Editing Patrick McGoohan (section)

===Early career===
In 1955, McGoohan featured in a [[West End theatre|West End]] stage production of ''[[Serious Charge]]'', as a [[Church of England]] [[vicar]] accused of being homosexual.<ref>{{cite news|title=Another New Play in London: 'Serious Charge'|author=Hope-Wallace, Philip|work=The Manchester Guardian|date=February 18, 1955|page=7}}</ref>

"Intimidated" by McGoohan's stage presence, [[Orson Welles]] cast him as Starbuck in his York theatre production of ''[[Moby Dick—Rehearsed]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wellesian Version of 'Moby Dick': A Sea Charade|author=Fay, Gerard|work=The Manchester Guardian|date=June 18, 1955|page=5}}</ref> Welles said in 1969 that he believed McGoohan "would now be, I think, one of the big actors of our generation if TV hadn't grabbed him,"<ref>Jonathan Rosenbaum (ed.), [[Orson Welles]] and [[Peter Bogdanovich]], ''[[This is Orson Welles]]'' (Da Capo Press, New York, 1992 [rev. 1998 ed.]) p. 4</ref> reflecting that he had "all the required attributes, looks, intensity, unquestionable acting ability and a twinkle in his eye".<ref name=TDT/>

McGoohan's first television appearance was as [[Charles Stewart Parnell]] in "The Fall of Parnell" for the series ''[[You Are There (series)|You Are There]]'' (1954).<ref>Cassin, B. ''I Never Had a Proper Job''. Liberties Press, 2012.</ref><ref>Langley, R. ''Patrick McGoohan'', pp. 41–42. Tomahawk Press, 2007.</ref> He had an uncredited role in the movie ''[[The Dam Busters (film)|The Dam Busters]]'' (1955), standing guard outside a briefing room. He delivered the line, "Sorry, old boy, it's secret—you can't go in. Now, c'mon, hop it!," which was cut from some prints of the movie.{{citation needed|date=January 2014}}

He also had small roles in ''[[Passage Home]]'' (1955), ''[[The Dark Avenger]]'' (1955) and ''[[I Am a Camera (film)|I Am A Camera]]'' (1955). He could also be seen in ''[[Zarak]]'' (1956) for [[Warwick Films]]. For television he was in "Margin for Error" in ''Terminus'' (1955), guest featured on ''[[The Adventures of Sir Lancelot]]'' and ''[[Assignment Foreign Legion]]'', and ''[[The Adventures of Aggie]]''. He played the lead in "The Makepeace Story" for [[BBC]] ''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]'' (1955). He also appeared in Welles' movie version of ''[[Moby Dick—Rehearsed]]''.

He did ''Ring for Catty'' on stage in 1956.<ref>(Lyric, Hammersmith.) ''Ring for Catty'' by Patrick Cargill and Jack Beale. (Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue) Hartley, Anthony. ''The Spectator''; London 196.6661 (24 February 1956): p. 248.</ref>