42 Facts About Patrick McGoohan

1.

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was an Irish-American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer of movies and television.

2.

Patrick McGoohan began his career in England during the 1950s and became well known for his role as secret agent John Drake in the ITC espionage programme Danger Man.

3.

Patrick McGoohan then produced and created The Prisoner, a surrealistic television series in which he featured as Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village.

4.

Patrick McGoohan was a BAFTA Award and two-time Primetime Emmy Award winner.

5.

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was born in the Astoria neighbourhood of New York City's Queens borough on March 19,1928, the son of Irish Catholic, immigrant parents Thomas McGoohan and Rose McGoohan.

6.

Patrick McGoohan attended St Marie's School, then St Vincent's School, and De La Salle College, all in Sheffield.

7.

Patrick McGoohan excelled in mathematics and boxing, and quit school at the age of 16 to return to Sheffield, where he worked as a chicken farmer, bank clerk, and lorry driver before getting a job as a stage manager for Sheffield Repertory Theatre.

8.

When one of the actors became ill, Patrick McGoohan substituted for him, which began his acting career.

9.

In 1955, Patrick McGoohan featured in a West End stage production of Serious Charge, as a Church of England vicar accused of being homosexual.

10.

Patrick McGoohan was tremendous as Starbuck", and "with all the required attributes, looks, intensity, unquestionable acting ability and a twinkle in his eye.

11.

Patrick McGoohan had an uncredited role in the movie The Dam Busters, standing guard outside a briefing room.

12.

Patrick McGoohan had small roles in Passage Home, The Dark Avenger and I Am A Camera.

13.

Patrick McGoohan could be seen in Zarak for Warwick Films.

14.

Patrick McGoohan played the lead in "The Makepeace Story" for BBC Sunday Night Theatre.

15.

Patrick McGoohan did Ring for Catty on stage in 1956.

16.

Patrick McGoohan had good roles in television anthology series such as Television Playwright, Folio, Armchair Theatre, ITV Play of the Week and ITV Television Playhouse.

17.

Patrick McGoohan was given a leading role in Nor the Moon by Night, filmed in South Africa.

18.

Patrick McGoohan then did some TV work, winning a BAFTA in 1960.

19.

Patrick McGoohan played the role in a BBC television production in August 1959.

20.

Michael Meyer, who translated the stage version, thought Patrick McGoohan's performance was the best and most powerful he'd ever seen.

21.

Patrick McGoohan appeared in the movie Two Living, One Dead, filmed in Sweden.

22.

Patrick McGoohan featured in two movies directed by Basil Dearden: All Night Long, an updating of Othello, and Life for Ruth.

23.

Patrick McGoohan featured in an adaptation of The Quare Fellow by Brendan Behan.

24.

Patrick McGoohan was one of several actors considered for the role of James Bond in Dr No While Patrick McGoohan, a Catholic, refused the role on moral grounds, the success of the Bond movies is generally cited as the reason for Danger Man being revived.

25.

Patrick McGoohan spent some time working for The Walt Disney Company on The Three Lives of Thomasina and The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh.

26.

Patrick McGoohan gave him a run-down of what would later be termed a miniseries, about a secret agent who resigns suddenly and awakens to find himself in a prison disguised as a holiday resort.

27.

Grade asked for a budget, Patrick McGoohan had one ready, and they made a deal over a handshake early on a Saturday morning to produce The Prisoner.

28.

Patrick McGoohan was meant to follow it with the lead role of Dirk Struan in an expensive adaptation of the James Clavell best-seller Tai-Pan but the project was cancelled before filming.

29.

Patrick McGoohan played James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray in Mary, Queen of Scots.

30.

Patrick McGoohan directed Richie Havens in a rock-opera version of Othello, titled Catch My Soul, but disliked the experience.

31.

Patrick McGoohan received two Emmy Awards for his work for the television series Columbo, with his long-time friend Peter Falk.

32.

Patrick McGoohan said that his first appearance on Columbo was probably his favourite American role.

33.

Patrick McGoohan directed five Columbo episodes, one of which he wrote and two of which he produced.

34.

Patrick McGoohan was involved with the Columbo series in some capacity from 1974 to 2000; his daughter Catherine Patrick McGoohan appeared with him in his final episode, "Ashes To Ashes".

35.

Patrick McGoohan had the lead in a Canadian movie, Kings and Desperate Men; then had supporting parts in Brass Target and the Clint Eastwood movie Escape from Alcatraz, portraying the prison's warden.

36.

Patrick McGoohan was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Best Actor for his performance.

37.

Patrick McGoohan could be seen in the movies Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, Of Pure Blood and an episode of Murder, She Wrote.

38.

Patrick McGoohan featured in The Best of Friends for Channel 4, which told the story of the unlikely friendship between a museum curator, a nun and a playwright.

39.

Patrick McGoohan played George Bernard Shaw alongside Sir John Gielgud as Sydney Cockerell and Dame Wendy Hiller as Sister Laurentia McLachlan.

40.

Patrick McGoohan's name was associated with several aborted attempts at producing a new movie version of The Prisoner.

41.

Patrick McGoohan was listed as executive producer for the movie, which never came to fruition.

42.

Patrick McGoohan was not involved with the project that was ultimately completed.