Paul Scofield

[druiaghtagh]

Has he played any greater part than that Of Thomas Moore in 'A Man for all seasons ' ?

[spookylad]

He played King Lear in Peter Brook's bleak screen version. Not widely seen, and not easy to watch, but an incredible performance in an uncompromising film.

[jennymac]

He has been in more than a dozen films, including Robert Redford's film Quiz Show in 1995 as Mark Van Doren, for which he was Oscar-nominated as best supporting actor. His TV work includes the BBC's �4m adaptation of Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit in 1994. He is noted for being highly selective about the roles he takes on - and, as a notoriously private person, for steering clear of interviews. His presence has been described as "monumental but reassuring" and his voice compared variously to a Rolls Royce being started up and a sound rumbling up from an antique crypt. He was born in Birmingham in January 1922 to a village schoolmaster and grew up in Hurstpierpoint in Sussex. He has long been associated with nearby Balcombe, enjoying walking on the downs, reading and baking bread.