was well on the way to getting the body he wanted but his parents weren’t so sure that bodybuilding was the way forward for their boy and doubted that he’d be able to get a good job even if he did have a great body.
By 1988 Mark had qualified from college and was working at the Westside Health and Fitness Club in Kensington where he would learn much about training and fitness and he also made some lifelong friends at a pivotal part of his life and development. Mark designed his own workout plan but instead of training all of the body every session he came up with a split routine where he trained individual body parts on different days. He never had a day off!
The road to Gladiators
By 1992 he had heard about a new TV series starting called Gladiators. He sent off for an application but wasn’t accepted though he did get to go to see the filming of the first series happening and he was excited. This was what he wanted to do. So when he got a call telling him that LWT were looking for new Gladiators for series two, he knew this was his chance. Two days after his 25th birthday, he got his invite to try-out to be a Gladiator. He’d been selected from 3,000 to audition and just two days later he would pit his wits against the other ninety-nine men battling it out to be a brand new Gladiator.
When Monday came around, Mark was nervous. He’d been waiting a year for this chance and he didn’t want to mess up. He headed for the gym early in the morning and his good friend Rob spent the next couple of hours psyching him up for what was to come. Thankfully it worked and now he was ready!
When he got to the try-out and the Nautical College he had his photo taken and was given a number. Series producer Nigel Lythgoe was there and so was John Anderson, not to mention a cameraman filming everyone at work. They were all tested competing in various events and exercises including side bar lunges, bar jumps and power-chins, an exercise that Mark felt was a weak point for him. It involved jumping up to grab onto an eight-foot high beam and using your arms alone, push yourself upright until your waist is over the bar. He attained a low score and felt the effects of a recent virus were catching up on him. He needed water and a rest before attempting whatever was next. After a rope climb came sprints up and down the hall which Mark managed to complete in the fastest time for twenty lengths and things were looking up until he attempted a strange kind of wrestling. After pushing his opponent out of the ring he got terrible cramp.
His whole right leg sized up and he collapsed to the floor. Thankfully one of the women at the try-out was a nurse and helped to massage some of the pain away all while he was being filmed by the camera guy! After completing the day with a game of Duel –which Mark won- he could finally head home, exhausted and with his leg still going into spasm. All he could do now was hope it’d all been worth it.
The following morning he received a phone call from Gladiators producers LWT asking him to come to the offices as soon as possible. When he arrived he was invited into the office of head honcho Nigel Lythgoe. He was about to find out whether or not he was in! As he sat down they went over how he had performed the previous day; Nigel pointed out that Mark hadn’t been good on the power-chins but admitted that he’d okay on the rope climb adding that Mark
did look good on camera. He went onto tell Mark that he wanted to hire him for the live shows at Wembley three weeks away. Mark didn’t hesitate to say yes and after a handshake he was in. A Gladiator was born!
When Monday came around, Mark was nervous. He’d been waiting a year for this chance and he didn’t want to mess up. He headed for the gym early in the morning and his good friend Rob spent the next couple of hours psyching him up for what was to come. Thankfully it worked and now he was ready!
When he got to the try-out and the Nautical College he had his photo taken and was given a number. Series producer Nigel Lythgoe was there and so was John Anderson, not to mention a cameraman filming everyone at work. They were all tested competing in various events and exercises including side bar lunges, bar jumps and power-chins, an exercise that Mark felt was a weak point for him. It involved jumping up to grab onto an eight-foot high beam and using your arms alone, push yourself upright until your waist is over the bar. He attained a low score and felt the effects of a recent virus were catching up on him. He needed water and a rest before attempting whatever was next. After a rope climb came sprints up and down the hall which Mark managed to complete in the fastest time for twenty lengths and things were looking up until he attempted a strange kind of wrestling. After pushing his opponent out of the ring he got terrible cramp.
His whole right leg sized up and he collapsed to the floor. Thankfully one of the women at the try-out was a nurse and helped to massage some of the pain away all while he was being filmed by the camera guy! After completing the day with a game of Duel –which Mark won- he could finally head home, exhausted and with his leg still going into spasm. All he could do now was hope it’d all been worth it.
The following morning he received a phone call from Gladiators producers LWT asking him to come to the offices as soon as possible. When he arrived he was invited into the office of head honcho Nigel Lythgoe. He was about to find out whether or not he was in! As he sat down they went over how he had performed the previous day; Nigel pointed out that Mark hadn’t been good on the power-chins but admitted that he’d okay on the rope climb adding that Mark
did look good on camera. He went onto tell Mark that he wanted to hire him for the live shows at Wembley three weeks away. Mark didn’t hesitate to say yes and after a handshake he was in. A Gladiator was born!
Becoming Trojan
In the days and weeks that followed came the part of the show that the viewers never saw and the first item on the list was a name, after all you can’t have a Gladiator without a name. Mark was allocated a list of three names to choose from for his Gladiator name;
TERMINATOR
TROJAN
COMMANDO
The names were all suggested by children, who loved coming up with new exciting Gladiator names and all have since been used by Gladiators in various countries, but it was Trojan that seemed to appeal to Mark and after a short discussion with Nigel it was decided that Trojan it was.
Deciding on a costume was a different matter and one that Mark didn’t have quite so much say in. The costume designer Steven Adnett had already come up with the Lycra body albeit without the airbrushed design. After trying it on Mark felt extremely self-conscious given the lack of material but after some discussions the design stood and very popular it proved to be.
He came up with his Gladiator sign- something he would do when he entered the arena that associated with his character- and who doesn’t think of Trojan pulling an imaginary long sword from a sheath and bringing it down on his ‘victim’, when you think of Trojan?
His first experience of being a Gladiator came with a game of the ever popular Atlaspheres but seconds after John Anderson had signalled the start of the game with his iconic whistle, Trojan fell forward in his Atlasphere, catching his knee pads on the rough metal interior, performing a 360 degree roll only to right himself and carry on and prevent the contender getting any points. It was only after he was out of the sphere and the adrenaline had subsided that he realised that he was injured, with his right buttock bleeding and his costume pants ripped! This could be embarrassing! Trying to cover his partially exposed rear with his helmet he nervously made his way towards Ulrika to be interviewed in front of the 10,000 strong crowd. Ulrika noticed that something was wrong given his stance and she asked him what was the matter. He whispered he’d ripped his costume and she assured him that it’d be fine, she’d cover for him. After a few words about the performance from Trojan and fellow Glad Cobra, Ulrika announces “Trojan’s had a little accident.” Before asking him to turn around and face the crowd whispering to him “I’ll keep it covered.” Again believing her, he did as she asked but was left
red faced as she pulled away the loose piece of costume exposing him to the entire crowd! But despite the obvious embarrassment he felt, this was what it was to be a Gladiator, in the unbelievable atmosphere and nothing was going to take away the excitement and this was only the beginning.
TERMINATOR
TROJAN
COMMANDO
The names were all suggested by children, who loved coming up with new exciting Gladiator names and all have since been used by Gladiators in various countries, but it was Trojan that seemed to appeal to Mark and after a short discussion with Nigel it was decided that Trojan it was.
Deciding on a costume was a different matter and one that Mark didn’t have quite so much say in. The costume designer Steven Adnett had already come up with the Lycra body albeit without the airbrushed design. After trying it on Mark felt extremely self-conscious given the lack of material but after some discussions the design stood and very popular it proved to be.
He came up with his Gladiator sign- something he would do when he entered the arena that associated with his character- and who doesn’t think of Trojan pulling an imaginary long sword from a sheath and bringing it down on his ‘victim’, when you think of Trojan?
His first experience of being a Gladiator came with a game of the ever popular Atlaspheres but seconds after John Anderson had signalled the start of the game with his iconic whistle, Trojan fell forward in his Atlasphere, catching his knee pads on the rough metal interior, performing a 360 degree roll only to right himself and carry on and prevent the contender getting any points. It was only after he was out of the sphere and the adrenaline had subsided that he realised that he was injured, with his right buttock bleeding and his costume pants ripped! This could be embarrassing! Trying to cover his partially exposed rear with his helmet he nervously made his way towards Ulrika to be interviewed in front of the 10,000 strong crowd. Ulrika noticed that something was wrong given his stance and she asked him what was the matter. He whispered he’d ripped his costume and she assured him that it’d be fine, she’d cover for him. After a few words about the performance from Trojan and fellow Glad Cobra, Ulrika announces “Trojan’s had a little accident.” Before asking him to turn around and face the crowd whispering to him “I’ll keep it covered.” Again believing her, he did as she asked but was left
red faced as she pulled away the loose piece of costume exposing him to the entire crowd! But despite the obvious embarrassment he felt, this was what it was to be a Gladiator, in the unbelievable atmosphere and nothing was going to take away the excitement and this was only the beginning.
Heading Stateside
He went onto to become one of the most popular and memorable Gladiators of all time with his ‘Seeing is Believing’ catchphrase and humble attitude earning the respect of his fellow Gladiators, contenders and the studio and home audience alike. It also helped that he had film star good looks and a winning smile that lit up the screen whenever he was on it. He wrote a ‘Trojan News’ newsletter to help the fans understand the life of a Gladiator before writing a book, ‘My Life with the Gladiators’, in 1995.
Trojan was an all-rounder rather than specialising in one event but he was excellent at Powerball, Duel and Joust, the latter of which he was unbeaten in during his entire Gladiators career. He was a formidable Gladiator from 1993-1996 but once he had been offered the chance to be Action Man, in a part animated, part live action TV show of the same name, he was sure that he wanted to become an actor.
He filmed two series of Action Man 1995-1996 and said ‘I want to get into movies, and I will, just watch that screen.’
In 1996 Mark moved to Los Angeles to follow his dream of Hollywood stardom. Though In October 1997 came a hugely significant moment of
his life to date as he became a father to baby Gabriella, his daughter with fellow former Gladiator Kate Staples aka Zodiac.
Trojan was an all-rounder rather than specialising in one event but he was excellent at Powerball, Duel and Joust, the latter of which he was unbeaten in during his entire Gladiators career. He was a formidable Gladiator from 1993-1996 but once he had been offered the chance to be Action Man, in a part animated, part live action TV show of the same name, he was sure that he wanted to become an actor.
He filmed two series of Action Man 1995-1996 and said ‘I want to get into movies, and I will, just watch that screen.’
In 1996 Mark moved to Los Angeles to follow his dream of Hollywood stardom. Though In October 1997 came a hugely significant moment of
his life to date as he became a father to baby Gabriella, his daughter with fellow former Gladiator Kate Staples aka Zodiac.
The Boy is back in town!
His first big screen role came in 2001 with a small role in Doctor Dolittle 2. Many more roles were to come as he forged a solid career for himself stateside. What followed was ten more movies, some of which were short films and an array of television shows including NCIS and Curb Your Enthusiasm before in 2008 it was announced that Sky TV were to re-launch Gladiators. The re-launched show brought with it one off editions featuring the legends of the original ITV version competing against their modern day equivalents in all of the events testing whether they still had what it took.
Trojan was one of the original stars to be asked back to appear and he readily accepted the invitation to return to the UK for the show. In fact in 2008 Mark moved back to UK on a permanent basis and went onto appear on all three Legend v modern day Gladiator versions of the show, more than any other legend such was his popularity.
A particularly memorable moment came on the first legends edition Gladiators: The Legends Return in 2008. Trojan was selected to face new Gladiator Tornado in audience favourite event Duel. This was a good event for Trojan but he wasn’t used to being the ‘contender’ and eventually ended up plummeting down into the water (which was a new feature to Duel). Disappointed, he came to join presenter Kirsty to analyse what had gone wrong but no sooner was Tornado out of the water, did he have the microphone in his hand he was stating that “there is a new dog in town” and if the legends “can’t stand the heat then they should get out the kitchen”. A lesser man could have retaliated but Trojan said “that’s okay” because what he’d learnt from his time as a Gladiator was “Humble in victory and gracious in defeat.” A roar of applause spread around the studio, and the look on Tornado’s face seemed to say it all. The better man hadn’t won this time.
He was married to Heidi Santelli in Los Angeles in 2001 but they divorced in 2010.
In late 2010 Mark landed another acting role, this one being a very significant one as it was his first on British TV and it was in Doctor Who! Mark played the role of Phil, a guard to President Richard Nixon as the Doctor landed in 1969, having extensive screen time with the likes of Matt Smith, Karen Gillen and Mark Shepherd-known for his role in Supernatural.
In 2013 Mark was cast in then new Sky1 drama The Smoke where he played a character called Les who worked in a gym. Shortly after this he landed a staring role as Lancelot in movie Dragons of Camelot directed and produced by Mark L Lester best known for Commando staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over that winter filming took place in North Wales as the medieval drama was brought to life among the rolling hills with the finished film being released in September 2014. As 2014 ended and 2015 began came the news that Mark had landed another two acting roles, firstly in Obsession: Dark Desires as Lieutenant Barnes, a show which is made for American TV but also shown in the UK on another network, and secondly in the huge Sky1 international success Strike Back. Starring alongside huge names like Sullivan Stapleton and Robson Green, Mark plays Brandon Vickers, a military man.
Since filming these two roles Mark completed a months run in the play Bluebird alongside, among others, Selina Giles and Christien Anholt at the Tabard Theatre where he played three different characters including the lead role on two nights as he was understudying. No doubt we are all looking forward to what comes next for our favourite actor but whatever it is, you'll hear about it first here!
Written by MGF admin. Main information attained from book ‘Trojan: My Life With The Gladiators’ written by Mark Griffin. All other information gathered from various sources and is believed to be correct at the time of publishing.
Last updated July 2015
Trojan was one of the original stars to be asked back to appear and he readily accepted the invitation to return to the UK for the show. In fact in 2008 Mark moved back to UK on a permanent basis and went onto appear on all three Legend v modern day Gladiator versions of the show, more than any other legend such was his popularity.
A particularly memorable moment came on the first legends edition Gladiators: The Legends Return in 2008. Trojan was selected to face new Gladiator Tornado in audience favourite event Duel. This was a good event for Trojan but he wasn’t used to being the ‘contender’ and eventually ended up plummeting down into the water (which was a new feature to Duel). Disappointed, he came to join presenter Kirsty to analyse what had gone wrong but no sooner was Tornado out of the water, did he have the microphone in his hand he was stating that “there is a new dog in town” and if the legends “can’t stand the heat then they should get out the kitchen”. A lesser man could have retaliated but Trojan said “that’s okay” because what he’d learnt from his time as a Gladiator was “Humble in victory and gracious in defeat.” A roar of applause spread around the studio, and the look on Tornado’s face seemed to say it all. The better man hadn’t won this time.
He was married to Heidi Santelli in Los Angeles in 2001 but they divorced in 2010.
In late 2010 Mark landed another acting role, this one being a very significant one as it was his first on British TV and it was in Doctor Who! Mark played the role of Phil, a guard to President Richard Nixon as the Doctor landed in 1969, having extensive screen time with the likes of Matt Smith, Karen Gillen and Mark Shepherd-known for his role in Supernatural.
In 2013 Mark was cast in then new Sky1 drama The Smoke where he played a character called Les who worked in a gym. Shortly after this he landed a staring role as Lancelot in movie Dragons of Camelot directed and produced by Mark L Lester best known for Commando staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Over that winter filming took place in North Wales as the medieval drama was brought to life among the rolling hills with the finished film being released in September 2014. As 2014 ended and 2015 began came the news that Mark had landed another two acting roles, firstly in Obsession: Dark Desires as Lieutenant Barnes, a show which is made for American TV but also shown in the UK on another network, and secondly in the huge Sky1 international success Strike Back. Starring alongside huge names like Sullivan Stapleton and Robson Green, Mark plays Brandon Vickers, a military man.
Since filming these two roles Mark completed a months run in the play Bluebird alongside, among others, Selina Giles and Christien Anholt at the Tabard Theatre where he played three different characters including the lead role on two nights as he was understudying. No doubt we are all looking forward to what comes next for our favourite actor but whatever it is, you'll hear about it first here!
Written by MGF admin. Main information attained from book ‘Trojan: My Life With The Gladiators’ written by Mark Griffin. All other information gathered from various sources and is believed to be correct at the time of publishing.
Last updated July 2015