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Patrick Macnee dead: Avengers TV series star dies aged 93

'Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories'

Doug Bolton
Friday 26 June 2015 07:06 BST
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Patrick Macnee, right, as John Steed in 'The Avengers', with Joanna Lumley as Purdey and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gamdit
Patrick Macnee, right, as John Steed in 'The Avengers', with Joanna Lumley as Purdey and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gamdit (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

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Patrick Macnee, star of the legendary Avengers TV series, has died in California at the age of 93.

The English-American actor, known for playing the secret agent John Steed in the 1960s television series, died at his home, Rancho Mirage, surrounded by his family.

A statement on his website reads: "Wherever he went, he left behind a trove of memories."

"He was at home wherever in the world he found himself. He had a knack for making friends, and keeping them."

Educated at Eton College, he served in the Royal Navy during World War Two, working on torpedo boats in the English Channel and the North Sea.

After the war, he worked as an actor, taking on a number of small roles in film and TV.

1976: British actors Gareth Hunt, Joanna Lumley and Patrick MacNee, the stars of the television series 'The New Avengers', sitting on the bonnets of their sports cars
1976: British actors Gareth Hunt, Joanna Lumley and Patrick MacNee, the stars of the television series 'The New Avengers', sitting on the bonnets of their sports cars (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

He got his big break when he was cast as the lead in the The Avengers, which ran throughout the 1960s.

Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, reading Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' as they wait at London Airport to travel across the United States to promote their television series, 'The Avengers'
Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, reading Truman Capote's 'In Cold Blood' as they wait at London Airport to travel across the United States to promote their television series, 'The Avengers' (George Freston/Fox/Getty Images)

He returned to the role in 1976, starring the New Avengers alongside Joanna Lumley.

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