Sad news today as the Los Angeles Times reports that Patrick McGoohan has died. Best known to one generation as Number Six from The Prisoner and to another as Edward Longshanks in Braveheart, McGoohan had a career that spanned nearly half a century. He also wore many hats as, in addition to being an actor, he also produced, directed and wrote for several television series that he was closely involved with, such as the aforementioned The Prisoner, Danger Man (known as Secret Agent Man in the US) and a number of Columbo TV movies. McGoohan also had memorable performances in the films Ice Station Zebra, Silver Streak, Escape From Alcatraz and Scanners. He was very choosy about the roles he played having turned down offers to be Simon Templar in The Saint TV series and James Bond when Sean Connery decided to finally leave the part for good. McGoohan was the first choice to play both The Lord of the Rings‘ Gandalf and Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films, but turned both down.

I knew of Patrick McGoohan through his film work long before I ever watched The Prisoner and then, later, Danger Man. I suppose I almost discovered his career in reverse order, but certainly always enjoyed his performances. McGoohan was one of those actors that had a singular presence, yet he completely inhabited the character he was playing. Hearing him reprise Number Six on The Simpsons in 2000 gave rise to unmet hopes that he might reprise the role in any of the numerous film and TV remakes of his most famous show that have been promised in the last few years. Alas, it appears that he declined to appear in the ITV remake of The Prisoner that will air in November, although since it sounds like a complete re-imagining, I don’t mind so much. McGoohan frequently seemed to play characters that were either struggling with themselves or the environment and events around them, so perhaps it is fitting that he died peacefully in St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica after a short illness. He was 80 years old.