Patrick Macnee, the British-born actor best known as dapper secret agent John Steed in the long-running 1960s TV series “The Avengers,” has died. He was 93. His son Rupert said in a statement that Macnee died Thursday of natural causes, with his family at his bedside in Rancho Mirage. The clever spy drama, which began in 1961 in Britain, debuted in the United States in 1966. It ran for eight seasons and continued in syndication for decades afterward. Macnee’s character appeared in all but two episodes, accompanied by a string of beautiful women who were his sidekicks–most famously Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg. As a child, Macnee was educated at Eton in England, but was expelled for dealing in pornography and horse betting.
