Patrick McGoohan, the fine Irish character actor who shot to fame in the cult espionage series The Prisoner and made a splendid villain in such theatrical films as Silver Streak and Escape from Alcatraz, died on January 13 in Santa Monica from undisclosed causes. He was 80.

He was born to Irish parents in Queens, New York City on March 19, 1928. When he was just six months old, his family returned to Ireland and he relocated again when he was seven to Sheffield, England. After a series of odd jobs, he became a stage manager at Sheffield Repertory Theatre, and his interest in acting soon took flight. He began performing several plays with the company. With a tall, sturdy 6'2" build and a tough, clipped manner of diction, McGoohan soon found work in the movies, making a fine heavy in such British dramas as Hell Drivers (1957) and The Gypsy and the Gentleman (1958). Yet one of his finest early roles was as a compassionate doctor who tries to persuade a devout religious couple to have a blood transfusion that could save their daughter in the sterling right-to-life drama Life For Ruth (1962).

The 60's would be the decade of fame for McGoohan, as he starred in two terrific series, the first as that ultra cool secret agent John Drake in Danger Man and as the haunted number six in the Kafkaesque The Prisoner. The latter show was especially important to his lasting cult fame as The Prisoner was and still is unlike any show ever created. As number six, McGoohan was a special agent who, after quitting the spy game, is kidnapped and held in a surrealistic prison known as the Village. He is interrogated by a number of different officials who are only known as Number two and despite their varying techniques he refuses to crack, though he also suffers many failed attempts to escape. There are loads of worldwide fan clubs, convention gatherings and internet discussions based on The Prisoner, and it's likely McGoohan's passing will only strengthen his fans' dedication to the show.

McGoohan found his best roles in films during the 70s: as a tough moonshiner involved in some prohibition era dealings in The Moonshine War (1970); James Stuart in the opulent Glenda Jackson history biobpic Mary Queen of Scots (1971); the unforgettably evil art collector Roger Devereau in the Gene WIlder/Roger Pryor box-office hit Silver Streak (1976); and as an unforgiving warden in the Clint Eastwood vehicle Escape From Alcatraz (1979).

Although he didn't quite scale the same heights in recent years, he did make for a deliciously sadistic King Edward I in Mel Gibson's Braveheart (1995) and we still saw him on the small screen in such shows as Murder She Wrote, Columbo: Agenda For Murder, and wily spoofing his number six character on a Simpsons episode. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, the actress Joan Drummond; his daughters, Catherine, Anne and Frances; five grandchildren and a great-grandson.

by Michael T. Toole