Private Dicks, Agents & Spacemen Quiz

Answer: John Drake

Agent John Drake was played by American actor Patrick McGoohan, who was born Patrick Joseph McGoohan in Queens, New York, USA, in 1928. He died in Santa Monica, California, USA, in 2009 aged 80 following a brief illness.

The UK TV series "Danger Man" ran for 86 episodes from 1960 to 1968. It had different titles in other countries. It was "Secret Agent" in the US and "Destination Danger" in France. The status of John Drake changed over the years. First he was Irish-American and worked for a Washington based intelligence agency on behalf of N.A.T.O. Then he became a British agent working for the secret organization M9. The pilot episode "View From The Villa" was written by Brian Clemens and set in Italy. It was actually shot in Portmeirion, Wales, UK, were later Patrick McGoohan would shoot the UK TV series "The Prisoner". We all know that was were John Drake (known as Number 6) ended up, don't we?

Answer: Emma Peel

Mrs. Emma Peel was the third of four female partners of John Steed. She was played by English actress Dame Diana Rigg, who was born Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg in Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK, in 1938.

The UK TV series "The Avengers" ran for 161 episodes from 1961 to 1969. The star of "The Avengers" when it first appeared in 1961 was Ian Hendry (Dr. David Keel). Ian Hendry had top billing over Patrick Macnee (John Steed), who did not even appear in all of the episodes of the first series. Ian Hendry had left before the second series started and Patrick Macnee was joined by English actress Julie Stevens (Venus Smith 1962-1963) a nightclub singer and English actress Honor Blackman (Cathy Gale 1962-1964) a widow, anthropologist and museum curator. English actress Elizabeth Shepherd was cast as Emma Peel for the fourth series. She was replaced after completing one episode with English actress Diana Rigg (1965-1968). Canadian actress Linda Thorson (Tara King 1968-1969) replaced Diana Rigg for the last series.

Answer: Leslie Charteris

Leslie Charteris was born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin in Singapore, in 1907. He died in Windsor, Berkshire, UK, in 1993 aged 85. He created Simon Templar (The Saint), in the 1920s. Simon Templar was played by English actor Roger Moore who was born Roger George Moore in 1927 in London, UK.

The UK TV series "The Saint" ran for 118 episodes from 1962 to 1969. Not all of the TV episodes were based on Charteris's original stories or written by him. Some of the episodes that were written for the TV series were later published in novel form. Roger Moore along with Sean Connery and Patrick McGoohan were considered for the part of James Bond in the first Bond movie "Dr. No". Funny how things turn out isn't it. After loosing some weight and having a more modern hair style (not before time) Moore went on to play Lord Brett Sinclair in "The Persuaders". His partner in this UK TV series was American actor Tony Curtis as Danny Wilde. It ran for 24 episodes from 1971 to 1972. Moore was then chosen to play James Bond and became the longest serving actor to play Bond and the oldest.

Answer: Steve Forrest

(John Mannering (The Baron) was played by American actor Steve Forrest, who was born William Forrest Andrews in Huntsville, Texas, USA, in 1924. He was the younger brother of the 1940's Hollywood star American actor Dana Andrews who was born Carver Dana Andrews in Collins, Mississippi, USA, in 1909. He died in Los Alamitos, California, USA, in 1992 aged 83 from congestive heart failure and Pneumonia.

The UK TV series "The Baron" ran for 30 episodes from 1966 to 1967. A reformed jewel thief John Mannering became an antiques dealer and undercover agent. He worked informally for John Alexander Templeton-Green head of B.D.I. (British Diplomatic Intelligence), an oxymoron if ever I saw one. Forrest made a number of movies in the '50s and '60s. He played Clint Burton in "Flaming Star" (1960) with Elvis Presley, Barbara Eden and John McIntire. He played Capt. Harding in "The Longest Day" (1962) with Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sean Connery, Kenneth More, Henry Fonda, Richard Todd and many more. Forrest made a cameo appearance as a transport driver at the end of the movie "S.W.A.T." (2003) starring Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell and LL Cool J. Forrest had starred in the US TV series S.W.A.T. which ran for 37 epesodes from 1975 to 1976. Peter Graves was the younger brother of James Arness. Tom Conway was the elder brother of George Sanders. John Mitchum was the younger brother of Robert Mitchum.

Answer: Frank Marker

Private detective Frank Marker was played by English actor Alfred Burke, who was born in Peckham, London, UK, in 1918. He died in Barnes, London, UK, in 2011 aged 92.

The UK TV series "Public Eye" ran for 87 episodes from 1965 to 1975. Frank Marker was an unglamorous figure who took on unglamorous jobs and walked the line between the police and the criminal world. Not all of the cases he took on had a satisfactory end for the him or his clients. The first run of episodes came to an end in the episode "Cross That Palm When We Come To It". Frank Marker went to jail for two and a half years after being convicted of receiving stolen property. This episode and others unfortunately have been victims of a common practice at the time, the tapes were wiped and used again. Alfred Burke appeared on TV and in movies before and after "Public Eye". He was in the movies "Yangtse Incident"(1957) with Richard Todd and William Hartnell (the first Doctor Who) and "The Angry Silence" (1960) with Richard Attenborough and Bernard Lee (M in the first 11 James Bond Movies). Burke's last movie part was as Armando Dippet in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" in 2002. He appeared in "Oedipus" at the National Theatre in London, UK, in 2008 at the age of 90.

Answer: Suitcase

McGill was played by American actor Richard Bradford, who was born in Tyler, Texas, USA, in 1937.

The UK TV series "Man In The Suitcase" ran for 30 episodes from 1967 to 1968. McGill (who's first name is never revealed), is a disgraced former US intelligence agent. Disgraced at home (falsely it is revealed later, to protect an American double agent) he settles in the UK and takes on private cases (not all strictly legal). Two distinguishing features of the series were the very catchy theme tune composed by Ron Grainer and the amount of violence. Unlike other TV series or movies of the time, McGill looked and acted like he had been in a fight and ended up in hospital more than once. It still had crappy sets, stock footage and the really, really awful back projection that TV series and movies suffered badly from at that time. Bradford has appeared in many TV movies, TV series and Movies. He played police chief Mike Dorset in "The Untouchables" (1987) with Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and Andy Garcia. He played Greib in "Internal Affairs" (1990) with Richard Gere and Andy Garcia.

Answer: Edward Woodward

David Callan was played by English actor Edward Woodward who was born in Croydon, Surrey, England in 1930. He died in Truro, Cornwall, UK, in 2009 aged 79 suffering from various illnesses of which Pneumonia was one.

The UK TV series "Callan" ran for 44 episodes from 1967 to 1972. There was a movie "Callan" in 1974 and A TV special "Wet Job" in 1981. David Callan is an unwilling agent/assassin for a branch of S.I.S. (British Counterintelligence) known as "The Section". It was originally a TV play in 1967, "A Magnum for Schneider" in which Callan is fired from "The Section". It then became a series in which Callan rejoins "The Section". Woodward won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 1970 and appeared on stage and in movies. He will be remembered for his role as Police Sgt. Neil Howey in the movie "The Wicker Man" (1973) with Sir Christopher Lee and as Harry "Breaker" Morant in the movie "Breaker Morant" (1980) with Jack Thompson and Bryan Brown. Woodward also starred as Robert McColl in the US TV series "The Equalizer" which ran for 88 episodes from 1985 to 1989.

Answer: The Champions

Richard Barrett was played by English actor William Gaunt, who was born William Charles Anthony Gaunt in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, UK, in 1937. Sharron Macready was played by English actress Alexandra Bastedo who was born in Hove, Sussex, UK, in 1946. Craig Sterling was played by American actor Stuart Damon who was born Stuart Michael Zonis in Brooklyn, New York, USA in 1937.

"The Champions" ran for 30 episodes between 1968 and 1969. Barrett, Macready and Sterling are agents for the United Nations law enforcement agency "Nemesis" where their boss is W. L. Tremayne. They were ordinary human beings until the plane in which they were traveling crashed in the Himalayas. They are rescued by an advanced secret group living in the mountains who enhance their senses, physical abilities and intellect. This is possibly the worst series in the quiz. The acting is atrocious especially American actor Stuart Damon, who went on to play Dr. Alan Quartermaine for 30 years in the US soap "General Hospital". William Gaunt on the other hand has always been a fine actor, except in "The Champions". He played Bob Marriott in the UK TV series "Sergeant Cork" which ran for 66 episodes from 1963 to 1968. Two decades later he played Arthur Crabtree in the UK TV series "No Place Like Home" which ran for 43 episodes from 1983 to 1987. Alexander Bastedo has appeared in minor roles in movies such as "Casino Royale" (1967) and "Batman Begins" (2005). She has appeared in UK TV series such as "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992) and "Eastenders" (2008-2009). She now runs an animal sanctuary in West Chiltington, West Sussex, UK.

Answer: Gerry & Sylvia Anderson

Gerry & Sylvia Anderson were the creators of "UFO". Gerry Anderson was born Gerald Alexander Abrahams in West Hampstead, London, UK in 1929. Sylvia Anderson was born Sylvia Thamm in London, UK, in 1927.

The UK TV series "UFO" ran for 26 episodes from 1970 to 1971. It starred many actors including American actor Ed Bishop as Commander Edward Straker, English actor Michael Billington as Colonel Paul Foster, English actor George Sewell as Colonel Alec E. Freeman and English actress Wanda Ventham as Colonel Virginia Lake. They worked for "SHADO" (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) an international agency formed to protect Earth against unknown aliens. Apparently they are coming to Earth to harvest human organs but they and their spacecraft can only remain in Earth's atmosphere for a short time.

Answer: 1999

"Space 1999" was a UK TV series produced by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson. It ran for 48 episodes from 1975 to 1977. The continuing story involves Commander John Koenig, Doctor Helena Russell and Professor Victor Bergman and many, many other characters. Nuclear waste from Earth stored on the moon explodes and sends the Moon out of Earth's orbit into deep space, (A large dose of suspension of belief is needed at this point). This event strands the inhabitants of Moon Base Alpha and they meet a mind boggling assortment of aliens on their travels through space.

Commander John Koenig was played American actor Martin Landau who was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA, in 1931. He has appeared in many movies during a long career, "North By Northwest" (1959) with Cary Grant and James Mason and "Cleopatra" (1963) with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in "Ed Wood" (1994) with Johnny Depp.

Doctor Helena Russell was played by American actress Barbara Bain who was born Millicent Fogel in Chicago, Illinois, USA, in 1931. She also starred with her then husband Martin Landau in the US TV series "Mission Impossible" which ran from 1966 to 1973. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series and won three consecutive Emmys for Best Dramatic Actress for her role as Cinnamon Carter in the US TV series "Mission Impossible".

Professor Victor Bergman was played by English/Canadian actor Barry Morse who was born Herbert Morse in Shoreditch, London, UK, in 1918, he later became a Canadian citizen. He died in London, UK, in 2008 aged 89, cause of death was not disclosed. His body was donated to medical science. He played thousands of roles over seven decades in many American, Canadian and British TV series, radio programmes and movies. He also appeared on the British stage and was directed by Sir John Gielgud in "Crisis In Heaven" (1944). He made his movie debut in "The Goose Steps Out" with British comedy actor Will Hay (1942). His last movie was "I Really Hate My Job" (2007). He has acted in all the plays of William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw. For me he will always be Lt. Philip Gerard who hunted Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) in the US TV series "The Fugitive" which ran for 120 episodes from 1963 to 1967. Dr. Kimble himself was hunting a one armed man (Bill Raisch) who Kimble claimed had committed the murder of his wife that he himself had been convicted of.