Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Death Of Number Six

The sad news came yesterday that Patrick McGoohan, star of The Prisoner among others tv shows and movies, had died in California at the age of 80.

I finally made it to Portmeirion, the Welsh location for most of The Prisoner shooting, last year and if you don't want to read my blog post about it, try this site instead.  Mine is much more interesting !!

Patrick was a US born actor who was raised in Ireland and England and so we can all claim him as our own. Well those of us from the US, Ireland or the UK can anyway.  The rest of you foreign lot are out of luck even if he DID spend a wet weekend in Azerbaijan in 1992.

I loved The Prisoner.  I loved the set and I really loved the balloons that 'they' sent after him on the frequent occasions when he tried to escape. When I left the village and went down onto the beach below Portmeirion, it wasn't hard to imagine those huge balloons following me.

Maybe it was the scenery; maybe it was the proximity of those famous buildings but mostly it was the magic mushroom I'd eaten on the way down to the beach.

In any case, he seemed like a man of mystery and at the time I loved a good mystery.  Like who my real dad was ?!  

A bit reclusive in later life, we never heard much about McGoohan but if only for his exploits in that excellent tv show, he will have a place in our hearts and minds forever.

Number Six has finally escaped.

  

3 comments:

Daphne said...

I think everyone loved The Prisoner. It was one of those programmes that really was part of the spirit of the age. Aaah, they don't make programmes like that any more. Damn! I sound about a hundred and three.

Jennytc said...

I was surprised that he was that old. Scary how time flies when you're not looking!

Anonymous said...

I was very, very sad to hear the news. I know he wasn't very fond of the way people associated him always with Number Six, but, well, all actors should be so lucky - and it has ensured that millions of people will remember him with respect and affection.

Goodbye Patrick. :(

Thanks for the link, Silverback!

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