Patrick Macnee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick Macnee
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Macnee in an episode of
Columbo, May 1975 |
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| Born |
Daniel Patrick Macnee
6 February 1922 Paddington, London, England
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| Died | 25 June 2015 (aged 93) |
| Education | Eton College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1938–2005 |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Parent(s) | Dorothea Macnee |
Daniel Patrick Macnee (born February 6, 1922 – died June 25, 2015) was a well-known English actor. He became famous for playing the secret agent John Steed in the TV show The Avengers.
Before becoming an actor, he served in the Royal Navy during World War II. After the war, he started his acting career in Canada. He had many small roles in TV shows and films before getting his big break. The Avengers was a huge success, running from 1961 to 1969, and was even brought back as The New Avengers in 1976. This show helped him get roles in many other movies, like This Is Spinal Tap and A View to a Kill. He continued acting in TV shows in both England and the U.S. until 2001.
Contents
Early Life and Acting Start
Patrick Macnee was born in Paddington, London, England, on February 6, 1922. His father trained race horses. His mother, Dorothea, was a socialite. Patrick had a younger brother named James.
He went to Summer Fields School and Eton College. He was even part of the guard of honour for King George V in 1936. However, he was later expelled from Eton for being a bookmaker for other students.
Patrick studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. But his acting career was put on hold when he joined the Royal Navy in October 1942. He became a navigator on Motor Torpedo Boats during World War II. He got sick just before D-Day, and while he was recovering, his boat and crew were lost. He left the Navy in 1946.
After the war, Macnee worked on his acting career. He appeared in small, uncredited roles in British films like Pygmalion (1938) and Laurence Olivier's Hamlet (1948). He also had credited roles in films such as Scrooge (1951), where he played a young Jacob Marley. In the 1950s, he took on many small parts in American and Canadian TV shows and plays.
Before his famous role in The Avengers, Macnee also worked as a producer in London for a documentary series called The Valiant Years. This series was about Winston Churchill's memories of World War II.
Becoming John Steed in The Avengers
While working in London, Patrick Macnee was offered the role of secret agent John Steed in The Avengers. This role made him very famous. The show first started in 1961.
Originally, the show was meant to focus on another character, Dr. David Keel. John Steed was his assistant. But after the first season, Macnee's character, John Steed, became the main star. He worked with several glamorous female partners, including Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, and Linda Thorson. Macnee appeared in almost all of the 161 episodes.
As the show went on, John Steed's character became more defined. He was a bit mysterious, very smooth, and always polite with ladies. His signature look included a bowler hat and an umbrella. This style became very famous. Macnee even helped design some of Steed's outfits himself.
Macnee was proud that John Steed almost never carried a gun in the original series. He explained that he had seen too much violence in World War II.
When asked about his favorite female co-star, Macnee didn't pick one. He praised Honor Blackman for showing a strong, independent woman. He called Diana Rigg "one of the world's great actresses" and a superb comedian. His prediction that she would become "Dame Diana" came true in 1994.
Macnee also wrote two novels based on The Avengers in the 1960s. He later narrated a documentary about the show in 1998. In the 1998 movie version of The Avengers, he had a voice cameo as a character called Invisible Jones.
Other Notable Roles
Patrick Macnee had many other important roles after The Avengers. He played Sir Godfrey Tibbett in the James Bond movie A View to a Kill (1985), starring Roger Moore. He also appeared in The Sea Wolves with Roger Moore.
He made guest appearances in many TV shows, including Magnum, P.I., Hart to Hart, Murder, She Wrote, and The Love Boat. Even though he was best known for playing a hero, he often played villains on TV. For example, he voiced the Imperious Leader in Battlestar Galactica.
Macnee also appeared in some cult films. He was Dr. George Waggner in The Howling (1981) and Sir Denis Eton-Hogg in the comedy This Is Spinal Tap (1984). He played an actor named David Mathews in the TV movie Rehearsal for Murder (1982).
He took over the role of the head of U.N.C.L.E. as Sir John Raleigh in Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Fifteen-Years-Later Affair (1983). He also voiced E.B. Hungerford in the sci-fi TV series Super Force (1990–92). In 2001, he made an appearance in the popular comedy series Frasier.
Macnee narrated several "behind-the-scenes" features for James Bond DVDs. He also recorded many audiobooks, including children's books like The Musical Life of Gustav Mole.
He appeared in two music videos. He was seen as Steed in old Avengers footage for The Pretenders' song "Don't Get Me Wrong" (1986). He also played the band's driver in Oasis' video "Don't Look Back in Anger" (1996). In 1990, a song he recorded with his Avengers co-star Honor Blackman called "Kinky Boots" (1964) became a hit in the UK.
Playing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Patrick Macnee played both the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson several times.
He played Dr. Watson three times:
- With Roger Moore as Sherlock Holmes in the TV film Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976).
- Twice with Christopher Lee as Holmes, in Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) and Incident at Victoria Falls (1992).
He played Sherlock Holmes in two other TV films:
- The Hound of London (1993).
- Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Temporal Nexus (1996).
This makes him one of the few actors to have played both of these iconic characters on screen.
Personal Life
Patrick Macnee married his first wife, Barbara Douglas, in 1942. They had two children, Rupert and Jenny. They divorced in 1956. His second marriage was to actress Katherine Woodville from 1965 to 1969.
From 1973 to 1991, Macnee lived in Palm Springs, California. His third marriage was to Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye in 1988. She passed away in 2007. Macnee became a United States citizen in 1959.
Death
Patrick Macnee died at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on June 25, 2015. He was 93 years old.
Images for kids
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Macnee in an episode of Columbo, May 1975
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Macnee in 1998
Music Videos
- The Pretenders – "Don't Get Me Wrong" (1986) (Steed in original Avengers footage)
- Oasis – "Don't Look Back in Anger" (1996)
See also
In Spanish: Patrick Macnee para niños
