Actor Paul Scofield dies at 86

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - Paul Scofield, hailed as one of the great actors of his generation and awarded an Oscar for his haunting performance in "A Man For All Seasons", has died aged 86 of leukaemia, his agent said on Thursday.

Scofield, a fiercely private actor who spurned the limelight, had the power, voice and presence to outdo any other classical actor with unforgettable performances in roles ranging from Shakespeare's King Lear to a homosexual barber in the comedy "Staircase".

But the glitter of Hollywood did not appeal and he was quite happy never to match the glamour of his contemporaries Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier.

"Of the 10 greatest moments in the theatre, eight are Scofield's," Burton once said of Scofield.

Agent Rosalind Chatto said Scofield died peacefully at a hospital near his home in southern England on Wednesday. "He had leukaemia and had not been well for some time," she told Reuters.

Hollywood's Academy Award as best actor of 1966 went to Scofield for his masterly portrayal of Catholic martyr Sir Thomas More, who chose to be executed by King Henry VIII rather than betray his conscience, in the film "A Man For All Seasons".

The film was adapted by author Robert Bolt from his play in which Scofield was acclaimed on stages in London and New York.

Despite a volley of offers from Hollywood, Scofield chose a much lower profile, making few more films but still commanding the stage in such roles as Othello and Macbeth.