OBITUARY: Paul Scofield - A Man For All Seasons - dies aged 86

People Features

Mar 20, 2008, 19:28 GMT

London - Paul Scofield, the Oscar-winning British actor who played nearly all major Shakespearean roles and enthralled cinema- goers around the world with performances that include A Man For All Seasons, has died of leukaemia at the age of 86. The file picture dated 06 April 1972 shows British actor Paul Scofield, who was considered one of Britain's greatest Shakespeare actors. As his agent released on 20 March 2008, the reclusively living artist who suffered from leukaemia died on 19 March in a hospital near London. EPA/LOTHAR HEIDTMANN FILE PICTURE

The file picture dated 06 April 1972 shows British actor Paul Scofield, who was considered one of Britain's greatest Shakespeare actors. As his agent released on 20 March 2008, the reclusively living artist who suffered from leukaemia died on 19 March in a hospital near London. EPA/LOTHAR HEIDTMANN FILE PICTUREHis agent, Rosalind Chatto, said Scofield died peacefully in his sleep in hospital in Sussex, southern Britain, Wednesday. Scofield was considered one of the greatest actors of his generation, winning an Oscar in 1967 for his portrayal of the Tudor statesman Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons. Actress Dame Judi Dench, who appeared with Scofield in the film Henry V, directed by Kenneth Branagh, said Thursday: 'He was a great friend and a great man.' Scofield's memorable stage performances include playing the twin brothers in Anouilh's Ring Round the Moon, the priest in The Power and the Glory, and Salieri in Amadeus. But despite his success on the screen, Scofield, the son of a village school headmaster, never deserted his first love, the stage. He was born in Sussex in 1922, and made his professional debut on the stage in London in 1940. The wartime army had turned him down for service on medical grounds. He played with the John Gielgud company in the early 1950s, and later with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Scofield played Hamlet in London and Moscow, and toured Finland and Russia in performances of Macbeth. He appeared in A Man For All Seasons in London in 1960, and made a triumphant debut on Broadway in the same play the following year. Two years later, came what was generally considered to have been his greatest role: King Lear in the production of Peter Brook, performed in Stratford-on-Avon, London, Paris, New York, Moscow and many East European cities. On radio, he played Macbeth and Othello, among other roles. Throughout his career, critics raved about Scofield's distinguished appearance, noble features and tremendous presence. His voice, which could thunder at one moment before turning into a whisper the next, enthralled audiences around the world. Offstage, he was a private man. He was married to the actress, Joy Parker, with whom he had a son and a daughter. Scofield received a CBE award from Queen Elizabeth II in 1956, but later rejected attempts to give him a knighthood.

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OBITUARY: Paul Scofield - A Man For All Seasons - dies aged 86

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