[Archive 2009-01-16] US actor Patrick McGoohan dead at age 80

Historical archive — originally published 2009-01-16. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Two-time Emmy Award-winning American-born actor, Patrick McGoohan, famed for his role as Number Six in the 1960s cult British television series The Prisoner, has died at the Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, California.

He died on January 13, following a short illness at the age of 80. McGoohan's death was made public by his son-in-law, film producer Cleve Landsberg.

Born in New York City, and raised in the UK and Ireland, the actor played in numerous series on both continents. Aside from The Prisoner, his notable roles were in the ITV network series Armchair Theatre and Danger Man. McGoohan was also considered for the role of the iconic spy James Bond.

It is for the series The Prisoner, filmed in Portmeirion, North Wales, that he will be best remembered. The show's tagline, "I am not a number, I am a free man!" emphasised the primary focus of the series, McGoohan's escape from his captor, "Number One".

McGoohan leaves behind his wife Joan Drummond McGoohan, three daughters, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

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