Patrick McGoohan

PATRICK MCGOOHAN

Date of Birth: March 19, 1928

Born in New York City to Irish immigrants, Patrick McGoohan returned with his parents to their homeland soon after his birth. After leaving school, McGoohan worked in a variety of occupations before settling down in Sheffield, England. He first worked as a stage manager before making his debut as an actor, and went on to appear in 180 stage productions over the years, including the Orson Welles production of Moby Dick in London's West End.

He began getting small roles on television and in features in the early 1950s, and in 1960, Patrick became a household name in the United Kingdom when he landed the lead role of debonair spy John Drake in Danger Man. The series produced 39 half-hour episodes and was resurrected in 1965 for another 45 hour-long episodes.

Although filmed in England, the series was also shown on North American television and McGoohan became a household name on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1962 he played the lead in Disney's TV special, The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and shortly after, filmed a lead role in Disney's feature film, The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963).

In 1967, Patrick created a new show called The Prisoner and wrote and directed several of the episodes. The show quickly became a classic and was shown around the world in countries such as Canada, the U.S.A., France, Germany and Britain. In it, he played the lead role of Number Six, a retired secret agent who is abducted by an organization that tries to find out his secrets.

In 1968, Patrick relocated to Los Angeles and filmed the feature Ice Station Zebra (1968), starring alongside Ernest Borgnine and Rock Hudson. He appeared in many films over the years, including Silver Streak (1976), Escape From Alcatraz (1979), Scanners (1981), Braveheart (1995) and A Time to Kill (1996), as well as making guest appearances on series such as Columbo, Murder She Wrote and The Simpsons. He not only guest-starred on Columbo four times, but wrote two episodes and directed six episodes. He also won two Emmy awards for his appearances in Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974) and in Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990).

In 2002, he provided the voice of pirate Billy Bones in the feature film Treasure Planet (2002), an updated, animated version of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, before retiring as an actor.

Patrick married Joan Drummond in 1951, and they have three daughters. His eldest daughter, Catherine, is an actress who appeared with him in the TV movie Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998).

He died at age 80 in Santa Monica on January 13, 2009.

Filmography:

Treasure Planet (2002) (voice)
Hysteria (1996)
A Time to Kill (1996)
The Phantom (1996)
Braveheart (1995)
Trespasses (1987)
Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)
Kings and Desperate Men: A Hostage Incident (1981)
Scanners (1981)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Brass Target (1978)
Silver Streak (1976)
A Genius, Two Friends and an Idiot (1975)
Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
The Moonshine War (1970)
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963)
Life for Ruth (1962)
The Quare Fellow (1962)
All Night Long (1961)
Two Living, One Dead (1961)
Nor the Moon by Night (1958)
The Gypsy and the Gentleman (1958)
High Tide at Noon (1957)
Hell Drivers (1957)
Zarak (1956)
I Am a Camera (1955)
Passage Home (1955)
The Dark Avenger (1955)
The Dam Busters (1954)