Patrick Macnee

Patrick Macnee (born 6 February 1922) is an English-born American actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers Macnee, an only child, was born Daniel Patrick Macnee in Paddington, London, the son of Dorothea Mary (née Henry) and Daniel "Shrimp" Macnee, a race horse trainer. His maternal grandmother was Frances Alice Hastings, who descended from the Earls of Huntingdon - Macnee has long suggested that he may be a distant relation of Robin Hood, sometimes said to have been a black sheep of the Huntingdon family. Macnee's great-grandfather was Scottish portrait artist Sir Daniel Macnee and he is a cousin of the magician David Nixon. His parents divorced after his mother declared her lesbian and had a live-in partner (referred to in Macnee's memoirs as "Uncle Evelyn") who helped pay for young Patrick's schooling. He was educated at Eton College, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and was awarded the Atlantic Star for his... full article at wikipedia