Paul Winfield

He was a homosexual, but he preferred to conceal the fact in public. He was in a relationship with architect Charles Gillan, Jr. since 1972 for a period of 30 years until the death of Charles Gillan, Jr due to bone cancer.

He was known to have had issues with weight, obesity and diabetes. He died on 7 March 2004 due to a heart attack in Los Angeles, at the age of 64.

Paul Edward Winfield was born on 22 May 1939 at Los Angeles, California in USA. His mother, Lois Beatrice Edwards, was a union organiser in garment industry. Clarence Winfield, who was a construction worker and city trash collector, was his stepfather.

He completed his school education from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. It is here that he began acting. Later, he earned his first acting job along with a scholarship to study at the University of Portland between 1957 and 1959.

Following this, subsequent scholarships allowed him to attend colleges like the Stanford University in 1959, followed by the Los Angeles City College between 1959 and 1963. He then spent two years in the University of California (U.C.L.A) in Los Angeles. He left U.C.L.A when he was merely six credits short of a bachelor’s degree.

In 1965, he attended the University of Hawaii and later between 1970 and 1971 he enrolled in the University of California, Santa Barbara.

In 1964, he was cast in a single act play ‘The Dutchman and the Toilet’ by actor, director and producer Burgess Meredith. The following year he appeared in an episode of the detective television series ‘Perry Mason’.

In 1966, he won a contract with Columbia Pictures that gave him opportunity to work on television. As a member of Stanford Repertory Theatre, he simultaneously focused on contemporary and classic theatre plays.

During the late 1960s and early years of 1970s he appeared in numerous feature films and television series in guest roles. This included television sitcom ‘Julia’ (1968), a series that was unique as it featured a black woman as the central character during a period of racial tension in the United States.

In 1969, he joined the Inner City Cultural Center Theatre in Los Angeles. The Center offered drama programs for high school students and he spent two years here.

He began his career in feature films with minor roles in films like ‘The Lost Man’ (1969), ‘R.P.M’ (1970) and ‘Brother John’ (1971). He received his first lead role in the 1972 movie ‘Sounder’. His performance in the movie earned critical appreciation.

He was known for the portrayal of character roles in feature films and television. His most notable performances include ‘Sounder’, ‘The Legend of Gator Face’, ‘The Sophisticated Gents’, ‘King’, ‘Roots: The Next Generations’ and ‘Picket Fences’.