Paul Scofield, the Academy Award winning actor from the U.K. has died at the age of 86, loosing his battle with leukemia.
A long time member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theater, Scofield, who was as much comfortable before the cameras as he was on the stage, won his Oscar in 1967 for the riviting portrayal of Sir Thomas More in “A Man For All Seasons.”
He starred in several popular films such as “A Delicate Balance” with Katherine Hepburn, 1989’s “Henry V,” “King Lear”, “Quiz Show,” “Hamlet” and “The Crucible.”
He also didn’t shun the small screen, bringing in outstanding performances for “Martin Chuzzlewit,” “The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank,” and “Anna Karenina.”
SF and genre fans will recognize his powerful, baritone voice for animated fare like George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” or “Genesis: The Creation and Flood,” “Kurosawa,” “Robinson in Space,” and “The Curse of King Tut’s Tomb.” Those in the U.K. may remember his made for TV fantasy film called “Mr. Corbett’s Ghost.”
In 2001 England bestowed one of its highest honors it can for a civilian on Scofield, the Companion of Honor. The Queen wanted to honor him with knighthood, which he roundly turned down on several occasions.
