PATRICK McGOOHAN: Remembering the legendary Prisoner actor

Following on from his sad loss on January 13th, it would be very easy for many to remember Patrick McGoohan solely for his role in the surreal Science Fiction/Fantasy TV series The Prisoner, but here was a man who had a hugely varied acting career dating back to the 1950s, and he continued working up until just a few years ago.

Born in New York, he moved to Ireland with his family as a child and soon after to Sheffield in the north of England before being evacuated during the second world war.

While many will remember him for his iconic role as Number 6 in The Prisoner (soon to be remade, starring Sir Ian Mackellen as Number 2), Patrick has left behind a body of work so impressive that he will be remembered for many years to come as a versatile actor who had a great deal to offer the entertainment industry.

His screen work included parts in The Dam Busters (for which he was uncredited), Danger Man, Columbo, Escape from Alcatraz, sci fi horror classic Scanners, Murder She Wrote and a number of other films and TV shows that have become legendary.

Many contemporary viwers will remember him from roles in Braveheart or A Time To Kill, while McGoohan also gave his voice to The Simpsons and the animated movie Treasure Planet. With his distinctive voice and indeniable presence, patrick was an unsung hero of the entertainment industry whose work will be appreciated for a long time to come in all its forms.

Here’s hoping that the forthcoming remake of The Prisoner contains some form of tribute/dedication to the man who gave a face and a voice to the character of Number 6, as well as so many other classic parts.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 5:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.