Paul Scofield, 21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008. I was saddened today to hear of the death of this consummate actor. He eschewed the celebrity of his vocation, turning down a knighthood three times with the comment: "If you want a title, what’s wrong with Mr?" Of course, he'll be most widely remembered for his film work, especially his role as Sir Thomas More in
A Man For All Seasons and his shattering performance in Peter Brook's
film of King Lear. But I do regret that I never had the chance to see him on stage.
BBC's Arena program recently did a wonderful documentary on Paul Scofield with commentary by John Hurt, Vanessa Redgrave, Nicolas Hytner and Richard Eyre. It can be viewed in six 10-minute chunks on youtube.com. Search using the keyword "Paul Scofield."
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