John Steed

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This article is about a fictional character; for the author of a genealogy program, see Brother's Keeper (software)

John Steed is a fictional character, played by Patrick Macnee, on the British series The Avengers and The New Avengers. Steed was a secret agent working for an unnamed branch of British intelligence. He was teamed with a variety of partners, including Dr. David Keel (1961), Cathy Gale (1962–1964), Emma Peel (1965–1967), Tara King (1968 - 1969), Purdey, and Mike Gambit (1976–1977).

Steed's trademark was his impeccable dress, including a bowler hat, suit with waistcoat, and everpresent umbrella with distinctive whangee handle. Steed's umbrella was known for containing a sword, though there were other versions, including one that featured a sound recorder. (The sword umbrella used in the title sequence was made by venerable English umbrella maker James Smith & Sons.)

Steed was born John Wickham Gascoyne Berresford Steed in the mid-1920s. A veteran of World War II, Steed achieved the rank of major before joining The Ministry. He maintained a modest flat in London during the 1960s and drove a variety of elaborate, old-fashioned cars, including a Rolls Royce and several different models of Bentley.

During his early appearances, Steed's character was a more rough-and-tumble operative than the suave, sophisticated gentleman he became during the Gale and Peel eras. His most common style of dress in the first two seasons was a trenchcoat and suit; it wasn't until later that the bowler hat made its appearance. He was initially shown answering to several different superiors such as "One-Ten" and "Charles". During most of the Gale-Peel era the source of his orders were left a mystery. For the final season of the original series (the Tara King era) Steed was shown taking his orders from an obese man called "Mother" (and occasionally a woman named "Father"). In The New Avengers, Steed was once again shown working on his own, and it was suggested that he had moved up into a "Mother"-like role in British intelligence, although that didn't stop him from directly participating in missions.

Out of all his partners, he was closest to Mrs Peel; while their interaction was often laced with dry, sarcastic wit on both sides, he respected her as an equal, and owed her his life on more than a few occasions. There were some elements of repressed sexual attraction between Steed and the married Peel, but his professional respect for her (and perhaps a fear of spoiling their partnership) kept him from acting upon his attraction to her.

Steed Malbranque, of the English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, was named after John Steed as his parents saw their child as the epitome of Britishness.

Fans of John Steed sometimes call themselves "Steedophiles".

[edit] Other versions of Steed

In the 1971 stage play of The Avengers, Steed was played by Simon Oates.
In the South African radio version of The Avengers which ran from 1971 to 1973, Steed was played by Donald Monat.
In the 1998 film, Steed was played by Ralph Fiennes.
Australian journalist John Steed worked on the Daily Mirror in Sydney, The Australian, The Age in Melbourne, New Idea in Melbourne, The Dominion in Wellington, New Zealand, The Sunday Times, Wellington, New Zealand. He also interviewed Patrick McNee in Sydney and Wellington.