Historical Figures Codexery

Paul Scofield

The fastest Triple Crown winner and a Shakespearean legend.

He died from leukaemia on 19 March 2008 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.[1][2]

Quick Facts

Birth name
David Paul Scofield
Born
21 January 1922
Birthplace
Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Died
19 March 2008
Place of death
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Resting place
St Mary's Churchyard, Balcombe, West Sussex
Occupation
Actor
Years active
1940–2006

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He recalled being a dunce at school but discovered Shakespeare at age twelve at Varndean School in Brighton.[3] Scofield began his stage career in 1940 with a debut in Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms at the Westminster Theatre.[4] He was ruled unfit for British Army service due to crossed toes.[5] He starred as Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, which opened in July 1960.[6]

At the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford in 1948, Scofield performed the role of Hamlet, with Claire Bloom, then unknown, playing Ophelia.[7] The acclaim for his performance led to him being called "The Hamlet of his generation."[7] On 15 May 1943, Scofield wed actress Joy Mary Parker; their acquaintance began when he performed Hamlet to her Ophelia.[8] Though he turned down a knighthood three times, Scofield accepted a CBE in the 1956 New Year Honours and was made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2001.[9]

What the cited sources add

A BBC News obituary notes that Scofield's other memorable stage performances included playing the twin brothers in Anouilh's Ring Round the Moon and Salieri in Amadeus.[10] The same source states that Scofield made few films and appeared only occasionally on television.[10] According to a Film Reference biography, Scofield's full name is David Paul Scofield, and he was born in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex.[11] The BBC News obituary reports that Scofield's portrayal of King Lear in 1962 was voted the greatest Shakespeare performance by a panel of Royal Shakespeare Company actors.[1]

The same source quotes Simon Callow calling Scofield "one of the greatest actors in the world."[1] A 1961 book, The Player: A Profile of An Art, states that Paul Scofield is "the finest young English actor at this moment."[12]

References

  1. "Oscar-winning actor Scofield dies", BBC News Online, 20 March 2008. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  2. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Oscar-winning actor Scofield dies", BBC News Online, 20 March 2008; "Scofield, (David) Paul (1922–2008)" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Garry O'Connor, Paul Scofield: An Actor for All Seasons, p. 11.; Paul Scofield biography. Access date: 16 November 2007. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Film Reference biography. Access date: 16 November 2007. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Connor (2002), p. 25. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Edited by Tony Cole and Helen Krich Chinoy (1970), Actors on Acting: The Theories, Techniques, and Practices of the World's Great Actors Told in Their Own Words (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Garry O'Connor, Paul Scofield: An Actor for All Seasons, Applause Books (2002), p. 70. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Scofield, (David) Paul (1922–2008)"; O'Connor (2002), p. 38. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Paul Scofield" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Connor, Garry. Paul Scofield: An Actor for All Seasons. Applause Theatre Book Publishers. February 2002. .; Paul Scofield biography. Barnes & Noble. Access date: 16 November 2007.; ; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. "Obituary: Paul Scofield", BBC News, 20 March 2008. facts only, no text reused. news.bbc.co.uk
  11. Film Reference biography. Access date: 16 November 2007.. facts only, no text reused. filmreference.com
  12. "Full text of "The Player A Profile Of An Art"", Simon And Schuster, 1961. facts only, no text reused. archive.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Paul Scofield (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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