The Only Major Actor Still Alive From The Avengers TV Series

In the summer of 2012, people in the United Kingdom flocked to theaters to see a team-up superhero movie called "Avengers Assemble." An untold truth of the original "Avengers" movie is that it required a title change in that country due to there already being a popular piece of media called "The Avengers," even if it dated back to the 1960s. 

In 1961, the TV show "The Avengers" debuted, meaning it even predates the "Avengers" comic book, which came out with its first issue in 1963. The spy series managed to thread the needle of having some fun spy adventures throughout its run and other storylines that were tinged with more noir elements. It was highly influential in the spy genre, and it's remained in the zeitgeist in various capacities over the decades. There was even an "Avengers" film in the 1990s that was a box office bomb but deserves a remake nonetheless.

"The Avengers" ended in 1969, and suffice it to say, much of the original cast has since passed away. It might make fans who want to engage in a bit of nostalgia sad rewatching the series, provided they can manage to track it down. There's only one main cast member left alive from the show — Linda Thorson.

Linda Thorson arrived toward the tail end of "The Avengers," as she appeared as Tara King on the last batch of episodes, from 1968 to 1969. It was her first credited TV appearance, and there was a lot on the line since she was replacing the popular Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). Of course, Thorson made her mark on the spy thriller and became yet another fantastic female companion to John Steed (Patrick Macnee). In a 2021 retrospective on the series, Thorson spoke to We Are Cult about learning so much about filmmaking during her time on the show: "I stayed on the set a lot, I learned about cameras, lenses, and lighting, and that took me a long way when I worked on other film productions, because I was au fait with movie making."

Her role on "The Avengers" kickstarted a wide-ranging career that's spanned decades. Thorson has gone on to appear in dozens of other television series and movies, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Emily of New Moon," and one of the funniest sitcoms in TV history, "Schitt's Creek." She described to We Are Cult that working on "Schitt's Creek" was "the best experience I've had on a show since 'The Avengers'" due to how hospitable everyone was toward her. Most recently, she had a recurring role on Hulu's "The Hardy Boys" as Gloria Estabrook.

It's clear "The Avengers" was just the beginning of many great things to come for the actor. It's sad she's the only main "Avengers" cast member left, but at least the show's legacy lives on. And if we're allowed to make a massive stretch, she even shares a connection with Marvel's "Avengers," seeing as her last name is "Thor"-son.