Patrick McGoohan

Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television.

Born in the United States to Irish emigrant parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England in the 1950s and rose to prominence for his role as secret agent John Drake in the ITC espionage programme ''Danger Man'' (1960–1968). He then produced and created ''The Prisoner'' (1967–1968), a surrealistic television series in which he starred as Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village. Beginning in the 1970s, McGoohan maintained a long-running association with ''Columbo'', writing, directing, producing and appearing in several episodes. His notable film roles include Dr. Paul Ruth in ''Scanners'' (1981) and King Edward I in '' Braveheart'' (1995). He was a BAFTA Award and two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner.

Early life

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was born in the Astoria neighbourhood of New York City's Queens borough on March 19, 1928, the son of Irish Catholic, immigrant parents Rose (née Fitzpatrick) and Thomas McGoohan. Shortly after he was born, the family moved back to Ireland, where they lived in the Mullaghmore area of Carrigallen in the south-east of County Leitrim.

Seven years later, they moved to England and settled in Sheffield. McGoohan attended St Marie's School, then St Vincent's School, and De La Salle College, all in Sheffield. During World War II, he was evacuated to Loughborough, where he attended Ratcliffe College at the same time as future actor Ian Bannen. McGoohan excelled in mathematics and boxing, and left school at the age of 16 to return to Sheffield, where he worked as a chicken farmer, bank clerk, and lorry driver before getting a job as a stage manager at Sheffield Repertory Theatre. When one of the actors became ill, McGoohan stood in for him, which launched his acting career.

Career

Early career

In 1955, McGoohan starred in a West End stage production of ''Serious Charge'', as a Church of England vicar accused of being homosexual.

Orson Welles was so impressed by McGoohan's stage presence ("intimidated", Welles would later say) that he cast him as Starbuck in his York theatre production of ''Moby Dick—Rehearsed''. Welles said in 1969 that he believed McGoohan "would now be, I think, one of the big actors of our generation if TV hadn't grabbed him. He can still make it. He was tremendous as Starbuck", and "with all the required attributes, looks, intensity, unquestionable acting ability and a twinkle in his eye."

McGoohan's first television appearance was as Charles Stewart Parnell in "The Fall of Parnell" for '' You Are There'' (1954). He had an uncredited role in '' The Dam Busters'' (1955), standing guard outside the briefing room. He delivered the line, "Sorry, old boy, it's secret—you can't go in. Now, c'mon, hop it!", which was cut from some prints of the movie.

He also had small roles in ''Passage Home'' (1955), ''The Dark Avenger'' (1955) and ''I Am a Camera'' (1955). He could also be seen in ''Zarak'' (1956) for Warwick Films. On TV he was in "Margin for Error" in ''Terminus'' (1955), guest starred on ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'' and ''Assignment Foreign Legion'', and ''The Adventures of Aggie
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