Paul Scofield

In 1942, Paul Scofield met actress Joy Parker while working together in Birmingham Reparatory. Both of them were very young at that time and faced objection from their families but they got married on May 15, 1943 and remained together for rest of their lives.

The couple had two children - Martin and Sarah. Martin later became a senior lecturer in 19th century English and American literature at the University of Kent.

Scofield was a highly private person and ha put his family above everything else. This was one of the reasons why he never accepted offer from Hollywood.

David Paul Scofield was born on 21 January, 1922 in Birmingham. He grew up at Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, where his family moved soon after his birth. His father, Edward Harry Scofield, was the headmaster at the Hurstpierpoint Church of England School. His mother’s name was Mary Scofield.

Paul began his education at his father’s school. At the age of twelve, he was shifted to Varndean School at Brighton. He was not at all a good student but at Varndean he discovered Shakespeare.

The school had a tradition of enacting one Shakespearian play each year. When Paul was thirteen, he was selected to play Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Although he did not initially enjoy wearing that ‘embarrassing’ blonde wig his natural talent ensured more leading roles for him.

Very soon he became captivated by the bard and began to look forward to the annual play. Later he also played Rosalind in ‘As You Like It’. Finally at seventeen, he left school without graduating to pursue a career in acting.

In 1939, he enrolled at a small school attached to the Croydon Repertory Theater. As the war broke out he tried to enlist in the army, but was refused because he had crossed toes and could not wear boots.

He made his stage debut in 1940 with ‘Desire Under the Elms’ at the Westminster Theater. Soon he and his troupe went on a tour, playing at munitions factories, entertaining soldiers. Although he was still in his teens he received good review.

In 1942, he joined Birmingham Reparatory, which would later play a major role in his career. During this time, he was especially commended for his performance as Horatio in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’.

Next in 1946, he moved to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he joined Royal Shakespeare Theatre. There he began playing leading roles in plays like ‘Henry V’ and ‘Pericles, Prince of Tyre’. In addition, he appeared as Cloten in ‘Cymbeline’, Don Adriano de Armado in ‘Love's Labour's Lost’, and Lucio in ‘Measure for Measure’.

In 1947, he also played the leading role in ‘Hamlet’ at the Royal National Theatre in London. It was around this time that he also began working for radio. His deep sonorous voice was just right for such a medium. Over the years he appeared in many BBC radio plays like ‘On the Train to Chemnitz’ (2001) and ‘Anton in Eastbourne’ (2002).

In 1949, Scofield moved to commercial theatre taking lead role in ‘Alexander the Great’. Subsequently, he took part in a number of celebrated productions like ‘Express Bongo’ (1958), ‘A Man for All Seasons’ (1960), ‘King Lear’ (1962), ‘Staircase’ (1966), ‘A Hotel in Amsterdam’ (1968), Hampton's Savages (1973), ‘Volopne’ (1977), Amadeus (1979), ‘Othello’ (1980) etc.

For his performance in ‘A Man for All Seasons’ Scofield received Academy Award for Best Actor; BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role; Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama; Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor; Moscow International Film Festival Award for Best Actor; National Board of Review Award for Best Actor and New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor.

In 1969, he receive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in TV miniseries ‘Male of the Species’.

In 1971, he received Bodil Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film version of ‘King Lear’.

In 1996, he received BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in ‘Crucible’.

In 2002, Scofield received Sam Wanamaker Award for his pioneering work in Shakespearean theater.