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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/number_six_patrick_mcgoohan___profile_4.png]]
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3->''"I am not a number! I am a free man!"''
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5Patrick Joseph [=McGoohan=] (/məˈɡuː.ən/; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish–American actor.
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7He was born 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.
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9By 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 ''Series/DangerMan''. It was a hit in England and America, something that is still quite rare for British television series.
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11''Danger Man'' led directly to the work that he is most famous for: ''Series/{{The Prisoner|1967}}''. 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''.
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13While ''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}}''.
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15[=McGoohan=] was a devout Roman Catholic who refused to play roles that involved kissing or sexual situations and [[DoesNotLikeGuns had a well-documented hatred of guns, refusing to use them]]; this sometimes hurt his career, like when he declined to play Film/JamesBond in ''Film/DrNo''. However he never regretted turning the part or ones like it down and never sought the spotlight beyond his work, [[ReclusiveArtist rarely granting interviews and being extremely protective of his private life]]. [=McGoohan=]'s last acting role was a voice part in ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'', seven years before his death in 2009.
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18!!Patrick [=McGoohan=] on TV Tropes:
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20* ''Film/TheDamBusters'' (1955)
21* ''Film/HellDrivers'' (1957)
22* ''Series/DangerMan'' (aired sporadically, 1960-68)
23* ''Film/AllNightLong'' (1962)
24* ''Film/TheThreeLivesOfThomasina'' (1963)
25* ''Series/DoctorSynTheScarecrow'' (1964)
26* ''Series/{{The Prisoner|1967}}'' (1967-68)
27* ''Film/IceStationZebra'' (1968)
28* ''Film/{{Mary Queen Of Scots|1971}}'' (1971)
29* ''Series/{{Columbo}}''
30** "[[Recap/ColumboS04E03 By Dawn's Early Light]]" (1974)
31** "[[Recap/ColumboS05E03 Identity Crisis]]" (1975) (also directed)
32** "[[Recap/ColumboS05E06 Last Salute to the Commodore]]" (1976) (directed only)
33** "[[Recap/ColumboS09E03 Agenda for Murder]]" (1989) (also directed)
34** "[[Recap/ColumboS10E12 Ashes to Ashes]]" (1998) (also directed) -- last on-screen role
35** "[[Recap/ColumboS10E13 Murder With Too Many Notes]]" (2001)(directed only)
36* ''Film/SilverStreak'' (1976)
37* ''Film/BrassTarget'' (1978)
38* ''Film/EscapeFromAlcatraz'' (1979)
39* ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' (1981)
40* ''Film/BabySecretOfTheLostLegend'' (1995)
41* ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' (1995)
42* ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'' (1996)
43* ''Film/ATimeToKill'' (1996)
44* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E6TheComputerWoreMenaceShoes The Computer Wore Menace Shoes]]" (2000) (voice, lampooning ''The Prisoner'')
45* ''WesternAnimation/TreasurePlanet'' (2002)(voice)

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