- Patrick Macnee
Infobox actor
caption = Macnee in "Lobster Men from Mars"
birthname = Daniel Patrick Macnee
birthdate = birth date and age|1922|02|06|df=y
birthplace =Paddington ,London ,England Patrick Macnee (born
6 February 1922 ) is an Englishactor , best known for his role as the secret agentJohn Steed in the series "The Avengers".Biography
Early life
Macnee, an only child, was born Daniel Patrick Macnee in
Paddington ,London , [GRO Register of Births: MAR 1922 1a 122 PADDINGTON, mmn = Henry] the son of Dorothea Mary (née Henry) and Daniel "Shrimp" Macnee, a race horse trainer. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/54/Patrick-Macnee.html Patrick Macnee Biography (1922-) ] ] His maternal grandmother was Frances Alice Hastings, who descended from the Earls of Huntingdon - Macnee has long suggested that he may be a distant relation ofRobin Hood , sometimes said to have been a black sheep of the Huntingdon family. Macnee's great-grandfather was Scottish portrait artist Sir Daniel Macnee and he is a cousin of the magicianDavid Nixon Fact|date=July 2008.His parents divorced after his mother declared her
lesbian ism and had a live-in partner (referred to in Macnee's memoirs as "Uncle Evelyn") who helped pay for young Patrick's schooling. He was educated atEton College , was commissioned as a Lieutenant in theRoyal Navy and was awarded theAtlantic Star for his service duringWorld War II . After nurturing his acting career inCanada , Macnee appeared in supporting roles in a number of films, notably in theGene Kelly vehicle "Les Girls " (as anOld Bailey barrister) and oppositeAnthony Quayle in the 1956war movie "The Battle of the River Plate". He had a small role in the 1951 version of "Scrooge" ("A Christmas Carol " in the U. S.) as young Jacob Marley."The Avengers"
Despite numerous roles in theatre, on television and in cinema, Macnee is still best known as
John Steed in the series "The Avengers" (broadcast from 1961 to 1969). Initially a secondary character — the series was conceived as a vehicle forIan Hendry , who played an associate of Steed's — Steed (and Macnee) became the centre of the show after Hendry's departure at the end of the first season. He played opposite a succession of female partners that includedHonor Blackman ,Diana Rigg , and finallyLinda Thorson . Steed was also the central character of a revival, "The New Avengers", in which he was teamed with Purdey, portrayed byJoanna Lumley , and Mike Gambit, played byGareth Hunt .Although Macnee evolved the role as the series progressed, the key elements of Steed's persona and appearance were there from very early on: the slightly mysterious demeanour, and increasingly, the light, suave, flirting tone with ladies (and always with his female assistants). Finally, from the episodes with Honor Blackman onwards, the trademark
bowler hat andumbrella completed the image. Traditionally associated withLondon 'city gents', the suit, umbrella and bowler had developed in thepost-war years as mufti for ex-servicemen attendingArmistice Day ceremonies. Macnee, alongside designerPierre Cardin , adapted the look into a style all his own, and he went on to design several outfits himself for Steed based on the same basic theme.During the 1960s, Macnee co-wrote two original novels based upon "The Avengers": "Dead Duck" and "Deadline". In 1988, he wrote his
autobiography entitled "Blind in One Ear". In 1995, he hosted a documentary, "The Avengers: The Journey Back", directed by Clyde Lucas.Later roles
Macnee's other notable roles have included playing 'Sir Godfrey Tibbett' opposite his friend
Roger Moore in theJames Bond movie "A View to a Kill ", as 'Major Crossley' in "The Sea Wolves " (again with Moore), guest roles in "Alias Smith and Jones ", "Hart to Hart ", "Murder, She Wrote ", "Battlestar Galactica" and "The Love Boat ". Though Macnee found fame as the heroic Steed, the majority of his guest appearances have been in villainous roles. He also presented the Americanparanormal series, "Mysteries, Magic and Miracles".Macnee had recurring roles in the crime series "Gavilan" with
Robert Urich and in the 1984 satire on big business, "Empire" as the menacing M.D. 'Calvin Cromwell'. In 1984, Macnee appeared in "Magnum, P.I. " as a retired British agent who believes he is Sherlock Holmes (in a season 4 episode entitled "Holmes Is Where The Heart Is"). He in fact had playedDr Watson to Roger Moore's Sherlock Holmes in a 1976TV movie , "Sherlock Holmes in New York" and went on to play Holmes in another TV movie, "The Hound of London" (1993). He played Watson in two TV movies withChristopher Lee ("Incident at Victoria Falls" and "Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady ").He also appeared in several
cult movies : in "The Howling " as 'Dr George Waggner' (named whimsically after the director of 1941's "The Wolf Man") and as 'Sir Denis Eton-Hogg' in the rockumentary comedy "This is Spinal Tap ". He took overLeo G. Carroll 's role as the head of U.N.C.L.E. in "The Return ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. " in 1983. Patrick starred in the 1990s science fiction series "Super Force " as E.B. Hungerford (called "MR. H." by lab assistant F.X.) in the pilot and his computer counter-part; after his character was killed. Macnee also appeared as a supporting character in the 1989science fiction parody, "Lobster Man from Mars ", as Prof. Plocostomos.Macnee serves as the narrator for several "behind-the-scenes" featurettes featured on the James Bond series of DVDs. He lent his voice in a cameo as 'Invisible Jones' in the 1998 critically lambasted film version of "The Avengers" (in which Steed was played by
Ralph Fiennes ), and he also featured in two pop videos: in his Steed persona inThe Pretenders ' video "Don't Get Me Wrong", and in the Oasis' video of their song "Don't Look Back in Anger " in 1996, with the familiar smart suit and umbrella, but minus the bowler hat.Personal life
Macnee has two children, Rupert and Jenny, from his first marriage to Barbara Douglas (from 1942 to 1956). His second marriage (1965 – 1969) was to actress Katherine Woodville. He has been married to third wife Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye since 1988. They live in
southern California , USA, dividing their time between Rancho Mirage and La Jolla in the summer.References
External links
* [http://www.patrickmacnee.com/ Patrick Macnee official website]
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