An Avenger Forever

Sad news for fans of "The Avengers":

Gareth Hunt (far right, above) the fine actor who played the smooth, tough-as-nails and often quite witty character of Gambit in "The New Avengers" for two seasons (1976-78) has died of cancer at age 65 at his home south of London.

In a twist of morbid sependipity I saw the news about Mr. Hunt's passing on The Avengers Forever website about five minutes after I viewed an episode of "The New Avengers". I hadn't seen any of the "TNA" shows for twenty-five years since it was first shown on CBS Late Nights. I had just acquired a DVD of the first season's 13 episodes and was reviewing (and enjoying) getting reaquinted with the series. While not quite as engaging as the original series in the main, "TNA" had its own charms, not least of which was the chemistry Hunt had with his co-star, the sexy Joanna Lumley.

I remember being dubious about a younger and probably less polished actor coming in to essentially handle the "running about and fighting" now that John Steed (Patrick MacNee) was long in the tooth for being the action hero. But it was soon clear to me that Brian Clemens, the producer of "TNA" and the main creative force behind the success of the original series, had fashioned Gambit to be more than a robotic tough guy or a sidekick to MacNee. Gambit (Hunt) could hold his own in many non-action scenes and was an excellent and plausible third member of the espionage-and-crime fighting trio.

Hunt's character provided the main romantic tension in the series; he was determined to engage in a "non-profesional" realtionship with his partner, Purdey (Lumley). She was flattered, but only up to a point. The verbal ribbings and practical jokes they played on one another in the series was a nice contrast to the mature John Steed. Our Man Steed would have seemed too much the roue to be wooing Purdey while at the same time dashing about and saving all or at least part of Great Britain every week.

I saw Mr. Hunt in small parts in a couple of films but beyond that I gathered the greatest part of his career was in British television and the stage. Wish I had seen more of his work. I look forward to watching the restof Season One and then on to Season Two. With this recent loss, some of the fun in reviewing the show, however, has definately faded.

In any case, rest in peace good sir.

For more, and reactions from his co-stars, here is a link to The London TimesOnLine:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radi...