Patrick Macnee
Encyclopedia
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed
in the series The Avengers
.
, London, the son of Dorothea Mary (née Henry) and Daniel "Shrimp" Macnee, a race horse trainer. His maternal grandmother was Frances Alice Hastings, who descended from the Earls of Huntingdon – Macnee has long suggested that he may be a distant relation of Robin Hood
, sometimes said to have been a black sheep of the Huntingdon family. Macnee's great-grandfather was Scottish portrait artist Sir Daniel Macnee
.
His parents divorced after his mother declared her lesbianism and had a live-in partner (referred to in Macnee's memoirs, Blind in One Ear: The Avenger Returns, as "Uncle Evelyn") who helped pay for young Patrick's schooling. He was educated at Eton College
, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy
and was awarded the Atlantic Star
for his service during World War II. After nurturing his acting career in Canada, Macnee appeared in supporting roles in a number of films, notably as an extra in Sir Laurence Olivier's Hamlet
(1948), in the Gene Kelly
vehicle Les Girls
(as an Old Bailey
barrister) and opposite Anthony Quayle
in the 1956 war movie The Battle of the River Plate
. He had a small role in the 1951 version of Scrooge
(A Christmas Carol
in the US) as the young Jacob Marley.
in the series The Avengers
(broadcast from 1961 to 1969). The series was conceived as a vehicle for Ian Hendry
who played the lead role. Steed was the secondary character, the assistant to Hendry's character. Steed became the lead after Hendry's departure at the end of the first season. He played opposite a succession of female partners who included Honor Blackman
, Diana Rigg
, and finally Linda Thorson
. Steed was also the central character of a revival, The New Avengers, in which he was teamed with Purdey (Joanna Lumley
) and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt
). Lumley said that she did all the gun-slinging because Macnee, having served in World War Two, would have nothing to do with guns.
Although Macnee evolved the role as the series progressed, the key elements of Steed's persona and appearance were there from very early on: the slightly mysterious demeanour, and increasingly, the light, suave, flirting tone with ladies (and always with his female assistants). Finally, from the episodes with Honor Blackman onwards, the trademark bowler hat
and umbrella
completed the image. Traditionally associated with London 'city gents', the suit, umbrella and bowler had developed in the post-war
years as mufti
for ex-servicemen attending Armistice Day
ceremonies. Macnee, alongside designer Pierre Cardin
, adapted the look into a style all his own, and he went on to design several outfits himself for Steed based on the same basic theme.
During the 1960s, Macnee co-wrote two original novels based upon The Avengers, which he titled Dead Duck and Deadline. In 1988, he wrote his autobiography, which he titled Blind on One Ear: The Avenger Returns. In 1995, he hosted a documentary, The Avengers: The Journey Back, directed by Clyde Lucas.
When asked in June 1982 which Avengers female lead was his favourite, Macnee declined to give a specific answer. "Well, I'd rather not say. To do so would invite trouble," he told TV Week
magazine. Macnee did provide his evaluation of the female leads. Of Honor Blackman he said "She was wonderful, presenting the concept of a strong-willed, independent and liberated woman just as that sort of woman was beginning to emerge in society." Diana Rigg was "One of the world's great actresses. A superb comedienne. I'm convinced that one day she'll be Dame Diana." (His prediction actually came true.) Linda Thorson was "one of the sexiest women alive" while Joanna Lumley was "superb in the role of Purdey. An actress who is only now realising her immense potential."
in the James Bond
movie A View to a Kill
, as Major Crossley in The Sea Wolves
(again with Moore), guest roles in Encounter
, Alias Smith and Jones
, Hart to Hart
, Murder, She Wrote
, Battlestar Galactica
and The Love Boat
. He made an appearance in episode 10 of series one of The Twilight Zone
in 1959 ("Judgment Night
"). Though Macnee found fame as the heroic Steed, the majority of his guest appearances have been in villainous roles. He also presented the American paranormal
series, Mysteries, Magic and Miracles. Macnee made his Broadway debut as the star of Anthony Shaffer's mystery Sleuth
in 1972 and subsequently headlined the national tour of that play.
On television, in 1975, Macnee co-starred as the ship's captain with Peter Falk
and Robert Vaughn
in the Columbo episode "Troubled Waters". He had recurring roles in the crime series Gavilan with Robert Urich
and in the 1984 satire on big business, Empire, as the menacing M.D. Calvin Cromwell. In the original 1970s version of Battlestar Galactica
, Macnee was the voice of the evil Imperious Leader of the Cylons
, and appeared onscreen as the evil Count Iblis
.
as a retired British agent who believes he is Sherlock Holmes
(in a season four episode entitled "Holmes is Where the Heart is"). He in fact played both Holmes and Doctor Watson on several occasions. He played Watson three times: once to Roger Moore's Sherlock Holmes in a 1976 TV movie
, Sherlock Holmes in New York
and twice with Christopher Lee
(Incident at Victoria Falls
and Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady
). He played Holmes in another TV movie, The Hound of London (1993).
s: in The Howling
as 'Dr George Waggner' (named whimsically after the director of 1941's The Wolf Man) and as 'Sir Denis Eton-Hogg' in the rockumentary comedy This Is Spinal Tap
. In 1981, he played Dr. Stark in The Creature Wasn't Nice
, also called Spaceship and Naked Space. He took over Leo G. Carroll
's role as the head of U.N.C.L.E. in The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
: The Fifteen-Years-Later Affair, produced by Michael Sloan, in 1983; his role differed from Carroll's of Alexander Waverly. Patrick starred in the 1990s science fiction series Super Force
as E.B. Hungerford (called "MR. H." by lab assistant F.X.) in the pilot and his computer counter-part; his character was killed. Macnee also appeared as a supporting character in the 1989 science fiction parody, Lobster Man From Mars
, as Prof. Plocostomos and in Frasier
, season 8, episode 11. He would also make a cameo appearance in the Sci-Fi American television series Nightman as Doctor Walton, a psychiatrist who would advise Johnny/Nightman.
Macnee serves as the narrator for several "behind-the-scenes" featurettes, featured on the James Bond series of DVDs. He lent his voice in a cameo as 'Invisible Jones' in the 1998 critically lambasted film version of The Avengers (in which Steed was played by Ralph Fiennes
), and he also featured in two pop videos: in his Steed persona in The Pretenders' video Don't Get Me Wrong
, and in the Oasis's
video of its song "Don't Look Back in Anger
" in 1996, with the familiar smart suit and umbrella, but minus the bowler hat.
He has also appeared in various TV commercials including one in 1990 for Swiss Chalet
, the Canadian restaurant chain, and recorded numerous audio books, most notably for the audio book releases of many novels by Jack Higgins
.
. His third marriage was to Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye (1988-2007, her death).
Macnee is an avid nudist, sometimes to the dismay of his friends and co-stars: He once invited Honor Blackman
to watch him play tennis in the nude, an invitation she declined.
Macnee became an American citizen
in 1959.
John Steed
John Steed is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the popular British series The Avengers and The New Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee and Ralph Fiennes in the movie....
in the series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
.
Early life
Macnee, the older of two sons (he has a younger brother, James), was born Daniel Patrick Macnee in PaddingtonPaddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, London, the son of Dorothea Mary (née Henry) and Daniel "Shrimp" Macnee, a race horse trainer. His maternal grandmother was Frances Alice Hastings, who descended from the Earls of Huntingdon – Macnee has long suggested that he may be a distant relation of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, sometimes said to have been a black sheep of the Huntingdon family. Macnee's great-grandfather was Scottish portrait artist Sir Daniel Macnee
Daniel Macnee
Sir Daniel Macnee FRSE RSA , was a Scottish portrait painter who served as President of the Royal Scottish Academy....
.
His parents divorced after his mother declared her lesbianism and had a live-in partner (referred to in Macnee's memoirs, Blind in One Ear: The Avenger Returns, as "Uncle Evelyn") who helped pay for young Patrick's schooling. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and was awarded the Atlantic Star
Atlantic Star
The Atlantic Star was a campaign medal of the British Commonwealth, awarded for service in World War II.The star was awarded for six months service afloat, in the Atlantic or in Home Waters, within the period 3 September 1939 to 8 May 1945...
for his service during World War II. After nurturing his acting career in Canada, Macnee appeared in supporting roles in a number of films, notably as an extra in Sir Laurence Olivier's Hamlet
Hamlet (1948 film)
Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
(1948), in the Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
vehicle Les Girls
Les Girls
Les Girls, also known as Cole Porter's Les Girls, is a 1957 musical comedy film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by George Cukor, produced by Sol C...
(as an Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
barrister) and opposite Anthony Quayle
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
in the 1956 war movie The Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate (film)
The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch...
. He had a small role in the 1951 version of Scrooge
Scrooge (1951 film)
Scrooge, released as A Christmas Carol in the United States, is a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley.The film also features Kathleen Harrison in an...
(A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
in the US) as the young Jacob Marley.
“The Avengers”
Despite numerous roles in theatre, on television and in cinema, Macnee is still best known as John SteedJohn Steed
John Steed is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the popular British series The Avengers and The New Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee and Ralph Fiennes in the movie....
in the series The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
(broadcast from 1961 to 1969). The series was conceived as a vehicle for Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry
Ian Hendry was an English film and television actor. He is best known for his work on several British TV series of the early 1960s such as The Avengers, and for his roles in 1970s films such as Get Carter .-Career:Hendry was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and educated at Culford School...
who played the lead role. Steed was the secondary character, the assistant to Hendry's character. Steed became the lead after Hendry's departure at the end of the first season. He played opposite a succession of female partners who included Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
, Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, and finally Linda Thorson
Linda Thorson
Linda Thorson is a Canadian actress, most famous for her work as Tara King in The Avengers.-Personal life:...
. Steed was also the central character of a revival, The New Avengers, in which he was teamed with Purdey (Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
) and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt
Gareth Hunt
Alan Leonard Hunt was an English actor, known as Gareth Hunt, best remembered for playing the footman Frederick Norton in Upstairs, Downstairs and Mike Gambit in The New Avengers.-Early life:...
). Lumley said that she did all the gun-slinging because Macnee, having served in World War Two, would have nothing to do with guns.
Although Macnee evolved the role as the series progressed, the key elements of Steed's persona and appearance were there from very early on: the slightly mysterious demeanour, and increasingly, the light, suave, flirting tone with ladies (and always with his female assistants). Finally, from the episodes with Honor Blackman onwards, the trademark bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
and umbrella
Umbrella
An umbrella or parasol is a canopy designed to protect against rain or sunlight. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain...
completed the image. Traditionally associated with London 'city gents', the suit, umbrella and bowler had developed in the post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
years as mufti
Mufti (dress)
for more information see civilians Mufti, or civies/civvies , refers to ordinary clothes, especially when worn by one who normally wears, or has long worn, a military or other uniform.-Origin:...
for ex-servicemen attending Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
ceremonies. Macnee, alongside designer Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin Cardin was known for his avant-garde style and his Space Age designs. He prefers geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form. He advanced into unisex fashions, sometimes experimental, and not always practical...
, adapted the look into a style all his own, and he went on to design several outfits himself for Steed based on the same basic theme.
During the 1960s, Macnee co-wrote two original novels based upon The Avengers, which he titled Dead Duck and Deadline. In 1988, he wrote his autobiography, which he titled Blind on One Ear: The Avenger Returns. In 1995, he hosted a documentary, The Avengers: The Journey Back, directed by Clyde Lucas.
When asked in June 1982 which Avengers female lead was his favourite, Macnee declined to give a specific answer. "Well, I'd rather not say. To do so would invite trouble," he told TV Week
TV Week
TV Week is a weekly television magazine in Australia, first published as a Melbourne-only publication in December 1957 , and bearing a strong affiliation to television station GTV.The publication is still publishing weekly...
magazine. Macnee did provide his evaluation of the female leads. Of Honor Blackman he said "She was wonderful, presenting the concept of a strong-willed, independent and liberated woman just as that sort of woman was beginning to emerge in society." Diana Rigg was "One of the world's great actresses. A superb comedienne. I'm convinced that one day she'll be Dame Diana." (His prediction actually came true.) Linda Thorson was "one of the sexiest women alive" while Joanna Lumley was "superb in the role of Purdey. An actress who is only now realising her immense potential."
Other roles
Macnee's other notable roles have included playing Sir Godfrey Tibbett opposite Roger MooreRoger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
in the James Bond
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
movie A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
, as Major Crossley in The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves
The Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
(again with Moore), guest roles in Encounter
Encounter (TV series)
Encounter is a five-week anthology television series aired from Toronto, Canada, and carried by both the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and ABC from October 5 to November 2, 1958.The one-hour dramas were either romance, adventure, or mystery stories...
, Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones
Alias Smith and Jones is an American Western series that originally aired on ABC from 1971 to 1973. It stars Pete Duel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Jedediah "Kid" Curry, a pair of Western cousin outlaws trying to reform...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
, Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
and The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
. He made an appearance in episode 10 of series one of The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
in 1959 ("Judgment Night
Judgment Night
"Judgment Night" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:A somewhat nervous passenger by the name of Carl Lanser appears aboard a British ship in 1942. As the story opens, it becomes clear that Lanser has no idea of how he got aboard or who he really...
"). Though Macnee found fame as the heroic Steed, the majority of his guest appearances have been in villainous roles. He also presented the American paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
series, Mysteries, Magic and Miracles. Macnee made his Broadway debut as the star of Anthony Shaffer's mystery Sleuth
Sleuth (play)
Sleuth is a 1970 play written by Anthony Shaffer. The play is set in the Wiltshire, England manor house of Andrew Wyke, an immensely successful mystery writer. His home reflects Wyke's obsession with the inventions and deceptions of fiction and his fascination with games and game-playing...
in 1972 and subsequently headlined the national tour of that play.
On television, in 1975, Macnee co-starred as the ship's captain with Peter Falk
Peter Falk
Peter Michael Falk was an American actor, best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the television series Columbo...
and Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
in the Columbo episode "Troubled Waters". He had recurring roles in the crime series Gavilan with Robert Urich
Robert Urich
Robert Urich was an American actor. He played the starring roles in the television series Vega$ and Spenser: For Hire...
and in the 1984 satire on big business, Empire, as the menacing M.D. Calvin Cromwell. In the original 1970s version of Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
, Macnee was the voice of the evil Imperious Leader of the Cylons
Cylon (Battlestar Galactica)
The Cylons are a cybernetic civilization at war with the Twelve Colonies of humanity in the Battlestar Galactica science fiction franchise, in the original 1978 and 1980 series, the 2004 reimagining, as well as the spin-off prequel series, Caprica...
, and appeared onscreen as the evil Count Iblis
Count Iblis
Count Iblis is an alien on the TV series Battlestar Galactica. He was part of the original 1978 series, and was central to the plot of the two-part episode War of the Gods. In that episode, he was played by Patrick Macnee. He did not appear in the re-imagined series.- 1978 continuity :When a...
.
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson
In 1984, Macnee appeared in Magnum, P.I.Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
as a retired British agent who believes he is Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
(in a season four episode entitled "Holmes is Where the Heart is"). He in fact played both Holmes and Doctor Watson on several occasions. He played Watson three times: once to Roger Moore's Sherlock Holmes in a 1976 TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
, Sherlock Holmes in New York
Sherlock Holmes in New York
Sherlock Holmes in New York is a 1976 film about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, played by Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee.-Plot:The great detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted companion Dr...
and twice with Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
(Incident at Victoria Falls
Incident at Victoria Falls (1991 TV film)
Incident at Victoria Falls was the second and final film in the proposed series of television films Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years written by Bob Shayne. It starred Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee as Holmes and Watson in old age...
and Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1992 TV film)
Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady was the first of two TV films made in late-1990 under the banner Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years. Harry Alan Towers was executive producer...
). He played Holmes in another TV movie, The Hound of London (1993).
Later Roles
He also appeared in several cult filmCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
s: in The Howling
The Howling (film)
The Howling is a 1981 werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the screenplay is written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless...
as 'Dr George Waggner' (named whimsically after the director of 1941's The Wolf Man) and as 'Sir Denis Eton-Hogg' in the rockumentary comedy This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap
This Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
. In 1981, he played Dr. Stark in The Creature Wasn't Nice
The Creature Wasn't Nice
The Creature Wasn't Nice is a 1983 U.S. motion picture written and directed by Bruce Kimmel. The movie is a comedy farce satirizing extraterrestrial horror movies such as Alien. It stars Leslie Nielsen in a role similar to those in the farical comedies Airplane and Naked Gun...
, also called Spaceship and Naked Space. He took over Leo G. Carroll
Leo G. Carroll
Leo Gratten Carroll was an English-born actor. He was best known for his roles in several Hitchcock films and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Topper.-Early life:...
's role as the head of U.N.C.L.E. in The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
: The Fifteen-Years-Later Affair, produced by Michael Sloan, in 1983; his role differed from Carroll's of Alexander Waverly. Patrick starred in the 1990s science fiction series Super Force
Super Force
Super Force is an action-adventure TV series about a former astronaut who uses an advanced combat suit and motorcycle to fight crime in the city of Metroplex during the year 2020. Among the features of the suit were enhanced strength and armament, whereas the motorcycle had an array of James...
as E.B. Hungerford (called "MR. H." by lab assistant F.X.) in the pilot and his computer counter-part; his character was killed. Macnee also appeared as a supporting character in the 1989 science fiction parody, Lobster Man From Mars
Lobster Man From Mars
Lobster Man From Mars is a 1989 comedy film directed by Stanley Sheff and starring Tony Curtis. The film is a spoof of B-movies of the 1950s. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 1989.-Plot:...
, as Prof. Plocostomos and in Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
, season 8, episode 11. He would also make a cameo appearance in the Sci-Fi American television series Nightman as Doctor Walton, a psychiatrist who would advise Johnny/Nightman.
Macnee serves as the narrator for several "behind-the-scenes" featurettes, featured on the James Bond series of DVDs. He lent his voice in a cameo as 'Invisible Jones' in the 1998 critically lambasted film version of The Avengers (in which Steed was played by Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
), and he also featured in two pop videos: in his Steed persona in The Pretenders' video Don't Get Me Wrong
Don't Get Me Wrong
"Don't Get Me Wrong" is a song released by the pop-rock group The Pretenders. It was the first single taken from the group's 1986 album, Get Close. It can also be found on the band's The Singles album, released in 1987....
, and in the Oasis's
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
video of its song "Don't Look Back in Anger
Don't Look Back in Anger
"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis, released in 1996 as the fourth single from their hit second album Morning Glory?. The song was written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter, Noel Gallagher. The song became the band's second single to reach #1 in the UK...
" in 1996, with the familiar smart suit and umbrella, but minus the bowler hat.
He has also appeared in various TV commercials including one in 1990 for Swiss Chalet
Swiss Chalet
Swiss Chalet is a Canadian chain of casual dining restaurants founded in 1954 in Toronto. As of 2008, there are over 200 Swiss Chalet restaurants in Canada and the United States. Swiss Chalet is among the holdings of Cara Operations, which also owns the fast food chain Harvey's. Swiss Chalet and...
, the Canadian restaurant chain, and recorded numerous audio books, most notably for the audio book releases of many novels by Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins is the principal pseudonym of UK novelist Harry Patterson. Patterson is the author of more than 60 novels. As Higgins, most have been thrillers of various types and, since his breakthrough novel The Eagle Has Landed in 1975, nearly all have been bestsellers...
.
Personal life
Macnee has two children, Rupert and Jenny, from his first marriage to Barbara Douglas (1942-56). His second marriage (1965–69) was to actress Katherine WoodvilleKatherine Woodville (actress)
Katharine Woodville , also known as Catherine Woodville and Kate Woodville, is a British film and television actress. She was known as Catherine Woodville in the UK. She changed her professional name to Kate Woodville on her move to America...
. His third marriage was to Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye (1988-2007, her death).
Macnee is an avid nudist, sometimes to the dismay of his friends and co-stars: He once invited Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman
Honor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
to watch him play tennis in the nude, an invitation she declined.
Macnee became an American citizen
Citizenship in the United States
Citizenship in the United States is a status given to individuals that entails specific rights, duties, privileges, and benefits between the United States and the individual...
in 1959.
Filmography
- 1948 : HamletHamlet (1948 film)Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, adapted and directed by and starring Sir Laurence Olivier. Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director, and also the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed...
(as Extra) - 1950 : The Girl Is Mine
- 1950 : Dick Barton at BayDick BartonDick Barton - Special Agent was a popular radio programme on the BBC Light Programme. Between 1946 to 1951 it aired at 6.45 each weekday evening and at its peak it had an audience of 15 million listeners. Despite popular belief, it was not actually the BBC's first daily serial...
- 1950 : The Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive Pimpernel is a 1950 British period adventure film by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Despite having been shot in color, it was released in the United States in black and...
- 1951 : ScroogeScrooge (1951 film)Scrooge, released as A Christmas Carol in the United States, is a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley.The film also features Kathleen Harrison in an...
(A Christmas CarolA Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
in USA) (as young Jacob Marley) - 1953 : Tales of Adventure (TV series)
- 1956 : The Battle of the River PlateThe Battle of the River Plate (film)The Battle of the River Plate is a 1956 British war film by director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring John Gregson, Anthony Quayle and Peter Finch...
- 1957 : Les GirlsLes GirlsLes Girls, also known as Cole Porter's Les Girls, is a 1957 musical comedy film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by George Cukor, produced by Sol C...
- 1959 : The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
(TV series – Episode "Judgement Night") - 1961 : The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
(TV series) - 1972 : Incense for the DamnedIncense for the Damned----Incense for the Damned is a 1970 British horror film starring Patrick Macnee and Peter Cushing.-Plot:The film centers on a young student who has disappeared in Greece. When his friends search for him they notice that wherever he has been a number of murders have taken place...
- 1976 : Sherlock Holmes in New YorkSherlock Holmes in New YorkSherlock Holmes in New York is a 1976 film about Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, played by Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee.-Plot:The great detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted companion Dr...
(TV film) - 1976 : The New Avengers (TV series)
- 1977 : Dead of Night (TV film)
- 1977 : King Solomon's Treasure
- 1978 : Evening in ByzantiumEvening in ByzantiumEvening in Byzantium is a 1978 television movie produced by Glen A. Larson Productions and Universal Television, and directed by Jerry London, about the Cannes Film Festival being overtaken by terrorists. It stars Glenn Ford, Vince Edwards, Shirley Jones, Eddie Albert and Erin Gray, with Edward...
(TV film) - 1978 : Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
- 1979 : The Billion Dollar Threat
- 1980 : The Sea WolvesThe Sea WolvesThe Sea Wolves is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film is based on the book Boarding Party by James Leasor, which itself is based on a real incident which took place in World War II...
- 1981 : The HowlingThe Howling (film)The Howling is a 1981 werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the screenplay is written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless...
- 1981 : The Hot Touch
- 1982 : Young Doctors in LoveYoung Doctors in LoveYoung Doctors in Love is a 1982 comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. Similar in tone to the Airplane! movies, it spoofs a variety of medical shows ....
- 1982 : GavilanGavilan (TV series)-Plot:Robert Gavilan is a former CIA agent, who now works for the Oceanographic Institute headed by Marion Jaworski. Every now and then, someone from his past as a spy comes to him asking for his help, or on one of the jobs that he is on, somehow turns into trouble, or someone just needs his help...
(TV series) - 1983 : The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement...
- 1983 : Sweet SixteenSweet Sixteen (1983 film)Sweet Sixteen is a 1983 horror film directed by Jim Sotos and starring Bo Hopkins, Susan Strasberg, Dana Kimmell, and Patrick Macnee.-Plot:...
- 1983 : The Creature Wasn't NiceThe Creature Wasn't NiceThe Creature Wasn't Nice is a 1983 U.S. motion picture written and directed by Bruce Kimmel. The movie is a comedy farce satirizing extraterrestrial horror movies such as Alien. It stars Leslie Nielsen in a role similar to those in the farical comedies Airplane and Naked Gun...
- 1984 : This Is Spinal TapThis Is Spinal TapThis Is Spinal Tap is an American 1984 rock musical mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner about the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap...
- 1985 : A View to a KillA View to a KillA View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
- 1985 : Lime Street
- 1985 : ShadeyShadeyShadey is a 1985 British comedy film directed by Philip Saville and starring Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw and Patrick Macnee. A man with clairvoyant qualities is recruited by British intelligence for a secret mission.-Cast:* Antony Sher - Oliver Shadey...
- 1988 : WaxworkWaxwork (1988 film)Waxwork is a 1988 horror comedy film starring Zach Galligan and Deborah Foreman.-Plot:In a small suburban town a wax museum appears, seemingly overnight. The owner invites two college students, Sarah and China, to attend that night with four more guests of their choice...
- 1988 : Transformations
- 1989 : Eye of the WidowEye of the WidowEye of the Widow is an 1988 French-American action film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.It was written by Joshua Sauli and William Blake Herron as an adaptation of two Gérard de Villiers' novels of his SAS series about the Austrian secret agent Malko Linge. It stars Richard Young as Malko Linge...
- 1989 : Lobster Man From MarsLobster Man From MarsLobster Man From Mars is a 1989 comedy film directed by Stanley Sheff and starring Tony Curtis. The film is a spoof of B-movies of the 1950s. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 1989.-Plot:...
- 1989 : Around the World in 80 DaysAround the World in 80 Days (TV miniseries)Around the World in 80 Days is a 1989 three-part television Eastmancolor miniseries originally broadcast on NBC. The production garnered three nominations for Emmy awards that year...
(TV miniseries) - 1989 : The Masque of the Red DeathThe Masque of the Red Death"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death" , is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague known as the Red Death by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, has a...
- 1991 : The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the DrawThe Gambler (TV movie series)The Gambler is a series of American TV movies starring Kenny Rogers as Brady Hawkes, a fictional old-west gambler. The character was inspired by Rogers' hit song The Gambler. There are five movies in the series. The first four are directed by Dick Lowry while the last was directed by Jack Bender...
- 1991 : Sherlock Holmes and the Leading LadySherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1992 TV film)Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady was the first of two TV films made in late-1990 under the banner Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years. Harry Alan Towers was executive producer...
(TV film) - 1992 : Incident at Victoria FallsIncident at Victoria Falls (1991 TV film)Incident at Victoria Falls was the second and final film in the proposed series of television films Sherlock Holmes the Golden Years written by Bob Shayne. It starred Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee as Holmes and Watson in old age...
(TV film) - 1992 : Waxwork II: Lost in TimeWaxwork II: Lost in TimeWaxwork II: Lost in Time is a 1992 horror/comedy film directed and written by Anthony Hickox.-Plot summary:The film opens with the final scenes of Waxwork. Then a reenactment of Mark and Sarah leaving the burning waxwork . They then part ways...
- 1992 : Super ForceSuper ForceSuper Force is an action-adventure TV series about a former astronaut who uses an advanced combat suit and motorcycle to fight crime in the city of Metroplex during the year 2020. Among the features of the suit were enhanced strength and armament, whereas the motorcycle had an array of James...
(TV series) - 1993 : The Hound of London
- 1993 : King B: A Life in the Movies
- 1996 : Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Temporal Nexus
- 1997 : Night ManNight ManNight Man is an American action/adventure/sci-fi series that aired in syndication from September 15, 1997 to May 17, 1999. The series is loosely based on a comic book published by Malibu Comics and was created by Steve Englehart and developed for television by Glen A...
(TV series) - 1998 : The Avengers
- 1999 : NancherrowNancherrowNancherrow was a TV movie sequel to Rosamunde Pilcher's Coming Home. It aired on ITV television in April 1999.-Plot synopsis:After the Colonel dies it is his irrepressible daughter, Loveday, who inherits the house and all of its problems. Bewitched by the magic of Nancherrow, Loveday fights to...
(TV film) - 2003 : The Low Budget Time Machine