Patrick Macnee, famous for his role on “The Avengers” British TV series, died of natural causes at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 93.
Macnee, who played John Steed in the spy-fi show, died with his family at his bedside.
“Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories,” a statement on the actor’s website read. “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.”
“The Avengers” initially focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant (Macnee), but Macnee’s character became the protagonist when Hendry exited the series. Macnee played the part alongside a succession of strong, female partners, including Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg and Joanna Lumley. The show ran from 1961 and 1969. It was reprised in the 1970s then given a film adaptation in 1998.
His other (smaller) TV shows include appearances in “Columbo,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Love Boat” and “Frasier.”
On the film side, he appeared in Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet,” the 1951 version of “A Christmas Carol,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” and the 1985 James Bond film “A View to a Kill.”
He’s survived by his children and one grandson.
Source: Variety
