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01
He rarely granted interviews and valued his privacy.
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02
For The Prisoner 1967, he used the pseudonyms Joseph Serf for directing and Paddy Fitz for writing, with Paddy derived from Patrick and Fitz from his mother’s maiden name Fitzpatrick.
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03
He liked to drink Irish whiskey at 217 bar in Santa Monica, owned by burlesque performer Betty Rowland.
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04
Reportedly devoted to his wife, he often refused to kiss or perform love scenes with other women in films.
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05
Two of his characters, Number Six in The Prisoner 1967 and the Warden in Escape from Alcatraz 1979, were not given names.
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06
In 1977 he was considered to replace Peter Falk as Columbo but turned it down because of his close friendship with Falk and a belief that only Falk should play the role.
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07
The son of an Irish-born farmer, he left school at 16 to work in a rope factory, then on a chicken farm, as a bank clerk, and as a lorry driver before becoming a stage manager at Sheffield Repertory Theatre.
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08
He 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.
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09
He was the first choice for Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings which went to Ian McKellen and Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films which went to Richard Harris and then Michael Gambon but declined.
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10
He is the only Columbo guest star to have won two Primetime Emmy Awards, and these were his only Emmy nominations.
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11
He reprised his Number Six character in the episode The Computer Wore Menace Shoes 2000 of The Simpsons.
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12
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.
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13
He was considered for James Bond in Dr. No 1962 before his Hell Drivers 1957 co-star Sean Connery was cast, but he turned it down due to the sexual content.
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14
He used his real birthdate and publicity photo for the character Number Six in The Prisoner.
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15
In Ice Station Zebra 1968, he insisted on doing a dive scene himself despite being a strong swimmer; Olympic champion Murray Rose dived down to free his foot when it got stuck in a torpedo rack.
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16
He owned the rights to an audio clip that Iron Maiden wanted to use in their song The Prisoner 1982 and gave permission in a telephone conversation.
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17
He played John Drake in both Danger Man 1960 and Secret Agent 1964; his Number Six character may have been intended to be the same person, though McGoohan denied this.
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18
He is one of five actors to play two or more unrelated murderers in Columbo episodes, and he played four total, more than anyone else: Colonel Lyle C. Rumford, Nelson Brenner, Oscar Finch, and Eric Prince, directing all but the first.
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19
In his youth, he considered becoming a Catholic priest.
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20
He was the title character of all four series in which he starred: Danger Man John Drake, Secret Agent John Drake, The Prisoner Number Six, and Rafferty Dr. Sid Rafferty.
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21
He died at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica after a brief illness; his remains were cremated at Abbott and Hast Mortuary in Glendale.
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22
He suffered acute bronchial asthma and other health problems during childhood.
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23
His first show business job at age 19 was as a stage hand and manager with Sheffield Repertory Theatre; at 21 he was given his first lead role.
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24
As a youth he lived in the rural parish of Drumreilly in County Leitrim, Ireland; the house still stands but is in disrepair.
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25
He became close friends with Peter Falk after working on Columbo; Falk called him the most underrated and under-appreciated talent on the planet.
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26
He played four different murderers in four Columbo episodes: By Dawn’s Early Light 1974, Identity Crisis 1975, Agenda for Murder 1990, and Ashes to Ashes 1998, directing all except the first, as well as two additional episodes.
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27
He retired from acting after Ashes to Ashes 1998, returning only to provide voice-over work in Treasure Planet 2002.
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28
He appeared in three different productions all named The Prisoner 1960, 1963, and 1967, with the latter two sharing similarities despite being unrelated.
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29
He won the Variety Club of Great Britain ITV Personality Award for 1965 for Danger Man.
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30
He valued his own privacy and rarely granted interviews.
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31
He directed at least one episode of all four series in which he starred: Danger Man, Secret Agent, The Prisoner, and Rafferty.
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32
He was the honorary president of Six of One, the official appreciation society for The Prisoner, from its foundation in 1977 until his death in 2009.
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33
On The Prisoner, he contributed to writing and directing many episodes.
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34
While working at Sheffield Repertory, he became one of its leading actors, appearing in more than 200 plays over four years, with further repertory work in Coventry and Bristol.
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35
He had no desire to become a major movie star.
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36
In 1948 he worked as a stage manager at Sheffield Repertory.
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37
Father of Frances, Catherine, and Anne McGoohan.
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38
He appeared in four different productions with Aubrey Morris: The Quare Fellow 1962, Secret Agent three episodes, The Prisoner 1967, and Ashes to Ashes 1998.
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39
His parents were Thomas McGoohan and Rose Fitzpatrick McGoohan.
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40
He grew up partly in and around Sheffield, England.
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41
He gained attention for gritty films like Hell Drivers 1957, which gave him a bad boy persona.
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42
He was considered for the role of Charles Shaughnessy in Ryan’s Daughter 1970; his The Prisoner co-star Leo McKern appeared as Thomas Ryan.
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43
He had five grandchildren: Sarah, Erin, Simon, Nina, and Paddy.
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44
He was originally offered the role of Knight Two in And the Sky Full of Stars 1994 but was unable to fit it into his schedule.
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45
He starred as Number 6 in the surreal science fiction allegory series The Prisoner.
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46
He had an intense dislike of guns and insisted his characters in The Prisoner and Danger Man never use them, with John Drake explicitly voicing disdain for firearms.
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47
He was considered for Hardy Kruger’s role in Hatari! 1962.
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48
He was offered the role of Dr. Alan Hewitt in Prudence and the Pill 1968.
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49
He left school at 16 and joined Sheffield Rep at 19 then Bristol Old Vic.
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50
He was considered for Abraham Whistler in Blade 1998.
