Patrick McGoohan
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Patrick McGoohan
OR:
Patrick McGoohan on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American
actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
,
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
,
screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...
, 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 ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...
'' (1960–1968). He then produced and created ''
The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...
'' (1967–1968), a
surrealistic Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...
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 ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...
'', writing, directing, producing and appearing in several episodes. His notable film roles include Dr. Paul Ruth in ''
Scanners ''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathi ...
'' (1981) and
King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...
in '' Braveheart'' (1995). He was a
BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
and two-time
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
winner.


Early life

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was born in the Astoria neighbourhood of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
's
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
borough on March 19, 1928, the son of
Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...
, 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 County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...
. Seven years later, they moved to England and settled in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
. McGoohan attended St Marie's School, then St Vincent's School, and De La Salle College, all in Sheffield. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, he was evacuated to
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
, where he attended
Ratcliffe College Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic independent boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately from Leicester, England. The college, situated in of parkland on the Fosse Way about ...
at the same time as future actor
Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...
. McGoohan excelled in mathematics and
boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
, 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 The Sheffield Repertory Theatre was a theatre company in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Herbert Prince, a railway clerk, founded the amateur dramatics society in 1919,Frank Long "Sheffield" in Colin Chambers ''Twentieth Century 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 ''Serious Charge'' (also known in US release as ''A Touch of Hell'') is a 1959 British film, directed by Terence Young, produced and co-written by Mickey Delamar (with Guy Elmes). It was adapted from a stage play written by Philip King. The fi ...
'', as a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
accused of being homosexual.
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
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 ''Moby Dick'' (sometimes referred to as ''Moby Dick—Rehearsed'') is a two-act drama by Orson Welles. The play was staged June 16–July 9, 1955, at the Duke of York's Theatre in London, in a production directed by Welles. The original cast inc ...
''. 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 Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1875 to 1891, also acting as Leader of the Home Rule League from 1880 to 1882 and then Leader of the ...
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 ''Passage Home'' is a 1955 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Plot Captain "Lucky" Ryland ( Peter Finch) is about to retire. He has a flashback of several years to a voyage on a merchant ship which he was captaining from South Ameri ...
'' (1955), ''
The Dark Avenger ''The Dark Avenger'' is a 1955 British historical action adventure film directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman (and an uncredited Phil Park). The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music ...
'' (1955) and ''
I Am a Camera ''I Am a Camera'' is a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten adapted from Christopher Isherwood's 1939 novel ''Goodbye to Berlin'', which is part of '' The Berlin Stories''. The title is a quotation taken from the novel's first page: "I am a cam ...
'' (1955). He could also be seen in ''
Zarak ''Zarak'' is a 1957 CinemaScope adventure film based on the 1949 book ''The Story of Zarak Khan'' by A.J. Bevan. It was directed by Terence Young with assistance from John Gilling and Yakima Canutt. Set in the Northwest Frontier (though film ...
'' (1956) for
Warwick Films Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in London.Broccoli, Albert R., Zec Donald. ''When the Snow Melts''. Boxtree. 1998 Their f ...
. On TV he was in "Margin for Error" in ''Terminus'' (1955), guest starred on ''
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'' is a British television series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Kn ...
'' and ''
Assignment Foreign Legion ''Assignment Foreign Legion'' is an American TV series made in Britain that ran for 26 episodes from 1956 to 1957. It was hosted by Merle Oberon and financed by CBS. Directors included Don Chaffey, Michael McCarthy and Lance Comfort. Premise A fe ...
'', and ''
The Adventures of Aggie ''The Adventures of Aggie'' is a black-and-white sitcom starring Joan Shawlee that was made by ME Films and broadcast on ITV.BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''
Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...
'' (1955). He also appeared in Welles' film of '' Moby Dick Rehearsed''. He did ''Ring for Catty'' on stage in 1956.


Rank Organisation

While working as a stand-in during screen tests, McGoohan was signed to a contract with the
Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...
. They put him in mostly villainous parts: ''
High Tide at Noon ''High Tide at Noon'' is a 1957 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock. It was entered into the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ''High Tide at Noon'' was based on the first of a series of novels by Elisabeth Ogilvie, set in Maine. Location w ...
'' (1957), directed by
Philip Leacock Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock. Career Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the C ...
; '' Hell Drivers'' (1957), directed by
Cy Endfield Cyril Raker Endfield (November 10, 1914 – April 16, 1995) was an American screenwriter, director, author, magician and inventor. Having been named as a Communist at a House Un-American Activities Committee hearing and subsequently blacklisted, ...
, as a violent bully; and the steamy
potboiler A potboiler or pot-boiler is a novel, play, opera, film, or other creative work of dubious literary or artistic merit, whose main purpose was to pay for the creator's daily expenses—thus the imagery of "boil the pot", which means "to provide one ...
''
The Gypsy and the Gentleman ''The Gypsy and the Gentleman'' is a 1958 British costume drama film directed by Joseph Losey. It stars Melina Mercouri and Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primaril ...
'' (1958), directed by
Joseph Losey Joseph Walton Losey III (; January 14, 1909 – June 22, 1984) was an American theatre and film director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Wisconsin, he studied in Germany with Bertolt Brecht and then returned to the United States. Blackliste ...
. He had good roles on TV in anthology series such as '' Television Playwright'', ''Folio'', ''
Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canad ...
'', ''
ITV Play of the Week ''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes ...
'' and ''
ITV Television Playhouse ''ITV Television Playhouse'', often simplified to ''Television Playhouse'', was a British anthology television series produced by and airing on the ITV television network from 1955 through 1963. The series premiered with the teleplay ''Midlevel ...
''. He was given a leading role in '' Nor the Moon by Night'' (1958), shot in South Africa. After some clashes with the management, the contract was dissolved. He then did some TV work, winning a BAFTA in 1960. His favourite part for the stage was the lead in Ibsen's ''
Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
'', for which he received an award. He also played the role in a (still extant) BBC television production in August 1959. Michael Meyer, who translated the stage version, thought McGoohan's performance was the best and most powerful he'd ever seen. It was McGoohan's last stage appearance for 28 years.


''Danger Man''

Production executive
Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 ...
soon approached McGoohan about a television series where he would play a spy named John Drake. Having learned from his experience at Rank, McGoohan insisted on several conditions: All the fistfights should be different; the character would always use his brain before using a gun; and—much to the executives' horror—no kissing. The show debuted in 1960 as ''
Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...
'', a half-hour programme geared toward American audiences. It did fairly well, but not as well as hoped. Production lasted a year and 39 episodes. After the first series was over, an interviewer asked McGoohan if he would have liked it to continue. He replied, "Perhaps, but let me tell you this: I would rather do twenty TV series than go through what I went through under that Rank contract I signed a few years ago and for which I blame no one but myself."


Post-''Danger Man''

McGoohan appeared in ''
Two Living, One Dead ''Two Living, One Dead'' is a 1961 British-Swedish existentialist thriller film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Patrick McGoohan, Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers. The film is a remake of the 1937 Norwegian film '' To levende og en ...
'' (1961), filmed in Sweden. He starred in two films directed by Basil Dearden: '' All Night Long'', an updating of ''
Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'', and ''
Life for Ruth ''Life for Ruth'' is a 1962 British drama film produced by Michael Relph directed by Basil Dearden and starring Michael Craig, Patrick McGoohan and Janet Munro. It was released in the US as Walk in the Shadow. Plot John Harris finds himself o ...
'' (both 1962). He also starred in an adaptation of ''
The Quare Fellow ''The Quare Fellow'' is Brendan Behan's first play, first produced in 1954. The title is taken from a Hiberno-English pronunciation of ''queer''. Plot The play is set in Mountjoy Prison, Dublin. The anti-hero of the play, The Quare Fellow, is never ...
'' (1962) by
Brendan Behan Brendan Francis Aidan Behan (christened Francis Behan) ( ; ga, Breandán Ó Beacháin; 9 February 1923 – 20 March 1964) was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and Irish Republican activist who wrote in both English an ...
. McGoohan was one of several actors considered for the role of
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
in '' Dr. No''. While McGoohan, a Catholic, turned down the role on moral grounds, the success of the Bond films is generally cited as the reason for ''Danger Man'' being revived. (He was later considered for the same role in '' Live and Let Die'', but turned it down again.) McGoohan spent some time working for
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
on ''
The Three Lives of Thomasina ''The Three Lives of Thomasina'' is a 1963 fantasy film directed by Don Chaffey, starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, child actor Matthew Garber and child actress Karen Dotrice in a story about a cat and her influence on a family. The ...
'' (1963) and ''
The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book, ''Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh'' was published in 1915. The story idea came from smuggling in the 18th-century Romney ...
'' (1963). An English vicar Dr. Syn (Patrick McGoohan) becomes a scarecrow on horseback by night to thwart King George III's taxmen.


Return of ''Danger Man''

After he had also turned down the role of
Simon Templar ''The Saint'' is the nickname of the fictional character Simon Templar, featured in a series of novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books un ...
in ''
The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...
'', Lew Grade asked McGoohan if he wanted to give John Drake another try. This time, McGoohan had even more say about the series. ''Danger Man'' (US: ''Secret Agent'') was resurrected in 1964 as a one-hour programme. The scripts now allowed McGoohan more range in his acting. Because of the popularity of the series, he became the highest-paid actor in the UK, and the show lasted almost three more years. After shooting the only two episodes of ''Danger Man'' to be filmed in colour, McGoohan told Lew Grade he was going to quit for another show.


''The Prisoner''

In the face of McGoohan's intention to quit ''Danger Man'', Grade asked if he would at least work on "something" for him. McGoohan gave him a run-down of what would later be called a
miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
, about a secret agent who resigns suddenly and wakes up to find himself in a prison disguised as a holiday resort. Grade asked for a budget, McGoohan had one ready, and they made a deal over a handshake early on a Saturday morning to produce ''
The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...
''. In addition to being the series's star, McGoohan was its executive producer, forming Everyman Films with producer David Tomblin, and also wrote and directed several episodes, in some cases using pseudonyms. The originally commissioned seven episodes became seventeen. The title character, the otherwise-unnamed " Number Six", spends the entire series trying to escape from a mysterious prison community called " The Village", and to learn the identity of his nemesis, Number One. The Village's administrators try just as hard to force or trick him into revealing why he resigned as a spy, which he refuses to divulge. The filming location was the
Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...
village of
Portmeirion Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. The village is located in the co ...
in North Wales, which was featured in some episodes of ''Danger Man''.


MGM

During production of ''The Prisoner'', MGM cast McGoohan in an action film, ''
Ice Station Zebra ''Ice Station Zebra'' is a 1968 American espionage thriller film directed by John Sturges and starring Rock Hudson, Patrick McGoohan, Ernest Borgnine, and Jim Brown. The screenplay is by Alistair MacLean, Douglas Heyes, Harry Julian Fink, ...
'' (1968), for which his performance as a tightly wound British spy drew critical praise. After the end of ''The Prisoner'', he presented a TV show, '' Journey into Darkness'' (1968–69). He was meant to follow it with the star part of
Dirk Struan Dirk Lochlin Struan (1797–1841) is the fictional main character of James Clavell's 1966 novel ''Tai-Pan''. The title comes from a Cantonese term that Clavell loosely translates as "supreme leader", and Struan is the Tai-pan or head of his own ...
in an expensive adaptation of the James Clavell best-seller ''
Tai-Pan A tai-pan (,Andrew J. Moody, "Transmission Languages and Source Languages of Chinese Borrowings in English", ''American Speech'', Vol. 71, No. 4 (Winter, 1996), pp. 414-415. literally "top class"汉英词典 — ''A Chinese-English Dictionary' ...
'' but the project was cancelled before filming. Instead he made ''
The Moonshine War ''The Moonshine War'' is a 1970 American crime comedy-drama film directed by Richard Quine, based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. It stars Patrick McGoohan, Richard Widmark, Alan Alda, and Will Geer. Plot John "Son" Mart ...
'' (1970) for MGM.


1970s

McGoohan played
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland, James V of Scotland. A supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent ...
in ''
Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...
'' (1971). He directed
Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...
in a rock-opera version of ''
Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...
'', titled '' Catch My Soul'' (1974), but disliked the experience. McGoohan received two
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s for his work on ''
Columbo ''Columbo'' () is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originally aired on NBC f ...
'', with his long-time friend Peter Falk. McGoohan said that his first appearance on ''Columbo'' (episode: "
By Dawn's Early Light ''By Dawn's Early Light'' (also known as ''The Grand Tour'') is an HBO original movie, first aired in 1990. It is based on the 1983 novel ''Trinity's Child'', written by William Prochnau. The film is one of the last to depict the events of a fi ...
", 1974) was probably his favourite American role. He directed five ''Columbo'' episodes (including three of the four in which he appeared), one of which he also wrote and two of which he also produced. McGoohan was involved with the ''Columbo'' series in some capacity from 1974 to 2000; his daughter Catherine McGoohan appeared with him in his final episode, " Ashes to Ashes" (1998). The other two ''Columbo'' episodes in which he appeared are "Identity Crisis" (1975) and "Agenda For Murder" (1990). As he had done early in his career with the Rank Organisation, McGoohan began to specialise in villains, appearing in '' A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' (1975), '' Silver Streak'' (1976) and '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1977). In 1977, he starred in the television series '' Rafferty'' as a retired army doctor who moves into private practice. He had the lead in a Canadian film, '' Kings and Desperate Men;'' then had support parts in '' Brass Target'' (1978) and the
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...
film '' Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979), portraying the prison's warden.


1980s

In 1980 he appeared in the UK TV film ''The Hard Way''. In 1981 he appeared in the science fiction/horror film ''
Scanners ''Scanners'' is a 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Stephen Lack, Jennifer O'Neill, Michael Ironside, and Patrick McGoohan. In the film, "scanners" are psychics with unusual telepathi ...
'', and in ''
Jamaica Inn The Jamaica Inn is a traditional inn on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall in the UK, which was built as a coaching inn in 1750, and has a historical association with smuggling. Located just off the A30, near the middle of the moor close to the hamle ...
'' (1983) and ''Trespasses'' (1984). In 1985 he appeared on Broadway for his only production there, starring opposite
Rosemary Harris Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is the recipient of such accolades as a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In ...
in
Hugh Whitemore Hugh John Whitemore (16 June 1936 – 17 July 2018) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Biography Whitemore studied for the stage at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was taught by Peter Barkworth, then on the staff at RADA ...
's ''
Pack of Lies ''Pack of Lies'' is a 1983 play by English writer Hugh Whitemore, itself adapted from his ''Act of Betrayal'', an episode of the BBC anthology series ''Play of the Month'' transmitted in 1971. Based on a true story, the plot centres on Bob an ...
'', in which he played another British spy. He was nominated for a
Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
as Best Actor for his performance. On screen he could be seen in '' Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend'' (1985), '' Of Pure Blood'' (1986) and an episode of ''
Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...
''.


1990s

McGoohan starred in ''The Best of Friends'' (1991) for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, which told the story of the unlikely friendship between a museum curator, a nun and a playwright. McGoohan played
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
alongside Sir
John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...
as Sydney Cockerell and Dame
Wendy Hiller Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller, (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English film and stage actress who enjoyed a varied acting career that spanned nearly 60 years. Writer Joel Hirschorn, in his 1984 compilation ''Rating the Movie Stars'', desc ...
as Sister
Laurentia McLachlan Dame Laurentia McLachlan, OSB, ''née'' Margaret McLachlan, (11 January 1866 – 23 August 1953) was a Scottish Benedictine nun, Abbess of Stanbrook Abbey, and an authority on church music. She became posthumously known to a wide public when po ...
. In the United States, the drama was shown by
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
as part of ''
Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...
''. Also in this period he featured as
King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal ...
in '' Braveheart'' (1995), which won five
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s. It seemed to revitalise McGoohan's career: he was then seen as Judge Omar Noose in '' A Time to Kill'' (1996) and in ''
The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The charact ...
'' (also 1996), a cinema adaptation of the comic strip.


2000s

In 2000, he reprised his role as Number Six in an episode of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', "
The Computer Wore Menace Shoes “The Computer Wore Menace Shoes" is the sixth episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 3, 2000. In the episode, Homer buy ...
". In it,
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
concocts a news story to make his website more popular, and he wakes up in a prison disguised as a holiday resort. Dubbed Number Five, he meets Number Six, and later betrays him and escapes with his boat; referencing his numerous attempts to escape on a raft in ''The Prisoner'', Number Six splutters "That's the third time that's happened!" McGoohan's last film role was as the voice of
Billy Bones Billy Bones is a fictional character appearing in the first section of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel ''Treasure Island''.''Treasure Island.'' In The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English (2000).Stevenson, Robert Louis. 1883 994The Old Se ...
in the animated film ''
Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptat ...
'', released in 2002. That same year, he received the
Prometheus Hall of Fame Award The Prometheus Award is an award for libertarian science fiction novels given annually by the Libertarian Futurist Society. American author and activist L. Neil Smith established the award in 1979, but it was not awarded regularly until the newl ...
for ''The Prisoner''. McGoohan's name was linked to several aborted attempts at producing a new film version of ''The Prisoner''. In 2002,
Simon West Simon Alexander West (born 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films ''Con Air'', '' Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'', '' The Mechanic'', and '' The Expenda ...
was signed to direct a version of the story. McGoohan was listed as executive producer for the film, which never came to fruition. Later,
Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Cinema of the United States, Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. ...
was proposed as director for a film version. However, the source material remained difficult and elusive to adapt into a feature film. McGoohan was not involved in the project that was ultimately completed. A reimagining of the series was filmed for the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
network in late 2008, with its broadcast taking place during November 2009.


Personal life

McGoohan married actress Joan Drummond on May 19, 1951. They had three children including Catherine McGoohan. For most of the 1960s they lived in a secluded detached house on The Ridgeway,
Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it became part of Greater London. Its population counted 18, ...
, London. They settled in the Pacific Palisades district of Los Angeles in the mid-1970s.


Death

Following a brief illness, McGoohan died at
Saint John's Health Center Providence Saint John's Health Center, formerly St. Johns Hospital and Health Center, is a private not-for-profit, Roman Catholic hospital in Santa Monica, California, United States. The hospital was founded in 1942 by the Sisters of Charity of ...
in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, on January 13, 2009; he was 80 years old. A biography of McGoohan was published in 2007 by Tomahawk Press, and another followed in 2011 by Supernova Books.


Filmography


Awards

* 1960: BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor – Won * 1975:
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest st ...
(for '' Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light'') – Won * 1990: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (for '' Columbo: Agenda for Murder'') – Won


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGoohan, Patrick 1928 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Irish male actors 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Irish male actors American people of Irish descent Television producers from California Best Actor BAFTA Award (television) winners Catholics from New York (state) Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Irish male voice actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Yorkshire Male Spaghetti Western actors People educated at Ratcliffe College People from Astoria, Queens People from County Leitrim People from Pacific Palisades, California People from Sheffield People educated at All Saints Catholic High School, Sheffield Primetime Emmy Award winners Irish people of American descent Screenwriters from New York (state) Television producers from New York City Screenwriters from California