Scofield, Paul

Scofield, Paul, 1922–, English actor, b. Hurstpierpoint, Sussex. Scofield joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 1945, having his first major success in King John. At the Stratford Memorial Theatre he won wide acclaim for his Hamlet and King Lear. His portrayal of Sir Thomas More in the stage (1960–62) and film (1966) versions of A Man for All Seasons gained him international renown along with a Tony and an Academy Award. He has also appeared in such other stage productions as Uncle Vanya (1970), Volpone (1977), Amadeus (1982), Heartbreak House (1992), and John Gabriel Borkman (1996). Noted for his strong, sculptured face and unusual voice, Scofield has made several films, including The Train (1964), King Lear (1971), A Delicate Balance (1973), Henry V (1989), Quiz Show (1994), and The Crucible (1996).

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Scofield, (David) Paul

(born Jan. 21, 1922, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, Eng.) British actor. After entertaining the troops in World War II, he joined the theatre company at Stratford-upon-Avon (later the Royal Shakespeare Company) in 1946, winning acclaim as Henry V and Hamlet. He had his greatest success in A Man for All Seasons in London (1960) and New York City (1961–62) and reprised the role on film (1966, Academy Award). He continued to excel in stage productions, notably Uncle Vanya (1970) and Amadeus (1979). He appeared in the film versions of King Lear (1971), A Delicate Balance (1973), and Henry V (1989), and he later acted in the films Quiz Show (1994) and The Crucible (1996).

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Scofield, Paul 

Born Jan. 21, 1922, in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex. English actor.

Scofield trained in the drama schools of the Croydon Repertory Theatre (1939) and the London Mask Theatre (1940–41). He later performed with the Traveling Repertory Theatre (1942–44) and with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1944–46), where he first collaborated with the director P. Brook. From 1946 to 1948 he worked at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon. Beginning in 1949 he acted at various theaters in London.

Scofield’s roles include the priest in The Power and the Glory, after the novel by G. Greene, Thomas More in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, and the title roles in Shakespeare’s King Lear, Macbeth, and Hamlet, his best role. His roles in the Russian repertoire include Treplev and Voinitskii in Chekhov’s The Sea Gull and Uncle Vanya and Khlestakov in Gogol’s The Inspector-General. Scofield has toured the USSR in the roles of Hamlet (1955), Lear (1964), and Macbeth (1968). A film actor since 1954, he won the award for best actor at the Fourth International Film Festival in Moscow for his performance in A Man for All Seasons. Scofield’s interpretations of his roles are often noted for their moral justness and love for humanity.

REFERENCES

Kovalev, Iu. V. PolSkofild. Leningrad, 1970.
Trewin, J. C. Paul Scofield. London [1956].

F. M. KRYMKO