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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▪ 2009

      British actor

born Jan. 21, 1922, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, Eng.

died March 19, 2008, West Sussex, Eng.

delighted audiences with his sonorous voice and powerful performances in Shakespearean and other stage roles. He had his greatest success, however, as Sir Thomas More in Robert Bolt's A Man for All Seasons, in which he appeared in London (1960) and on Broadway (1961–62), where he won (1962) the Tony Award for best actor in a drama; in 1967 he earned the Academy Award for best actor for the film version. Scofield trained at the Croydon Repertory Theatre School (1939) and at the Mask Theatre School (1940) in London. After touring with companies entertaining the troops during World War II, he joined the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and in 1946 moved to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he played the title characters in Henry V and Hamlet, among other Shakespearean roles. He had his first starring role in commercial theatre in Terence Rattigan's ill-fated Adventure Story (1949). Scofield's successes in the theatre included King Lear (1962), Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (1970), Ben Jonson's Volpone (1977), Salieri in the original production of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus (1979), and Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman (1996). Scofield made his film debut in 1955. He later played Lear in Peter Brook's 1971 movie version, Tobias in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance (1973), the French king in Kenneth Branagh's version of Henry V (1989), and Judge Thomas Danforth in a film adaptation of Arthur Miller's The Crucible (1996). Although Scofield declined a knighthood, he was made CBE in 1956 and was named a Companion of Honour in 2001.

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