Product Description

This is the definitive tribute to one of Britain's brightest stars, affirming his cult status as a guiding light in international film, television and theatre. Often combining the key roles of actor, writer, director and producer, Patrick McGoohan is a complex Renaissance artist with an impressive body of work. His achievements and failures reveal a driven, highly moral, highly creative star, who steadfastly abhors the glare of publicity. Despite his reluctance to embrace the media frenzy which surrounds 'show business', McGoohan's enigmatic screen persona and his fearless dedication to the performing arts continue to conquer and fascinate new audiences all over the world. He has been described as "The British Orson Welles" by folksinger and fan, Donovan. McGoohan and his work still have fan clubs all over the world. This book will tell you why! Lavishly illustrated with never before seen images, the book explains the enigma that is McGoohan! It includes 450 rare photographs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69655 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 300 pages

Review
Surely no-one is better qualified than Roger Langley… Langley's book is heavyweight in its authority but everyman in its voice… Spend some time with Roger Langley's Danger Man Or Prisoner? and you'll come away feeling you know what truly makes the heart beat inside this extraordinary and quite unique British actor of ours. --Brighton Magazine

The book is a must for all Patrick McGoohan fans of which there are thousands worldwide. --Book Review Programme European Radio Features

Roger Langley s in-depth biography manages to provide a detailed and tantalizing look at the actor and his career whilst at the same time not overtly invading his privacy. Solid examinations of such classic McGoohan films as Hell Drivers, Ice Station Zebra and Scanners and stunningly illustrated with over 450 rare stills make this a superb study. --Film Review Magazine

Customer Reviews

Avoid
There are great actor bios such as Callow's Orson Welles. There are middling actor bios such as Chandler's Joan Crawford.

Then there are actor bios such as this rather awful book.

Apart from a few new interviews regarding McGoohan's early career, there is precious little information in here which has not been previously published or which is not available online.

So if you want some detail on his formative years, by all means go ahead and buy the book. But if you are like me and were expecting some insight on his actual career, you will be sorely disappointed. The book is particularly poor when attempting to discuss his body of film work following his brief television stardom in the sixties.

Interesting Compendium
I have at last taken the opportunity to look through this work, and have given it two stars- for the volume of information contained within, and for some nice photographs (some of which have reproduced remarkably well). The problem is that ultimately the reader must decide for him or herself whether it best fits the criteria of biography, or a resource compendium of largely previously existing facts and information in one heavy volume (which is for the most part well laid out, if a little crowded). As the latter it may prove a worthy addition.

An interesting Biography, but where is the real McGoohan?!!
Roger Langley gives us a run through of McGoohan's career with copies of reviews of McGoohan's film and TV work from well known publications. There is much detail about McGoohan's early life and some very beautiful photographs, none of which I have seen before.

However, I feel that Roger Langley fails to give a true portrayal of Mr McGoohan (the trick to a great biography is to come away feeling you have actually met the subject?), but that would take intense collaboration with Patrick McGoohan himself, and that is perhaps what we need, above all.

McGoohan has had some good and bad parts, for instance, where were the casting directors of Ryan's Daughter (Lean) when they miscast Robert Mitchum in the role of the school teacher? They should have been knocking on McGoohan's door!!!!