British actor Gareth Hunt, star of TV’s ‘New Avengers,’ dies at 65

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This article was published 14/03/2007 (7113 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LONDON (AP) – British actor Gareth Hunt, best known as secret agent Mike Gambit in’70s spy series “The New Avengers,” has died, his agent said Wednesday.

He was 65. Agent Alexandra McLean-Williams said Hunt died at his home south of London early Wednesday. She said he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and had fought the disease “privately and bravely.”

“Hardly anybody knew he was ill,” she said. “He continued to work and up until New Year you would never have realized anything was wrong.”

London-born Hunt spent joined the merchant navy at 15 and spent six years at sea before studying acting. He appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and first gained mass attention playing footman Frederick Norton in the long-running television series “Upstairs, Downstairs.”

He is best remembered for “The New Avengers,” a sequel to’60s spy series “The Avengers” in which Hunt, Patrick Macnee and Joanna Lumley played a team of bantering British agents. It ran for only 26 episodes but remains a cult favourite. The final four episodes were filmed in Canada.

“We started off as friends in ‘The New Avengers’ and remained that way for more than 30 years,” said Lumley, who played Purdey, the series’ glamorous martial arts expert.

“We shared so much laughter – we were constantly in hysterics making “The Avengers.” Gambit and Purdey were quite often sent out to do bits and pieces together so we would have scenes where we were driving or fighting people, and we had such enormous fun.”

In later years, Hunt appeared on British shows including “Eastenders,” “Doctors” and “New Tricks.”

Hunt is survived by his wife Amanda and three sons.