Paul Winfield facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Winfield
Winfield in The High Chaparral (1969)
Born	Paul Edward Winfield (1939-05-22)May 22, 1939 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	March 7, 2004(2004-03-07) (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California, U.S.
Other names	Paul E. Winfield
Alma mater	University of Portland Stanford University Los Angeles City College University of California, Los Angeles University of Hawaii University of California, Santa Barbara
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1965–2004
Partner(s)	Charles Gillan Jr. (1972–2002; Gillan's death)

Paul Edward Winfield (born May 22, 1939 – died March 7, 2004) was a talented American actor. He performed in plays, movies, and TV shows. He is best known for his role as a sharecropper (a farmer who pays rent with a share of his crops) in the movie Sounder (1972). This role earned him a nomination for an Academy Award, which is a very big honor in movies!

Paul Winfield also played the famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in a TV miniseries called King (1978). For this, he was nominated for an Emmy Award, which is a top award for TV shows. You might also remember him from movies like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and The Terminator, or the TV show 227. He won an Emmy Award in 1995 for his guest role in the TV show Picket Fences.

Early life and education

Paul Winfield was born on May 22, 1939, in Dallas, Texas. His mother, Lois Beatrice Edwards, was a single mom who worked as a union organizer in the clothing industry. When Paul was eight, his stepfather, Clarence Winfield, became part of his family. Clarence worked as a city trash collector and construction worker.

Paul graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. He then went to several universities, including the University of Portland, Stanford University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He studied at these schools between 1957 and 1971.

Acting career highlights

Paul Winfield was a member of The Actors Studio, a famous place where actors train. He had a wide-ranging career in movies, TV, theater, and even voice acting. He took on important roles at a time when there were not many opportunities for Black actors.

Early roles and TV fame

His first TV appearance was in 1965 on the show Perry Mason. His first big movie role was in The Lost Man (1969). He became well-known on TV when he appeared with Diahann Carroll in the show Julia. This show was special because it featured a Black woman as the main character, which was rare for its time.

Sounder and major awards

In 1973, Paul Winfield was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1972 movie Sounder. His co-star, Cicely Tyson, was also nominated for Best Actress. Before their nominations, only a few other Black American actors had been nominated for leading roles. This made their nominations very important. Paul also appeared in a TV remake of Sounder in 2003, playing a different character. He also played Jim in the musical movie Huckleberry Finn (1974).

Science fiction and fantasy roles

Paul Winfield gained many new fans for his memorable roles in science fiction movies and TV shows.

• In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, he played Captain Terrell.
• He was Lieutenant Ed Traxler, a friendly police officer, in The Terminator.
• In the funny sci-fi movie Mars Attacks! (1996), he played Lt. General Casey.
• On TV, he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok" as an alien captain named Dathon.
• He was also in the show Babylon 5 as General Richard Franklin.
• In the sitcom The Charmings, he played the Magic Mirror.
• He also played Julian Barlow in the TV series 227.

Voice acting and theater

Paul Winfield was also successful as a voice actor because of his unique voice. He lent his voice to many cartoons, including:

• Spider-Man
• The Magic School Bus
• Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
• Batman Beyond
• Gargoyles
• The Simpsons, where he voiced a character named Lucius Sweet.

He was also the narrator for the true crime TV series City Confidential from 1998 until his death. Paul Winfield also performed in many plays throughout his career. His only Broadway play was Checkmates in 1988.

Later life and passing

Paul Winfield faced some health issues during his life. He passed away from a heart attack on March 7, 2004, at the age of 64. He is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Paul Winfield para niños