Patrick Macnee, star of 1960s TV series 'The Avengers,' dies
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Patrick Macnee, the British-born actor best known as dapper secret agent John Steed in the long-running 1960s TV series "The Avengers," has died.
Macnee's umbrella-wielding character appeared in all but two episodes, accompanied by a string of beautiful women who were his sidekicks.
The talented Macnee, who managed to make the improbable weapon seem probable, later became an outspoken opponent of the proliferation of privately owned guns.
Daniel Patrick Macnee was born Feb. 6, 1922, in London to a pair of eccentrics, and he also attended Eton, although he claimed to have been thrown out for dealing in horse race bets and pornography.
Macnee became an American citizen in 1959 and moved to Palm Springs in 1967, saying the dry desert air benefited his daughter, who suffered from asthma.
Among his films: "Hamlet" (starring Laurence Olivier), "A Christmas Carol," ''Until They Sail," ''Les Girls," ''Young Doctors in Love," ''Sweet 16" and "This Is Spinal Tap."
Before The Avengers, he had appeared in such TV shows as Twilight Zone, ''Rawhide and Playhouse 90, among many others.
Besides his son and daughter, Macnee's survivors include a grandchild.