Thom McGinty

Thomas McGinty (1 April 1952 – 20 February 1995), known as The Diceman, was a Scottish-Irish actor, model, and street artist specialising in mime. Born in Scotland of Irish parentage, McGinty spent much of his life and career in Ireland, where he became a landmark living statue and one of the country's most popular street performers. He appeared in various plays and films, and through his work promoted political causes including gay rights in Ireland; he has been dubbed a "gay icon". He died in 1995 at age 42, from complications of AIDS.

Life and career

Thomas McGinty was born in the outskirts of Glasgow on 1 April 1952, to Thomas and Mary McGinty (née O'Hara), both of whom had previously lived in Ireland. Thom was of Scottish-Irish nationality: at least one of his parents were of Irish origin – Mary was born in Baltinglass, County Wicklow – which granted him Irish citizenship. He had a brother and two sisters; the family would holiday each summer in Mary's hometown.

McGinty served as an altar boy and considered becoming a priest. Instead, he studied accountancy at Strathclyde University, but dropped out. He was a member of Strathclyde Theatre Group in the early 1970s before moving to Ireland in 1976 to work as a nude model at the National College of Art and Design. The name "The Diceman" came from one of McGinty's employers, The Diceman Games Shop, which was located first in an arcade on Grafton Street, Dublin, and then on South Anne Street.