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Paul Winfield

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Paul Winfield
File:PaulWinfield.jpg
Born
Paul Edward Winfield
Other namesPaul E. Winfield
OccupationActor
Years active1966-2004
Partner(s)Charles Gillan, Jr. (1970s-2002)

Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American television, film, and stage actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Winfield also portrayed Martin Luther King, Jr. in the television miniseries King, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award.

Early years

Winfield was born in Los Angeles, California to Lois Beatrice Edwards, a union organizer in the garment industry. His stepfather from the age of eight was Clarence Winfield, a city trash collector and construction worker.[1][2] He attended Manual Arts High School, the University of Portland, Stanford University, Los Angeles City College and the University of California at Los Angeles.[3]

Career

Winfield carved out a diverse career in film, television, theater and voiceovers by taking ground breaking roles at a time when African-American actors were scarcely cast. His first major feature film role was in the 1969 film, The Lost Man starring Sidney Poitier. Winfield first became well-known to television audiences when he appeared for several years opposite Diahann Carroll on the groundbreaking television series Julia. Filmed during a high point of racial tensions in the United States, the show was unique in featuring an African-American female as the central character. He also starred as Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1978 miniseries King.

In 1973, Winfield was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1972 film Sounder, and his co-star in that film, Cicely Tyson, was nominated for Best Actress. Prior to their nominations, only two other African Americans - Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier - had ever been nominated for a leading role. He also appeared, in a different role, in the 2003 Disney-produced television remake of Sounder, which was directed by Kevin Hooks, his co-star from the original. Winfield played the part of “Jim the Slave” in Huckleberry Finn (1974) which was a musical based on the novel by Mark Twain. Winfield would recall late in his career that as a young actor he had played one of the two leads in Of Mice and Men in local repertory, made up in whiteface, since a black actor playing it would have been unthinkable. Winfield also starred in the miniseries, including Roots: The Next Generations, Alex Haley's Queen: The Story of an American Family and Scarlett.

Winfield gained a new segment of fans for his brief but memorable roles in several science fiction TV programs and movies. He portrayed Starfleet Captain Clark Terrell of the U.S.S. Reliant, an unwilling minion of Khan Noonien Singh, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Lt. Traxler, a friendly but crusty cop partnered with Lance Henriksen in The Terminator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1996 he was part of the 'name' ensemble cast in Tim Burton's comic homage to 1950's science fiction Mars Attacks!, playing the complacently self-satisfied chickenhawk Lt-Gen. Casey. On the small screen Star Trek franchise, he appeared as an alien captain who communicates in metaphor in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok". He also appeared on Babylon 5, as General Richard Franklin, the father of regular character Dr. Stephen Franklin, in the second season episode "Gropos."

Winfield also took on roles as gay characters in the films Mike's Murder in 1984 and again in 1998 in the film Relax...It's Just Sex. He found success off-camera due to his unique voice. He provided voices on the cartoons Spider-Man, The Magic School Bus, Batman Beyond, Gargoyles, K10C, and The Simpsons, on the latter voicing the Don King parody Lucius Sweet. In his voiceover career, he perhaps best-known as the narrator for the A&E true crime series City Confidential, a role he began in 1998 and continued with until his death in 2004.

Throughout his career, Winfield frequently managed to perform in the theater. His only Broadway production, Checkmates, in 1988, co-starring Ruby Dee, was also the Broadway debut of Denzel Washington. He also appeared in productions at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Winfield was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance in the King and Roots: The Next Generations. He won an Emmy Award, in 1995, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, for his appearance as Judge Harold Nance in an episode of the CBS drama Picket Fences.

Personal life and death

Winfield was openly gay in his private life, but remained discreet about it in the public eye.[4] His partner of 30 years, architect Charles Gillan, Jr., died on March 5, 2002 of bone cancer.

Winfield long battled obesity and diabetes, and he suffered a stroke.[3] He died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 64, at Queen of Angels–Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles.[5] Winfield and Gillan are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1967 Who's Minding the Mint? Garbage man Uncredited
1970 R.P.M. Steve Dempsey
1971 Brother John Henry Birkart
1972 Trouble Man Chalky Price
1973 Gordon's War Gordon Hudson
1974 Conrack Mad Billy
1975 Hustle Sergeant Louis Belgrave
1976 High Velocity Watson
1977 Damnation Alley Keegan
1977 The Greatest Lawyer
1978 A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich Butler
1981 Carbon Copy Bob Garvey
1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Captain Clark Terrell
1982 White Dog Keys
1983 On the Run Harry
1984 The Terminator Lieutenant Ed Traxler
1986 Blue City Luther Reynolds
1987 Death Before Dishonor Ambassador
1988 The Serpent and the Rainbow Lucien Celine
1990 Presumed Innocent Judge Larren Lyttle
1993 Cliffhanger Walter Wright
1993 Dennis the Menace Chief of Police
1994 The Killing Jar Judge Alternative title: Trapped
1995 In the Flesh William Stone
1996 Original Gangstas Rev. Dorsey Alternative title: Hot City
1997 Strategic Command Rowan
1998 Assignment Berlin Al Spector
1999 Catfish in Black Bean Sauce Harold Williams
2000 Knockout Ron Regent
2001 Vegas, City of Dreams Edgar Jones
2002 Second to Die Detective Grady
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1965 Perry Mason Mitch 1 episode
1966 Daktari Roy Kimba 2 episodes
1967 Cowboy in Africa Kabutu 1 episode
1968 Mission: Impossible Klaus 1 episode
1969 Mannix Walter Lucas 1 episode
1970 The Young Rebels Pompey 1 episode
1973 The Horror at 37,000 Feet Dr. Enkalla Television movie
1974 It's Good to Be Alive Roy Campanella Television movie
1977 Green Eyes Lloyd Dubeck Television movie
1978 King Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Miniseries
1979 Backstairs at the White House Emmett Rogers Sr Miniseries
1980 Angel City Cy Television movie
1981 The Sophisticated Gents Richard "Bubbles" Wiggins Television movie
1982 The Blue and the Gray Jonathan Henry Miniseries
1983 For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story Television movie
1984 The Fall Guy Bert Perkins 1 episode
1985 Murder, She Wrote Det. Lt. Starkey 1 episode
1986 Under Siege Andrew Simon Television movie
1987 Mighty Pawns Mr. Wright Television movie
1987-1988 The Charmings The Magic Mirror 19 episodes
1988-1990 227 Julian C. Barlow 24 episodes
1989 The Women of Brewster Place Sam Michael Miniseries
Wiseguy Isaac Twine 6 episodes
1990 It's Garry Shandling's Show Hoke 1 episode
L.A. Law Derron Holloway 4 episodes
1991 Family Matters Jimmy Baines 1 episode
Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Dathon 1 episode "Darmok"
1993 Irresistible Force Commander Toole Television movie
1994 Scarlett Big Sam Miniseries
1995 Babylon 5 General Richard Franklin 1 episode
1995 Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child Father (Voice) 1 episode
1995 Tyson Don King Television movie
1995-2003 Touched by an Angel Sam 13 episodes
1996 Second Noah Ramses 1 episode
1998-2004 City Confidential Narrator 94 episodes
1998 Walker, Texas Ranger Pastor Roscoe Jones 1 episode
1999 Strange Justice Thurgood Marshall Television movie
2002 Crossing Jordan Dr. Phillip Sanders 1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year Award Result Category Film or series
1973 Academy Award Nominated Best Actor in a Leading Role Sounder
2004 Black Reel Awards Nominated Television: Best Supporting Actor Sounder
1997 Daytime Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special The Legend of Gator Face
1982 NAACP Image Awards Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series or Miniseries or Television Movie The Sophisticated Gents
1978 Primetime Emmy Award Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special King
1979 Roots: The Next Generations
(For episode V)
1995 Won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Picket Fences
(For episode "Enemy Lines")
1999 St. Louis International Film Festival Won Lifetime Achievement Award
-

References

  1. ^ "Paul Winfield Biography". filmreference. 2008. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  2. ^ "Paul Winfield Biography". yahoo! Movies. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  3. ^ a b "Paul Winfield". Contemporary Black Biography. The Gale Group, Inc. 2006. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  4. ^ Linda Rapp (2005). "Winfield, Paul". glbtq encyclopedia. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  5. ^ King, Susan (2004-03-09). "Oscar-nominated actor Paul Winfield dies". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2009-06-16.

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