Patrick Macnee

Daniel Patrick Macnee (6 February 1922 – 25 June 2015) was an English film and television actor. After serving in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he began his acting career in Canada. Despite having some small film roles, Macnee spent much of his early career in playing small roles in American and Canadian television shows. In 1961, he landed the role of secret agent John Steed in the English television series ''The Avengers''. The show was a success running for eight seasons from 1961 to 1969 and was revived in 1976 as ''The New Avengers''. The show was a major breakthrough for Macnee and led to his roles in many films including ''This Is Spinal Tap'' and ''A View to a Kill'' as well as continuing to appear in both English and US television shows up until 2001.

Born in London in 1922, Patrick Macnee was the elder of two sons to Daniel Macnee and Dorothea Mabel Macnee. After attending Summer Fields School and Eton College, Macnee pursued his passion for acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. His acting career was briefly interrupted by his service in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

Macnee is best known for his role as John Steed in the British television series ''The Avengers'' (1961-69), where he appeared in all but two episodes. His character evolved throughout the series, eventually becoming synonymous with his trademark bowler hat and umbrella. Macnee reprised his role as Steed in ''The New Avengers'' (1976-77), alongside new agents Purdey (Joanna Lumley) and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt).

In addition to his television career, Macnee appeared in various films such as ''A View to a Kill'' (1985), where he played Sir Godfrey Tibbett opposite Roger Moore, and the cult classic rockumentary comedy ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984) as Sir Denis Eton-Hogg. Macnee also featured in several Sherlock Holmes productions, uniquely portraying both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at different times.

Throughout his career, Macnee worked with numerous notable actors and appeared in popular television series such as ''Magnum, P.I.'', ''Hart to Hart'', ''Murder, She Wrote'', and ''The Love Boat''. He also narrated documentaries and audiobooks, including works by Jack Higgins and Michael Twinn.

Macnee married three times, first to Barbara Douglas, with whom he had two children; then to actress Katherine Woodville; and finally to Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye until her death in 2007. He became a U.S. citizen in 1959 and was an enthusiastic naturist later in life. Provided by Wikipedia