Patrick McGoohan
An actor who defied the spy genre he helped popularize, creating a surreal, paranoid masterpiece about identity and resistance.
1928–2009 (age 81)·Irish-American actor, director, writer, and producer·Birthday: March 19·The Silent Generation
Biography
Patrick McGoohan was an actor of fierce intelligence and imposing presence who used his clout to make television that defied convention. He first found fame in Britain as the cool, morally rigid secret agent John Drake in 'Danger Man' (known as 'Secret Agent' in the US). But McGoohan chafed at the role's limitations and the glamorization of violence. He leveraged his success to create, co-write, and star in 'The Prisoner,' a 17-episode series that remains a landmark of cult television. As Number Six, a resigned spy trapped in a mysterious village, he battled unseen captors with the defiant cry, 'I am not a number!' The show was a dense, allegorical puzzle about individualism, control, and the mechanics of society. McGoohan's uncompromising vision resulted in a challenging, often baffling finale that sealed the show's legendary status and defined his career as that of a true auteur in a commercial medium.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Patrick was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Patrick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Patrick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2009Died at 81
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
Key Achievements
- Created, produced, and starred in the groundbreaking cult television series 'The Prisoner.'
- Portrayed secret agent John Drake in the successful series 'Danger Man' (also known as 'Secret Agent').
- Received two Emmy Awards for his guest role on the detective series 'Columbo.'
- Starred in the film 'Ice Station Zebra,' a major box office hit in 1968.
Did You Know?
He turned down the role of James Bond, reportedly feeling the character was immoral.
He directed several episodes of 'The Prisoner' under the pseudonym 'Joseph Serf.'
Before acting, he worked as a chicken farmer, bank clerk, and truck driver.
He was offered the role of the villain in the Bond film 'Goldfinger' but declined.
“I am not a number, I am a free man!”
