Avengers star Patrick Macnee dies
25 June 2015
From the section UK
Patrick Macnee reprised his John Steed role for The New Avengers TV series, starring alongside Joanna Lumley and Gareth Hunt
Actor Patrick Macnee, star of The Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93.
The Briton, best known for playing John Steed in the 1960s television series, died at home with his family at his bedside, his son Rupert said.
Macnee also played roles in theatre, appearing on Broadway, and served in the Royal Navy.
A statement on the actor’s website read: “Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories.”
The statement added: “Patrick Macnee was a popular figure in the television industry. He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them.”
He died peacefully at his home in California’s Rancho Mirage on Thursday, Rupert said.
The London-born actor played a number of minor roles – including one in Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet – before shooting to fame in the original Avengers series between 1961 and 1969.
He returned when the series was reprised in the 1970s, appearing alongside Joanna Lumley’s Purdey and Gareth Hunt’s Mike Gambit.
He also appeared in the 1985 James Bond film A View to Kill, playing an ally of Roger Moore’s Bond character.
In a 2014 interview with The Lady magazine, Macnee said he believed The Avengers was a success because it “did something different and did it better.”
He told the magazine: “It was beautifully written, the ideas were very good, way ahead of their time and they incorporated fantasies for people who dreamed of doing exciting things.”
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Source:: BBC Entertainment
