By Christopher Stevens PUBLISHED: 17:45 EST, 28 November 2013 | UPDATED: 05:46 EST, 29 November 2013 Anarchy, acts of terror, crimes against the public. To combat it, I’ve got special men: experts from the Army, the police,  from every service — these are The Professionals!’ That rousing mission statement, overlaid with the throb of wah-wah guitars and screaming engines, heralded the controversial British action series that was a grittier, tougher answer to U.S. cop duo shows like Starsky And Hutch. Will Bodie and Ray Doyle were The Professionals — anti-terrorist agents licensed to use ‘any means necessary’.
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The British actor played agent Will Bodie in the series which began in 1977
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He was also a part-time para-trooper from Birkenhead, Merseyside
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Senior officers said he could not join the SAS because he was a celebrity
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Died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles surrounded by his family
After the show ended, he applied to join the @placeholder, and passed the initial selection stages for the territorial unit 23 SAS, before senior officers ruled that his celebrity status made him a security risk.