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Oscar winning actor Paul Scofield has died at age 86.

He had been suffering from leukemia and died Wednesday in a hospital near his home in southern England.

Scofield a commanding stage and screen actor won an Academy Award and international fame for the 1966 film “A Man For All Seasons,” in which he played the Tudor statesman and author of “Utopia” executed for treason in 1535 after clashing with King Henry VIII.

But he followed that breakthrough with relatively few film roles. Scofield was a stage actor by inclination.

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.

Scofield’s short list of films included Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance”; “Henry V,” in which he played the king of France; “Quiz Show,” Robert Redford’s film about a 1950s TV scandal; and the 1996 adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.”

“Quiz Show” brought Scofield a second Oscar nomination, this time as best supporting actor. He played Mark Van Doren, the famed author and poet whose son, Charles, was the key figure in the scandal.

Scofield was an unusual star _ a family man who lived almost his whole 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.

Scofield reportedly had been offered a knighthood, but declined.

In 2001, however, he was named a Companion of Honor, one of the country’s top honors and limited to 65 living people.

He is survived by his wife and children.

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