| The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed[1] MC OM | |
|---|---|
| The Avengers character | |
 Macnee as John Steed with Linda Thorson as Tara King, 1968 | |
| First appearance | "Hot Snow", The Avengers episode 1 |
| Last appearance | "Emily", The New Avengers episode 26 The Avengers (1998 film) |
| Created by | Sydney Newman (character) Brian Clemens (background details) |
| Portrayed by | Patrick Macnee (series) Donald Monat (radio) Simon Oates (play) Ralph Fiennes (film) Julian Wadham (audio) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Major |
| Occupation | Secret agent |
| Nationality | English |
| Birth date | c.1925 |
| Birth place | London |
| Education | Eton College |
Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed MC OM[2] usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the 1960s British spy series The Avengers and its 1970s sequel The New Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee in both; by Donald Monat in the South-African radio series adaptation of The Avengers; by Ralph Fiennes in the 1998 film of the same name and by Julian Wadham in various audio adventures from Big Finish Productions.[3]
Steed is a secret agent working for an unnamed branch of British intelligence. He was teamed with a variety of partners, including Dr. David Keel (1961), Dr. Martin King (1962), Venus Smith (1962–1963), Cathy Gale (1962–1964), Emma Peel (1965–1968), Tara King (1968–1969), Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney (1969), Purdey, and Mike Gambit (both 1976–1977).
- ^ Smith, David K. (26 March 2002). "John Steed (Biography)". The Avengers Forever. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- ^ In the New Avengers episode "Hostage", Gambit asks Steed about the medal, "What did you get that for? Ruthlessness in the field?" Steed: "Dedication to duty." Gambit: "Hmmmm, same thing." (See 900imdb.com) The extremely distinctive medal Steed is wearing with his White Tie is the Order of Merit, recognisable by the shape of its rounded cross, its bright colours, and the large words "FOR MERIT" which appear on it.
- ^ bigfinish.com