The great actor Patrick McGoohan has passed away. He starred as the title character in the cult TV series “The Prisoner,” but is probably best known to contemporary audiences as King Edward I, aka Longshanks, in one of my favorite movies, “Braveheart.”
If there was a running theme between his two most famous roles, it was liberty versus tyranny. “The Prisoner” is perhaps an acquired taste with its surreal ’60s vibe, but highly original and cerebral. The Kafkaesque story of a defiant government agent known only as “Number 6” trapped on a strange island, it is an allegory of life under a totalitarian state. McGoohan not only starred in the series but he was one of its creators, writing and directing several episodes. “Lost” certainly owes it a debt of gratitude.
McGoohan was the only actor to appear as four different characters in four different “Columbo” movies with long-time friend Peter Falk, directing three of them. According to his IMDb page, McGoohan was the first choice to play Gandalf in the recent Lord of the Rings trilogy and Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, but turned down both roles. He also was considered for the role of James Bond, but reportedly declined it for moral reasons.
McGoohan was married to the same woman for 57 years, and included in the contract for his first TV series, “Danger Man,” three special clauses: 1) no kissing, 2) each fight had to be different, and 3) his character must always try to use his brains before resorting to a gun. Last June, he became a great-grandfather.
Today, the Prisoner finally got off the island. So forgive me as I quote “Braveheart” once more: “Freedom!”
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