History Creator / PatrickMcGoohan

While ''The Prisoner'' was still in production [=McGoohan=] appeared in SubStory ''Film/IceStationZebra''. In the 1970s he began to be typecast as villains. He appeared on American series ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' four times, each time as the murderer, and he directed two more ''Columbo'' episodes (He was even considered to replace Peter Falk in the title role but he turned it down, both due to being close friends with Falk and believing no one else could play the role as well and his own disinterest in leading another television series). He had a big late career triumph as charismatically evil King UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst aka "Longshanks" in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.

Patrick Joseph McGoohan (/məˈɡuː.ən/; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was a Irish–American actor.

Patrick [=McGoohan=] (1928-2009) was a British/Irish actor.

He was born in neither of those countries but instead in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity in 1928. When he was a baby his Irish parents moved back to UsefulNotes/{{Ireland}}, but when he was seven they moved to Sheffield, England where [=McGoohan=] would grow up. He dropped out of school at age 16 and eventually drifted into the theater. One of his first breaks was a role in a play called ''Moby Dick--Rehearsed'', written and directed by Creator/OrsonWelles.

While ''The Prisoner'' was still in production [=McGoohan=] appeared in SubStory ''Film/IceStationZebra''. In the 1970s he began to be typecast as villains. He appeared on American series ''Series/{{Columbo}}'' four times, each time as the murderer, and he directed two more ''Columbo'' episodes. He had a big late career triumph as charismatically evil King UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst aka "Longshanks" in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.

* ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots1971'' (1971)

** "[[Recap/ColumboS05E03 Identity Crisis]]" (1975)(also directed)
** "[[Recap/ColumboS05E06 Last Salute to the Commodore]]" (1976)(directed only)
** "[[Recap/ColumboS09E03 Agenda for Murder]]" (1989)(also directed)
** "[[Recap/ColumboS10E12 Ashes to Ashes]]" (1998)(also directed) -- last on-screen role

* ''Film/MaryQueenOfScots'' (1971)

[=McGoohan=] was a devout Roman Catholic who refused to play roles that involved kissing or sexual situations; this sometimes hurt his career, like when he declined to play Film/JamesBond in ''Film/DrNo''. [=McGoohan=]'s last acting role was a voice part in ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', seven years before his death in 2009.

By the mid 1950s [=McGoohan=] was acting in British film and television. He got a bit part as a security guard in 1955 war movie ''The Dam Busters''. He signed with Creator/TheRankOrganisation and appeared in movies like ''Hell Drivers'', but was unhappy at Rank and got out of his contract in 1960. His first leading role was a 1959 television adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play ''Brand'', in which he played the title character for which he won a BAFTA television award. Shortly after, he got his career-making break by landing the lead role of John Drake in spy drama ''Danger Man''. It was a hit in England and America, something that is still quite rare for British television series.

''Danger Man'' led directly to the work that he is most famous for: ''The Prisoner''. That series, which ran for 17 episodes, revolved around an unnamed British spy (not John Drake, as [=McGoohan=] always insisted), who, after he resigned his position, was promptly kidnapped. The spy is taken to a mysterious seaside resort where he is held prisoner, informed that "YouAreNumberSix", and asked only one question: "Why did you resign?" It was a complex MindScrew of a show with a finale, "[[Recap/ThePrisonerE17FallOut Fall Out]]", that is still considered one of the most famous {{Gainax Ending}}s ever. Later mystery shows with complex {{Myth Arc}}s like ''Series/TwinPeaks'' or ''Series/{{Lost}}'' are {{Spiritual Successor}}s to ''The Prisoner''.

While ''The Prisoner'' was still in production [=McGoohan=] appeared in SubStory ''Ice Station Zebra''. In the 1970s he began to be typecast as villains. He appeared on American series ''Columbo'' four times, each time as the murderer, and he directed two more ''Columbo'' episodes. He had a big late career triumph as charismatically evil King UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst aka "Longshanks" in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.

[=McGoohan=] was a devout Roman Catholic who refused to play roles that involved kissing or sexual situations; this sometimes hurt his career, like when he declined to play James Bond in ''Film/DrNo''. [=McGoohan=]'s last acting role was a voice part in ''Treasure Planet'', seven years before his death in 2009.

He was born in neither of those countries but instead in New York City in 1928. When he was a baby his Irish parents moved back to Ireland, but when he was seven they moved to Sheffield, England where [=McGoohan=] would grow up. He dropped out of school at age 16 and eventually drifted into the theater. One of his first breaks was a role in a play called ''Moby Dick--Rehearsed'', written and directed by Creator/OrsonWelles.

He was born in neither of those countries but instead in New York City in 1928. When he was a baby his Irish parents moved back to Ireland, but by the time he was 10 they moved to England where [=McGoohan=] would grow up. He dropped out of school at age 16 and eventually drifted into the theater. One of his first breaks was a role in a play called ''Moby Dick--Rehearsed'', written and directed by Creator/OrsonWelles.

By the mid 1950s [=McGoohan=] was acting in British film and television. He got a bit part as a security guard in 1955 war movie ''The Dam Busters''. He signed with Creator/TheRankOrganisation and appeared in movies like ''Hell Drivers'', but was unhappy at Rank and got out of his contract in 1960. His first leading role was a 1959 television adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play ''Brand'', in which he played the title character. Shortly after, he got his career-making break by landing the lead role of John Drake in spy drama ''Danger Man''. It was a hit in England and America, something that is still quite rare for British television series.

By the mid 1950s [=McGoohan=] was acting in British film and television. He got a bit part as a security guard in 1955 war movie ''The Dam Busters''. He signed with Creator/TheRankOrganisation and appeared in movies like ''Hell Drivers'', but was unhappy at Rank and got out of his contract in 1960. Around that time he got his career-making break by landing the lead role of John Drake in spy drama ''Danger Man''. It was a hit in England and America, something that is still quite rare for British television series.

''Danger Man'' led directly to the work that he is most famous for: ''The Prisoner''. That series, which ran for 17 episodes, revolved around an unnamed British spy (not John Drake, as [=McGoohan=] always insisted), who, after he resigned his position, was promptly kidnapped. The spy is taken to a mysterious seaside resort where he is held prisoner, informed that "YouAreNumberSix", and asked only one question: "Why did you resign?" It was a complex MindScrew of a show with a finale, "[[Recap/ThePrisonerSE17FallOut Fall Out]]", that is still considered one of the most famous {{Gainax Ending}}s ever. Later mystery shows with complex {{Myth Arc}}s like ''Series/TwinPeaks'' or ''Series/{{Lost}}'' are {{Spiritual Successor}}s to ''The Prisoner''.

''Danger Man'' led directly to the work that he is most famous for: ''The Prisoner''. That series, which ran for 17 episodes, revolved around an unnamed British spy (not John Drake, as [=McGoohan=] always insisted), who, after he resigned his position, was promptly kidnapped. The spy is taken to a mysterious seaside resort where he is held prisoner, informed that "YouAreNumberSix", and asked only one question: "Why did you resign?" It was a complex MindScrew of a show with a finale, "Fall Out", that is still considered one of the most famous {{Gainax Ending}}s ever. Later mystery shows with complex {{Myth Arc}}s like ''Series/TwinPeaks'' or ''Series/{{Lost}}'' are {{Spiritual Successor}}s to ''The Prisoner''.

* ''The Simpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E6TheComputerWoreMenaceShoes The Computer Wore Menace Shoes]]" (2000)(voice, lampooning ''The Prisoner'')
* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' (2002)(voice)

!!Tropes:

While ''The Prisoner'' was still in production [=McGoohan=] appeared in SubStory ''Ice Station Zebra''. In the 1970s he began to be typecast as villains. He appeared on American series ''Columbo'' four times, each time as the murderer. He had a big late career triumph as charismatically evil King UsefulNotes/EdwardTheFirst aka "Longshanks" in ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.

** "[[Recap/ColumboS04E03 By Dawn's Early Light]] (1974)

* ''The Simpsons'', "Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E6TheComputerWoreMenaceShoes" (2000)(voice, lampooning ''The Prisoner'')