Patrick McGoohan, the man who embodied hope over despair in the coolest way imaginable in the 1960s cult TV classic The Prisoner, has died–he was 80 years old.
The Prisoner was a British TV series that aired in America starting in 1967. Only 17 episodes long, The Prisoner was a strikingly original show about a former British spy who wakes one morning to find himself in a psychedelic fantasy-land that’s not all candy and sunshine–it’s a combination British village/futuristic prison, and McGoohan’s character was stripped of his identity and known only as “Number Six.” McGoohan (who’d starred in an earlier spy show, Danger Man, which was titled Secret Agent in the U.S.) had the rugged good looks and clipped accent that leant The Prisoner a gravity its giddy alternate-worldliness might otherwise have lacked. Number Six’s famous cry, “I am not a number, I am a free man!” became both a counterculture catchphrase as well as an anguished plea for freedom. The Prisoner was James Bond for acid-heads, and McGoohan’s straitlaced image made his small-screen version of a hip spy all the more appealing.
McGoohan also appeared in many films, from Ice Station Zebra to Braveheart, but for TV fans, he’ll always be The Prisoner.
RIP Mr. McGoohan. I just finished watching the Prisoner last week. Thank you. You are missed.
You will be sadly missed Patrick.
You really should have said yes to the offer of the James Bond job!
I’m only 24 but The Prisoner is definitely one of my all time favorites. RIP McGoohan and I hope AMC does a great job in your memory.
And Disney’s SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH. Great adventure series.
Scarcrow of ramsey marsh is my all time number 1 movie…I wish I could find it on dvd.
And yes, he was born in the US — in Queens, in fact.
And yes, he was born in the US — in Queens, in fact.
And yes, he was born in the US — in Queens, in fact.
For TV fans…he’ll always be remembered NOT for The Prisoner, but for DANGER-MAN !
Incredible in Braveheart and deserved an oscar nod for his performance.
A hero & role model for me. Thanks just for being there.
I’ve been a fan of “The Prisoner” ever since my local PBS affiliate ran when I was in high school. My friends and I thought it was the coolest (and most confusing) show ever.
To this day, most books on TV, and most critics, call “The Prisoner” one of the most brilliant TV series ever made. Amen!
Don’t forget, Patrick McGoohan was also memorable in several of his guest roles on “Columbo”. He will be missed!
My favorite was The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh on Disney
Ironically, Disney just put out on DVD one of McGoohan’s lesser known works “The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh” where he plays a vicar who dresses in a costume to fight British oppression in costal England circa 1770. Good stuff from him in both guises. A real great actor, RIP and thanks for the memories.
be seeing you
R.I.P Number 6.