Patrick Macnee

Patrick Macnee, who played a stylish secret agent on the 1960s television series "The Avengers," has died. He was 93. Macnee, who died Thursday of natural causes in Rancho Mirage, California, played John Steed on the TV program, which debuted in the U.S. in 1966 and ran for eight years in syndication. Macnee's character in the series was partnered with a series of beautiful women. The most popular was Diana Rigg, who played junior agent Emma Peel. Macnee also appeared in "Hamlet", "A Christmas Carol," ''Until They Sail," ''Les Girls," and ''Young Doctors in Love." He also had a notable role in the cult comedy classic "This Is Spinal Tap" as British entrepreneur Sir Denis Eton-Hogg. His television projects included "Battlestar Galactica" in 1979, an adaptation of "Around the World in 80 Days" in 1989, several made-for-TV movies based on classic Sherlock Holmes tales, and the series "Patrick Macnee's Ghost Stories" in 1993. Macnee also authored a memoir, "Blind in One Ear: The Avenger Returns," in 1988. Daniel Patrick Macnee was born Feb. 6, 1922, in London, England, to Daniel and Dorothea Mary (Henry) Macnee. Macnee's first two marriages ended in divorce. His third wife, Baba Majos de Nagyzsenye, died in 2007. In addition to his son Rupert, from his first marriage, he is survived by a daughter, Jenny, also from his first marriage, and a grandson.