The Prisoner (TV Series 1967–1968) - IMDb IMDb 13 January 2017 5:53 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error After resigning, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is really a bizarre prison. His warders demand information. He gives them nothing, but only tries to escape. Creator: Number 6 vows revenge and goes after a sadistic Number 2 after he drives a fellow village resident to her death. 8.8 After resigning, a secret agent finds himself trapped in a bizarre prison known only as The Village. 8.7 Number 6 wakes up to find the Village totally deserted.

8.7 a list of 27 titles created 10 Jan 2013 a list of 42 titles created 23 Jun 2014 a list of 23 titles created 24 Sep 2014 a list of 37 titles created 21 Oct 2015 a list of 29 titles created 26 Oct 2015 Search for " The Prisoner " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: The Prisoner (1967–1968) 8.6/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards » Photos Two years after the original "Danger Man" series concluded, it was revamped and retconned. The series returned in a longer format. (1 hour/episode instead of 30 minutes). John Drake was now... See full summary » Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Peter Madden, Earl Cameron John Drake is a special operative for NATO, specializing in security assignments against any subversive element which threatened world peace.

The series featured exotic locales from all ... See full summary » Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Richard Wattis, Lionel Murton The Prisoner (TV Mini-Series 2009) Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller An update to the cult favorite series from the 1960s about a government agent who is kidnapped and sent to a remote island known as "the Village". Stars: Ian McKellen, Jim Caviezel, Ruth Wilson A quirky spy show of the adventures of an eccentricly suave British agent and his predominately female partners. Stars: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Honor Blackman John Steed and his new accomplices Purdey and Gambit find themselves facing new and deadly dangers in the bizarre world of espionage. Mixing fantasy with a darker edge, the trio face ... See full summary » Stars: Patrick Macnee, Gareth Hunt, Joanna Lumley English Lord Brett Sinclair and American Danny Wilde are both wealthy playboys, they are teamed together by Judge Fullton to investigate crimes which the police can't solve. These two men ...

See full summary » Stars: Tony Curtis, Roger Moore, Laurence Naismith Simon Templar, a wealthy adventurer known as The Saint, travels around the world in his white Volvo P1800S. Stars: Roger Moore, Ivor Dean, Leslie Crawford Series of unrelated short stories covering elements of crime, horror, drama and comedy about people of different species committing murders, suicides, thefts and other sorts of crime caused by certain motivations; perceived or not. Stars: Alfred Hitchcock, Harry Tyler, John Williams The original surreal sketch comedy showcase for the Monty Python troupe. Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam Ordinary people find themselves in extraordinarily astounding situations, which they each try to solve in a remarkable manner. Stars: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets. Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley Edit Storyline "The Prisoner" is a unique piece of television. It addresses issues such as personal identity and freedom, democracy, education, scientific progress, art and technology, while still remaining an entertaining drama series.

Over seventeen episodes we witness a war of attrition between the faceless forces behind 'The Village' (a Kafkaesque community somewhere between Butlins and Alcatraz) and its most strong willed inmate, No. 6. who struggles ceaselessly to assert his individuality while plotting to escape from his captors. Written by Stuart Berwick <berws@essex.ac.uk> No Man Is Just A Number. Genres: 1 June 1968 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia On several occasions plans were made to adapt The Prisoner (1967) into a feature film. Patrick McGoohan once considered filming a sequel that took place 100 years or more after the TV series. A movie was announced in 2001 with McGoohan as executive producer and Simon West as director, but was shelved by 2002. See more » Goofs The number and knocker on the outside of Number 2's front door change style and position both within and between episodes. See more » Quotes See more » Crazy Credits Portmeirion, Wales is not identified as the location for filming in all but the final episode.

Instead the closing credits in these episodes simply say "Filmed on location." See more » Connections (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews Just watched Once Upon A Time which for me is the best and most important episode in the series, the interplay between Patrick McGoohan and Leo McKern is quite simply brilliant. As for the series like many others I remember first seeing the show as a 10 year old, it left an indelible impression on me then and with time that impression hasn't faded one bit, I still consider it one of the finest television series ever created. I hope Hollywood nor anyone else attempt to remake it, it would be like a sad photocopy of the Mona Lisa, leave it alone please. To Patrick McGoohan and all those involved in creating it I'd just like to say 'THANK YOU' For those who ask what the series is all about, I'd say watch it, and make your own mind up don't just accept my opinion on it, 'think' for yourself. Be seeing you. 30 of 37 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Patrick McGoohan - TV.com Patrick McGoohan 3/19/1928, Astoria, New York, USA Died EDIT Popular American-born Irish actor Patrick McGoohan was born in New York City, the Astoria district on Long Island on March 19, 1928. His parents had immigrated to the united States and, within a few months after his birth, decided to return to Ireland.

They settled in County Leitrim,… more Credits S 1: Ep 12 Yesterday and No Tomorrow 11/28/77 S 1: Ep 11 The Burning Man 11/21/77 S 1: Ep 10 Walking Wounded 11/14/77 S 1: Ep 9 The Will to Live 11/7/77 S 1: Ep 17 Fall Out 2/4/68 S 1: Ep 16 Once Upon A Time 1/28/68 S 1: Ep 15 The Girl Who Was Death 1/21/68 S 1: Ep 14 Living in Harmony 1/14/68 S 4: Ep 2 Shinda Shima 1/12/68 S 4: Ep 1 Koroshi 1/5/68 S 3: Ep 23 Not So Jolly Roger 4/7/66 S 3: Ep 22 The Paper Chase 3/31/66 S 3: Ep 21 The Man With the Foot 3

/24/66 S 12: Ep 6 The Computer Wore Menace Shoes 12/3/00 S 10: Ep 12 Ashes to Ashes 10/8/98 S 9: Ep 3 Agenda for Murder 2/10/90 S 4: Ep 3 Witness for the Defense 10/4/87 S 5: Ep 3 Identity Crisis 11/2/75 S 4: Ep 3 By Dawn´s Early Light 10/27/74 S 1: Ep 5 The Schizoid Man 10/29/67 S 1: Ep 23 The Coward 2/22/57 S 1: Ep 4 The Outcast 10/6/56 S 2: Ep 23 Gift From Heaven 12/9/55 S 2: Ep 41 The Fall of Parnell 6/13/54 S 10: Ep 13 Murder with Too Many Notes 3/12/01 S 10: Ep 12

 Ashes to Ashes 10/8/98 S 1: Ep 17 Fall Out 2/4/68 S 1: Ep 16 Once Upon A Time 1/28/68 S 1: Ep 4 Free for All 10/22/67 S 10: Ep 13 Murder with Too Many Notes 3/12/01 S 10: Ep 12 Ashes to Ashes 10/8/98 S 9: Ep 3 Agenda for Murder 2/10/90 S 5: Ep 6 Last Salute to the Commodore 3/2/76 S 5: Ep 3 Identity Crisis 11/2/75 S 1: Ep 8 The Wild Child 10/31/77 S 1: Ep 17 Fall Out 2/4/68 S 1: Ep 16 Once Upon A Time 1/28/68 S 1: Ep 12 A Change of Mind 12/31/67 S 1: Ep 7 Many Happy Returns

 11/12/67 S 1: Ep 4 Free for All 10/22/67 S 3: Ep 22 The Paper Chase 3/31/66 S 3: Ep 11 To Our Best Friend 12/9/65 S 1: Ep 21 Vacation 1/29/61 S 1: Ep 17 Fall Out 2/4/68 S 1: Ep 16 Once Upon A Time 1/28/68 S 1: Ep 15 The Girl Who Was Death 1/21/68 S 1: Ep 14 Living in Harmony 1/14/68 S 1: Ep 17 Fall Out 2/4/68 S 1: Ep 16 Once Upon A Time 1/28/68 S 1: Ep 15 The Girl Who Was Death 1/21/68 S 1: Ep 14 Living in Harmony 1/14/68 Become a contributor Important: You must only upload images which you have created yourself or that you

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(CBS) Dennis McLellan Patrick McGoohan, a two-time Emmy Award-winning actor who starred as a British spy in the 1960s TV series "Secret Agent" and gained cult status later in the decade as the star of the enigmatic series "The Prisoner," has died. He was 80. McGoohan, whose career involved stage, screen and TV, died Tuesday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica after a short illness, said Cleve Landsberg, McGoohan's son-in-law. The family did not provide further details. It was the height of James Bond mania in 1965 when McGoohan showed up on American TV screens in "Secret Agent," a British-produced series in which he played John Drake, a special security agent working as a spy for the British government. The hourlong series, which ran on CBS until 1966, was an expanded version of “Danger Man,” a short-lived, half-hour series on CBS in 1961 in which McGoohan played the same character.

But it was McGoohan's next British-produced series, “The Prisoner,” on CBS in 1968 and 1969, that became a cult classic that spawned fan clubs, conventions and college study. Once described in The Times as an "espionage tale as crafted by Kafka," "The Prisoner" starred McGoohan as a presumed British agent who, after resigning his top-security job, is abducted in London and taken to a mysterious prison resort called the Village. Known only as No. 6, he is interrogated by a succession of officials who are known as No. 2. But he refuses all methods of breaking him down to reveal his past or why he resigned, and he repeatedly makes failed attempts to escape. The seemingly idyllic village contains "seeing eyes" that monitor activities and signs such as "A Still Tongue Makes a Peaceful Life." McGoohan co-created and executive-produced the series, which ran for only 17 episodes, as well as wrote and directed several episodes. In a 1967 interview with The Times, he described the series as "Brave New World" stuff. "Nobody has a name, everyone wears a number," he said.

"It's a reflection of the pressure on all of us today to be numbered, to give up our individualism. This is a contemporary subject, not science fiction. I hope these things will be recognized by the audience. It's not meant to be subtle. It's meant to say: This little village is our world." Of the enduring cult status of the series, McGoohan once said: " Mel [Gibson ] will always be Mad Max, and me, I will always be a number." McGoohan, who reportedly turned down an offer to be the big screen's original James Bond, appeared in films such as "The Three Lives of Thomasina," "Mary, Queen of Scots," "Silver Streak," "Escape From Alcatraz," "Scanners," "Ice Station Zebra" and Gibson's "Braveheart," in which he played England's sadistic King Edward I.

In his review of "Braveheart" in The Times, critic Peter Rainer wrote: "Patrick McGoohan is in possession of perhaps the most villainous enunciation in the history of acting." As a guest star on Peter Falk 's TV detective series "Columbo," McGoohan won Emmys in 1975 and 1990. Falk once described McGoohan, who also occasionally worked as a director and writer on the "Columbo" mysteries, as being "mesmerizing" as an actor. "There are many very, very talented people in this business, but there are only a handful of genuinely original people," Falk told the Hollywood Reporter in 2004. "I think Patrick McGoohan belongs in that small select group of truly original people." He was born to Irish parents in the Astoria section of Queens, N.Y., on March 19, 1928. Some months later, his family returned to Ireland, where he grew up on a farm before moving to Sheffield, England, when he was 7.

In the late '40s, after working a number of jobs, he became a stage manager at Sheffield Repertory Theatre, where he soon launched his acting career. In 1951, he married actress Joan Drummond, with whom he had three daughters, Catherine, Anne and Frances. In 1959, he received a London Drama Critics Award for his performance in a London stage production of Ibsen's "Brand." On television, McGoohan also starred in the short-lived 1977 medical drama "Rafferty." Sharif Ali, McGoohan's agent, said McGoohan had been writing and had two acting offers on the table before he died. "He really didn't talk much about his illness," said Ali. "We were too busy talking about his future; he was excited to get back to work. He had so much more to give." In addition to his wife and daughters, McGoohan is survived by five grandchildren and a great-grandson.

Patrick McGoohan - Biography - IMDb Patrick McGoohan Biography Showing all 56 items Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trade Mark (2) | Trivia (46) | Personal Quotes (2) Overview (4) 6' 1½" (1.87 m) Mini Bio (1) Though born in America, Irish actor Patrick McGoohan rose to become the number-one British TV star in the 1950s to 1960s era. His parents moved to Ireland when he was very young and McGoohan acquired a neutral accent that sounds at home in British or American dialogue. He was an avid stage actor and performed hundreds of times in small and large productions before landing his first TV and film roles. McGoohan is one of few actors who has successfully switched between theater, TV, and films many times during his career. He was often cast in the role of Angry Young Man. In 1959, he was named Best TV Actor of the Year in Britain.

Shortly thereafter, he was chosen for the starring role in the Secret Agent (1964) TV series (AKA 'Secret Agent in the US), which proved to be an immense success for three years and allowed the British to break into the burgeoning American TV market for the first time. By the series' 3rd year, McGoohan felt the series had run it's course and was beginning to repeat itself. McGoohan and Lew Grade - the president of ITC (the series production company), had agreed that McGoohan could leave Danger Man to begin work on a new series, and turned in his resignation right after the first episode of the fourth year had been filmed ("Koroshi"). McGoohan set up his own production company and collaborated with noted author and script editor George Markstein to sell a brand new concept to ITC's Lew Grade. McGoohan starred in, directed, produced, and wrote many of the episodes, sometimes taking a pseudonym to reduce the sheer number of credits to his name. Thus, the TV series The Prisoner (1967) came to revolve around the efforts of a secret agent, who resigned early in his career, to clear his name.

His aim was to escape from a fancifully beautiful but psychologically brutal prison for people who know too much. The series was as popular as it was surreal and allegorical and its mysterious final episode cause such an uproar that McGoohan was to desert England for more than 20 years to seek relative anonymity in LA, where celebrities are "a dime a dozen." During the 1970s, he appeared in four episodes of the TV detective series "Columbo," for which he won an Emmy Award. His film roles lapsed from prominence until his powerful performance as King Edward I (Longshanks) in Mel Gibson 's production of Braveheart (1995). As such, he has solidified his casting in the role of Angry Old Man. - IMDb Mini Biography By: <sysop@hal9k.com> <UNOwen> Spouse (1) ( 19 May 1951 - 13 January 2009) (his death) (3 children) Trade Mark (2) "Be seeing you", his catchphrase from The Prisoner (1967).

Trivia (46) Best known for his starring role as Number 6 in the surreal science fiction allegory series, The Prisoner (1967). Used his real birthdate and publicity photo for the character he played ("No. 6") in the TV series The Prisoner (1967). He was the first choice for the roles of Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (which went to Ian McKellen ) and Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" films (which went to Richard Harris and later to Michael Gambon after Harris' death) but turned them down. In 1977 he was considered to replace Peter Falk as Columbo. However, McGoohan turned the part down because he was a close friend of Falk, and believed that only Falk should play Columbo. In addition he did not want to be the star of another TV series but only make guest appearances. Appeared in three different productions with the same name: the Danger Man (1960) episode "The Prisoner", BBC Sunday-Night Play: The Prisoner (1963), and The Prisoner (1967). Although they were all completely unrelated, the latter two had many similarities.

Father of Catherine McGoohan and Anne McGoohan . Played the same regular character (John Drake) in two different series of Danger Man: Danger Man (1960) and Secret Agent (1964). His The Prisoner (1967) character, Number Six, may also have been intended to be Drake (although McGoohan has always denied this while George Markstein , who co-created the series with McGoohan, continually said he was). Directed at least one episode of all four series in which he starred: Danger Man (1960), Secret Agent (1964), The Prisoner (1967), and Rafferty (1977). Was the title character of all four series in which he starred: Danger Man (1960) (John Drake), Secret Agent (1964) (John Drake), The Prisoner (1967) (Number Six), and Rafferty (1977) (Dr. Sid Rafferty). Two of his most famous characters, Number Six in The Prisoner (1967) and the Warden in Escape from Alcatraz (1979), were not given names.

Reprised his The Prisoner (1967) character (Number Six) in The Simpsons (1989) episode "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes." Played four different murderers in four different episodes of "Columbo": Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974), Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975), Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990), and Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998). He also directed all of them except the first, as well as Columbo: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976) and Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes (2000). Turned down two roles that eventually went to Roger Moore : Simon Templar in The Saint (1962) and James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973).

Has worked with two actors with a glass eye: Leo McKern in The Prisoner (1967) episodes "The Chimes of Big Ben", "Once Upon A Time" and "Fall Out" and Peter Falk in Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974), Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975), Columbo: Last Salute to the Commodore (1976), Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990), Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998), and Columbo: Murder with Too Many Notes (2000). His parents' names were Thomas McGoohan and Rose Fitzpatrick McGoohan. Was the honourary president of Six of One, the official appreciation society for The Prisoner (1967), from its foundation in 1977 until his death in 2009. Appeared in four different productions with Aubrey Morris : The Quare Fellow (1962), Secret Agent (1964) (three episodes), The Prisoner (1967), and Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998).

His granddaughter Sarah was born in 1976. Liked to drink Irish whiskey at 217 bar in Santa Monica, owned by burlesque great Betty Rowland . In his youth, considered becoming a Catholic priest. Grew up partly in and around Sheffield, England. The son of an Irish-born farmer, he left school at 16 to work in a rope factory. He subsequently worked on a chicken farm but had to seek other employment because of an allergy to chicken feathers. His first show business job, at age 19, was as a stage hand/manager with the Sheffield Repertory Theatre. At 21, he was given his first lead role in one of their productions. For The Prisoner (1967), he sometimes used "Joseph Serf" for directing credits and "Paddy Fitz" for writing credits. "Paddy" being a nickname for "Patrick" while "Fitz" was derived from his mother's maiden name, Fitzpatrick. As a youth he lived in the rural parish of Drumreilly in county Leitrim, Ireland. Although the house is still there, it is unlived in and in a bad state of repair.

He has five grandchildren, Sarah, Erin, Simon, Nina and Paddy. On June 11, 2008, he became a great-grandfather to Jack Patrick Lockhart. Along with William Shatner , Robert Culp , Jack Cassidy and George Hamilton , he is one of only five actors to play two or more unrelated murderers in episodes of "Columbo". He played four in total, more than anyone else - specifically Colonel Lyle C. Rumford in Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light (1974), Nelson Brenner in Columbo: Identity Crisis (1975), Oscar Finch in Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990) and Eric Prince in Columbo: Ashes to Ashes (1998). He also directed all but the first of these. Orson Welles was so impressed by his performance in the 1955 West End play "Serious Charge" that he cast him as Starbuck in his production of "Moby Dick Rehearsed". He made his mark in gritty films like Hell Drivers (1957), which gave him his bad boy persona on screen.

In 1948 he worked as a a stage manager at the Sheffield Repertory. On The Prisoner (1967), McGoohan also contributed to the writing and directing of the series. While working as part of Sheffield Repertory, he quickly became one of its leading actors, appearing in more than 200 plays over the following four years. Further repertory work took him to Coventry and Bristol. Was a reclusive celebrity, hardly ever giving interviews. Retired from acting after his fourth appearance in "Columbo" in 1998, returning only to provide voice-over work in Treasure Planet (2002). Owned the rights to an audioclip that metal band Iron Maiden wanted to use in their song "The Prisoner" (1982). He gave them the permission to use it in a telephone conversation with their manager. He died at Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica, after a brief illness. His remains were cremated. Irish-American. Variety Club of Great Britain ITV personality Award for 1965 for Danger Man. Retired from the movie business.

[2002] Involved in preproduction work of the Hollywood remake of his hit The Prisoner (1967). [1996] He was considered for the role of James Bond in Dr. No (1962) before his Hell Drivers (1957) co-star Sean Connery was cast. Is the only Columbo (1971) guest star to have won two Emmy Awards. Was reportedly so devoted to his wife, he often refused to kiss or perform love scenes with other women in films. R.I.P. Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner‘s TV Visionary | WIRED Time of Publication: 2:38 pm. 2:38 pm R.I.P. Patrick McGoohan, The Prisoner‘s TV Visionary "I am not a number, I am a free man!" Patrick McGoohan’s character Number Six shouted at the panoptic eye in the sky at the beginning of every episode of the revolutionary ’60s sci-fi TV series The Prisoner.

And although the character would come to dominate McGoohan’s life and even chase him out of London following the series’ controversial 1968 finale, "Fall Out," McGoohan is a prisoner no longer. See also: The actor died Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 80, a still-underrated legend whose influence will no doubt grow larger as this still-new millennium unfurls. A cosmopolitan iconoclast in an entertainment world still teeming with conformists, McGoohan was known for both his brawn and brains, a rare combination. Born in Queens, New York, in 1928, his family soon moved to Ireland and eventually England, where McGoohan made his name. He excelled in boxing and math at Ratcliffe College, and worked a variety of odd jobs before landing a gig as a stagehand at Sheffield Repertory Theatre, where he not only kick-started a brilliant stage career but also met the love of his life, actress Joan Drummond. According to popular lore, McGoohan continued to write her love letters even as old age beckoned, and remained loyal to his family until his final days.

It was perhaps that utterly romantic commitment, along with the fact that he first studied to become a Roman Catholic priest, that caused McGoohan to eschew violence and promiscuity once he became one of the most popular actors in England, after his first major series Danger Man (also known as Secret Agent Man in the United States) landed in 1960. Unlike the brusque heavies he played in films like 1957’s Hell Drivers or plays like Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew or Orson Welles’ Moby Dick Rehearsed, Danger Man‘s John Drake was the ultimate cool customer, a globe-hopping fixer for NATO who nearly always solved major geopolitical tangles with brainy stratagems rather than sex or violence. McGoohan’s resolute morality would eventually pave the way for others to become stars: He passed up both the roles of James Bond and The Saint‘s Simon Templar, opening doors for Roger Moore.

When Danger Man was resuscitated as an hour-long thriller in 1964, McGoohan flexed his muscle further, demanding more room to act, sharper plots and more friction with his superiors, which set the stage for the intelligence showdowns that would serve as the thematic center of every Prisoner episode. He also became one of the highest-paid actors in England, which he parlayed into roles in spooky Disney films like Dr. Syn, The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and The Three Lives of Thomasina. Along the way, he impressed nearly without fail. Welles called his acting "intimidating;" billionaire Howard Hughes obsessively watched Ice Station Zebra, a nuclear thriller in which McGoohan appeared alongside Rock Hudson, Jim Brown and more; Secret Agent Man‘s eponymous musical theme, performed by Johnny Rivers, became a pop hit. He could do no wrong. That is, until the controversial 1968 finale of The Prisoner , which — like the later cliffhangers of similar envelope-pushing programs like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks or J.J. Abrams Lost — confounded conventional expectation and stoked a viewer outrage that McGoohan admits led him to leave London for Los Angeles for good.

(For an extended analysis of Danger Man and The Prisoner‘s cultural influence, read Wired.com’s feature , eerily published hours before McGoohan passed.) As McGoohan would later explain of the destabilizing conclusion of The Prisoner in a 1984 retrospective: "If I could do it again, I would. As long as people feel something, that’s the great thing. It’s when they are walking around not thinking and not feeling, that’s tough. When you get a mob like that, you can turn them into the sort of gang that Hitler had." From the outset, McGoohan constructed The Prisoner as an escape vehicle designed to tease brains and incite response. Its main character, Number Six, was, like John Drake, an intelligence agent, but one tired of the grind and looking to retire, much like McGoohan when he dreamed up the character after expressing a desire to leave Danger Man.

He conceived the series nearly on his own, and wrote and directed several episodes, including some of the finest: "Many Happy Returns" and the last two episodes "Once Upon a Time" and "Fall Out." When he first thought up the influential series, McGoohan wrote a 50-page Prisoner bible that explained everything actors, producers and other principals needed to know. And there was a lot to know, given that the show skewed television stranger than most anything that had aired at the time, including The Twilight Zone. Though designed to last only a few episodes, The Prisoner‘s popularity and bravery stretched the show’s run to 17, with the later installments like "Living in Harmony" and "The Girl Who Was Death" head-tripping off into the Western genre and surrealism, respectively. From technological nightmares of surveillance and murderous inventions like the balloon Rovers to brain transplants and Clockwork Orange-like torture, The Prisoner challenged viewer expectation and experience with every episode. The Prisoner was an allegory of the individual, aiming to find peace and freedom in a dystopia masquerading as a utopia. "I must have individuality in everything I do. It’s not easy to find it always," McGoohan once explained .

"I question everything. I don’t accept anything on face value." After The Prisoner‘s astounding conclusion, McGoohan left the madding crowd ironically for Los Angeles, where he continued to work in television and film. He won two Emmys for his work on Columbo, whose star Peter Falk was one of his good friends. He appeared in films like Braveheart, Treasure Planet and David Cronenberg’s sci-fi crossover Scanners. He even lampooned The Prisoner in The Simpsons. But it was clear that McGoohan was picking and choosing his work after more than two decades of stunning productivity and cultural influence. And although director Nick Hurran and producer Trevor Hopkins tried hard to involve McGoohan in their forthcoming miniseries reboot of The Prisoner, due in November, his declining health made that a near impossibility. Perhaps it is fate or coincidence that as Hurran and Hopkins previewed scenes from the 2009 version of The Prisoner last week in Hollywood, McGoohan had succumbed to an illness that would take his life mere miles away. But whatever it is, the fact remains that television has lost one of its most compelling, honorable stars. Rest in peace, Patrick McGoohan.

Your mark on the 20th century simply cannot be ignored. Your influence on the 21st century has yet to be fully measured, but when it is, one thing is sure: You will be more missed than the day you left us all. See also: Amazon.com: The Prisoner: The Complete Series: Patrick McGoohan: Movies & TV Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews Product Description Since its CBS debut in the summer of 1968, the masterful British TV series THE PRISONER has captivated American audiences. Now A&E presents a definitive collector's edition of the cult classic which is considered one of the most innovative TV series ever filmed. After resigning from a top-secret position, a man (McGoohan) is abducted and spirited from his London home to a mysterious place known only as 'The Village.' Village Residents, known only by numbers, are held captive because each possesses valuable knowledge. The Prisoner, now known as Number Six, battles to protect his mind -- and his humanity -- while struggling to discover the identity of Number One and escape captivity.

Amazon.com If a top-level spy decided he didn't want to be a spy anymore, could he just walk into HQ and hand in his resignation? With all that classified knowledge in his head, would he be allowed to become a civilian again, free to go about his life? The answer, according to the stylish, brilliantly conceived 1960s British TV series The Prisoner, is a resounding no. In fact, instead of receiving a gold watch for his years of faithful service, our hero (played by Patrick McGoohan) is followed home to his London flat and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he finds himself in a picturesque village where everyone is known by a number. Where is it? Why was he brought here? And, most important, how does he leave? As we learn in Episode 1, Number 6 can't leave. The Village's "citizens" might dress colorfully and stroll around its manicured gardens while a band plays bouncy Strauss marches, but the place is actually a prison. Surveillance is near total, and if all else fails, there's always the large, mysterious white ball that subdues potential escapees by temporarily smothering them. Who runs the Village?

An ever-changing Number 2, who wants to know why Number 6 resigned. If he'd only cooperate, he's told, life can be made very pleasant. "I've resigned," he fumes. "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own." So sets the stage for the ultimate battle of wills: Number 6's struggle to retain his privacy, sanity, and individuality against the array of psychological and physical methods the Village uses to break him. So does he ever escape? And does he ever find out who Number 1 is? "Questions are a burden to others," the Village saying goes. "Answers, a prison for oneself." Within this complete 17-episode set, all is revealed. Or is it? --Steve Landau Also on the discs The 2009 Collector's Edition has the same video content as the 2006 40th Anniversary Edition, but does not include the booklet or paper map. The principal other difference is that the 10 discs are packaged in five Thinpaks instead of 10.

For an improved video transfer and new supplemental features, try the 2009 Blu-ray release. --David Horiuchi Special Features Includes the following exclusive bonus features: - Ultra-rare original footage of the 1966 location shooting, accompanied by commentary with series production manager Bernie Williams - Bonus program: The Prisoner Video Companion - Rare alternate version of the episode "The Chimes of Big Ben" - Rarely seen "Foreign File Cabinet" footage - Rarely seen "Textless" intro and outro - Original Broadcast trailers Televisual | “The Prisoner:” Then (1967, McGoohan) and Now, (2009, AMC) Academic “The Prisoner:” Then (1967, McGoohan) and Now, (2009, AMC) Aymar Jean Christian November 1, 2009 uncategorized 6 Comments on “The Prisoner:” Then (1967, McGoohan) and Now, (2009, AMC) Number Two: “Let’s make a deal. You cooperate, tell us what we want to know, and this could be a very nice place.

You may even be given a position of authority.” Patrick McGoohan (Number Six): “I will not make any deals with you. I’ve resigned. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own.” Number Two: “Is it?” From The Prisoner (1967), to watch the full series online for free, visit AMC.com This exchange hails from the original British series, The Prisoner (1967) , in which Patrick McGoohan, playing a character named Number Six, finds himself imprisoned in an old-style village. The opening sequence of the series has him driving around London in a fast car, driving up to his employer’s desk and slapping down a letter of resignation. He has been brought to this presumably secluded village because he has valuable information — what this information is, we don’t know. We also don’t know McGoohan’s occupation. All we know is that he’s trapped because he’s left his job, and he wants to leave.

(When the original series premiered, many viewers assumed, and perhaps were meant to assume, that McGoohan’s character was John Drake, whom he played in another British import, Danger Man (Secret Agent). This, however, was left ambiguous in The Prisoner, though American media magazines like Time and TV Guide stated the two were one in the same.) Who is the prisoner? Who are his captors? What information does he hold? Will he ever be free? Now that AMC is remaking The Prisoner, viewers will have another chance to find out. Though, of course, they won’t. Nevertheless, in the age of Lost and Flash Forward, the remake of The Prisoner may be right on time, instead of light years ahead of it, as it was in 1967. Number Six: “I am not a number. I am a person.” The original series, best remembered for its ambiguity, cinematic techniques, and thought-provoking final episode , plays heavily on the fears of its time. It’s steeped in the rhetoric of the Cold War. The village is the commune, or the communist society, where names don’t matter and everyone pretends to be happy in public but is miserable in secret.

Though all of their needs are provided for, there is no joy, and the only hope of climbing the social ladder is to be given a position by authorities. The philosophical and psychological drama of the show is whether McGoohan is in fact a free, autonomous individual — “my life is my own” — or whether he in fact is “a number” (communist!) not a “person.” Thus The Prisoner (1967) played upon fears of communism and its homogenizing, anti-freedom forces, at least in the beginning of the series. Of course, giving the ambiguity in the show, the village could in fact be in a capitalist country, and McGoohan in fact living in a hell supported by capital not socialism. But I doubt many viewers saw it this way, at least at first. Number Six becomes more of a hero as the series progresses, allowing other people in the village to escape, but not escaping himself. Network executives wanted the audience to have someone to identify with. Americans must have identified with McGoohan as the free-thinking capitalist crusading against the monolith of communism. Jeffrey S.

Miller, in his book on British television imports in America, Something Completely Different , says The Prisoner is open to interpretation, and appealed both to conservative middle class people and young leftists attracted to the idea of revolting against the system. Indeed, embedded within the critique of communism is a critique of consumerism and technocracy — all the village’s denizens are colorfully dressed and lived in well-decorated homes. The series concludes on an ambiguous, Rorschach-like note; depending on your political proclivities, Number Six has either become free or remains imprisoned (my money’s on the countercultural reading) Now AMC has remade The Prisoner with Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel; the series debuts November 15. Judging by the promos, it seems AMC is keeping the original theme of the show, freedom and individuality vs. collectivity and imprisonment. It appears they’re leaning toward “not free:” “You only think you’re free.” How is this going to play in a post-Cold War era? I’m not sure. Certainly the Mad Men-watching aesthetes might be interested, if only intellectually. Abu Ghraib? The original Prisoner village.

AMC’s Prisoner village. The question of freedom is always relevant, but who is the enemy? The internet, which gives the promise of complete freedom but is still dominated by big corporations? That’s not very interesting. Maybe it’s the U.S. government, who, even in the Obama age, is still keeping state secrets and negotiating with Wall Street? That doesn’t feel as resonant as in the Bush era. Certainly there is the issue of terrorism and the fundamentalism, which AMC may not shy away from. For my part, it looks to me that the village in AMC’s The Prisoner will recall much more viscerally the suburbs of Levittown, making the prison not a foreign land, but the homes of the show’s viewers (although, as said before, the original did this as well). Is America free? Having an American actor as Number Six (instead of the British McGoohan) goes a long way in driving this point home. Quite frankly, I’m rather excited about the remake. The Prisoner (1967) is an important show in television history. It deserves credit for foregrounding contemporary cerebral mysteries like Lost and Flash Forward.

It’s a real challenge to the narrative that television today is more engaging and intellectual than it has ever been (a narrative I’ve used myself). For the sixties, it was an incredibly avant-garde show. As I mentioned before, AMC is releasing the entire original series online and on OnDemand. Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six : NPR Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six Embed Embed Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six Patrick McGoohan, TV's 'Prisoner' Number Six Embed Embed In addition to starring in the series, Patrick McGoohan wrote and directed several episodes of The Prisoner. Authenticated News/Courtesy of Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Authenticated News/Courtesy of Getty Images Web Resources View Episodes Of 'The Prisoner' Emmy-award-winning actor Patrick McGoohan died in Los Angeles Tuesday. He was 80. McGoohan was an accomplished stage actor who starred in a number of films, but he is best remembered for The Prisoner, the innovative television series he helped create in the late 1960s. The Prisoner was remarkable for its time.

Its opening sequence, which featured McGoohan speeding into London in a Lotus Seven, was more like a film than TV. In that sequence, McGoohan's character — known only as "Number Six" — exits the car, stalks down a dark tunnel and throws open massive double doors. He pounds on a desk, slams down a piece of paper and storms out. But insubordination has a price: McGoohan's photograph is X-ed out and his file dumped into a drawer labeled "reassigned." The character is then gassed and wakes up in a bucolic, empty village. All of this happens before the name of the show even appears onscreen. Film critic David Thomson says it was remarkable for commercial television in Britain in the late 1960s. "It was an extraordinary show, which I think led the way ... in showing just how powerful, how profound a TV series could be. I think it's still breathtaking," Thomson says.

"It's as if James Bond material had been given to Harold Pinter to write, to some extraordinary, surreal designer to design and Hitchcock to direct." Article continues after sponsorship A Man Without A Country Patrick Joseph McGoohan was born March 19, 1928, in Astoria, Queens. His parents returned to Ireland when he was 6 months old and later moved to England. Thomson says that when McGoohan first appeared onstage in England, he was thought of as an Irish actor: "He sort of came from not anywhere in particular. ... He was very much his own man." Early in his career, McGoohan starred in the popular British TV series Danger Man, which was rechristened Secret Agent by the American network CBS. Though the show was a hit, the actor felt constrained by the format and detested the violence. When he was approached to do a follow-up, he insisted on setting his own terms. The resulting series was the The Prisoner, for which McGoohan co-created, starred in and also wrote, directed and produced a number of episodes.

His character in The Prisoner spent all 17 episodes trying to figure out where he was — and trying to escape the candy-colored village where everyone was watched by hidden cameras. McGoohan was also a noted stage actor. Thomson, who saw the actor in a London production of Henrik Ibsen's Brand in the 1950s, says it was one of the greatest performances he has ever seen onstage. But he also says McGoohan's insistence on doing things his way cost him. "This was a man who very easily, I think, could have been up there with Olivier and Gielgud in terms of being that famous an actor," Thomson says. "He was handsome. He had a great voice. He was a tremendous actor. But as he admitted himself, he was difficult. He wanted to do things his way and he had his own vision. And that meant he did much less." Even before McGoohan became a TV star, he made the transition from stage to screen, starring in the classic 1962 jazz film All Night Long alongside Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus, among others.

More recently, McGoohan starred opposite Mel Gibson in Braveheart, playing the evil King Edward Longshanks. Related NPR Stories 'Secret Agent' Patrick McGoohan Dies At 80 Jan. 14, 2009 Correction Jan. 15, 2009 Some versions of this story said that the TV show "The Prisoner" opened with McGoohan driving a Formula One race car. In fact, the car was a Lotus Seven.

Question: What was the number given to Patrick McGoohan in the TV series The Prisoner?
Answer: Number 6