Editing Leo McKern (section)

===Television===
Two of McKern's earliest television roles were Sir Roger DeLisle (usurper of the Locksley manor and lands) and Herbert of Doncaster (a corrupt moneylender) in the 1950s black-and-white series ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]''.<ref name="tv"/>

During the 1960s, he was one of several [[Number Two (The Prisoner)|Number Twos]] in the TV series ''[[The Prisoner]]''.<ref name="tv"/> Along with [[Colin Gordon]], McKern was one of only two actors to play Number Two more than once. He first played the character in the episodes "[[The Chimes of Big Ben]]" and "[[Once Upon a Time (The Prisoner)|Once Upon a Time]]", and reprised the role in the final episode, "[[Fall Out (The Prisoner)|Fall Out]]".<ref name="film"/> The filming of "Once Upon a Time" was a particularly intense experience for McKern; according to one biographer, the stress caused him to suffer either a [[Mental breakdown|nervous breakdown]] or a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] (accounts differ), forcing production to stop for a time.<ref>{{cite book |title=''The Prisoner'': The Official Companion to the Classic TV Series |last=Fairclough |first=Robert |publisher=I Books |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7434-5256-4}}</ref> 

In 1976, McKern narrated and presented ''The Battle of the Somme'', a [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] documentary marking the 60th anniversary of the World War I battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220124130553/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6f275c56 "'Battle of the Somme' television documentary, BBC (1976)"]. ''British Film Institute'' (2020). Retrieved 18 November 2024.]</ref> He played the Earl of Gloucester in [[Granada Television]]'s production of ''[[King Lear (1983 TV drama)|King Lear]]'' (1983). Also in 1983, he starred in episodes of the mini-series ''[[Reilly, Ace of Spies]]'' as Zaharov, director of Vickers.<ref name="tv"/>

====''Rumpole of the Bailey''====
In 1975, McKern made his first appearance in the role that would make him a household name as an actor, Horace Rumpole, whom he played in ''[[Rumpole of the Bailey]]'', originally an episode of the BBC's ''[[Play for Today]]''. A series of the same name, comprising 44 episodes, was produced for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] between 1978 and 1992. According to Rumpole's creator, author [[John Mortimer]], McKern "not only played the character Rumpole—he added to it, brightened it and brought it fully to life."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/arts/leo-mckern-82-veteran-actor-who-gave-voice-to-rumpole.html |title=Leo McKern, 82, Veteran Actor Who Gave Voice to 'Rumpole' |last=Goldman |first=Ari L. |date=24 July 2002 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=15 May 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Although he enjoyed the role, McKern expressed doubts about its popularity and the extent to which his life was becoming intertwined with Rumpole's. "McKern was often unhappy, decrying his television fame as an 'insatiable monster'. He stressed that his [[Peer Gynt]]<!--no italics: this is referring to the character--> was a greater performance and lamented: 'If I get an obit in any paper, they will say, "...&nbsp;of course, known to millions as Rumpole.{{"-}}{{'"}}<ref name="grumpy">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1402354/Legacy-of-grumpy-Rumpole.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Legacy of 'grumpy Rumpole' |first=Hugh |last=Davies |date=24 July 2002 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250102184934/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1402354/Legacy-of-grumpy-Rumpole.html |archive-date=2025-01-02 }}</ref> In the later series, his daughter [[Abigail McKern]] joined the cast as Liz Probert.<ref name="grumpy"/>