In the recent excitement of The Beatles 50th anniversary of coming to America and appearing on Ed Sullivan, we missed an important day in the Spy Vibe calendar. Happy Birthday to Patrick Macnee, who turned 92 on February 6th. Macnee was born in Paddington in 1922, educated at Eton, and was decorated for his service in WWII. His early acting appearances included Olivier's Hamlet (1948) and The Twilight Zone (1959). In 1961 he landed the role of John Steed in The Avengers. Macnee brought the character to life with an air of mystery and charm. As with so many stories about the arts during the early 1960s, Macnee found himself in a serendipitous collaboration with great talent. The Avengers drew some of the best artists of the period, including Pierre Cardin, John Bates, Honor Blackman, Laurie Johnson, Brian Clemens, and Diana Rigg. The program became a cultural phenomenon and ran through 1969. Macnee donned his bowler hat again in The New Avengers (1976-1977). His career includes appearances in many iconic projects from the 1960s and 1970s: Sherlock Holmes movies, Battlestar Galactica, The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E., This is Spinal Tap, A View to a Kill, and he narrated the James Bond series documentaries. Macnee also penned two Avengers novels and various memoirs, and lent his voice to many audio books, including thrillers by Jack Higgins, Dick Francis, and Frederick Forsyth. See Patrick Macnee in a 1983 episode of This is Your Lifehere. Related posts: Avengers Singhere, lost Avengers episodes return as Audio Books here, Emma Peel fashion designer John Bates here, Spy Vibe's look at Avengers fashion here. The Avengers was recently featured in a comic book series by Boom! Studios. Spy Vibe wishes Patrick Macnee a happy birthday and many happy returns!
