Paul Scofield, RIP

Paul Scofield has died at 84 of leukemia. He was one of the greatest stage actors of his day but is best known among most of us for his portrayal of St. Thomas More in A Man for All Seaons.

It is cheering to learn, that as a man, he shared some significant characteristics with St. Thomas. Scofield, like More, was a brilliant, home-loving, humble, good man. This would be a good day to pray for him and his family. He brought us much joy.

There's a lovely description of him on CNN. Here are a few excerpts:

"He was a stage actor by inclination and by his gifts -- a dramatic, craggy face and an unforgettable voice that was likened to a Rolls Royce starting up or the rumbling sound of low organ pipes."

Snip.

"Actor Richard Burton, once regarded as the natural heir to Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud at the summit of British theater, said it was Scofield who deserved that place. "Of the 10 greatest moments in the theater, eight are Scofield's," he said."

Snip.

Scofield was an unusual star -- a family man who lived almost his entire life within a few miles of his birthplace in southern England and hurried home after work to his wife and children. He didn't seek the spotlight, gave interviews sparingly, and at times seemed to need coaxing to venture out, even onto the stage he loved.
His temperament, too, was unexpected in an actor who remained at the very top of his profession.

"It is hard not to be Polyanna-ish about Paul because he is such a manifestly good man, so humane and decent, and curiously void of ego," said director Richard Eyre, former artistic director of Britain's National Theatre. "All the pride he has is channeled through the thing that he does brilliantly."


One of the classic moments from the film :