George C. Scott

George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927–September 22,1999) was a film/stage actor, director, and producer. He was best known for his dramatic portrayal of General George S. Patton in the Academy Award winning movie, "Patton."

Related Topics:
October 18 - 1927 - September 22 - 1999 - Actor - Director - Producer - George S. Patton - Academy Award - Patton

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Scott was born in Wise, Virginia. His mother died when he was only eight-years-old, and he was raised by his father, an executive at the Buick Motor Company.

Related Topics:
Wise, Virginia - Buick Motor Company

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As a young man, Scott joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was assigned to the prestigious 8th and I Barracks in Washington, D.C. In that capacity, he served as a ceremonial guard at Arlington National Cemetery and he taught English literature and radio speaking/writing at the Marine Corps Institute. Scott later complained that his duties at Arlington led to his drinking.

Related Topics:
U.S. Marine Corps - Arlington National Cemetery

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After serving his hitch in the Marines, Scott enrolled in the University of Missouri where he majored in journalism. But he soon left college for an acting career. Scott began as a stage actor on Broadway and achieved critical acclaim portraying the prosecutor in The Andersonville Trial by Saul Levett. This was based on the military trial of the commandant of the infamous Civil War prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia. Scott's performance earned him a mention in Time magazine as a rising young actor of great intensity. Scott also played Richard III on stage and one critic said he was the "angriest" Richard III of all time.

Related Topics:
Andersonville, Georgia - Richard III

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Scott gained wide public attention in the film, Anatomy of a Murder, in which he played a wily prosecutor opposite Jimmy Stewart as the defense attorney. He was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor; when he was notified about the nomination, he called the Academy Awards a "meat race."

Related Topics:
Anatomy of a Murder - Jimmy Stewart

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However, his most famous early role was in ' where he played the part of General "Buck" Turgidson. It was said that Stanley Kubrick told Scott that he had all the takes for one of the early scenes in that film and asked him to redo the scene in an "over the top" fashion. This take was the one that is actually used in Dr. Strangelove.

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Scott's greatest role, however, was when he played the swaggering and controversial World War II Army general, George Patton, in the 1970 movie, Patton. Scott had researched extensively for this role, studying films of the general and talking to those who knew him. Having declined an Academy Award nomination for his appearance in The Hustler, Scott returned his Oscar for Patton, stating that he didn't feel himself to be in competition with other actors. It was also in 1970 that Scott directed a very highly acclaimed television version of The Andersonville Trial. Jack Cassidy won an Emmy award for his performance as the defense lawyer in this production. In 1971 Scott gave another critically acclaimed performance in the black comedy film The Hospital: despite his having snubbed them the previous year, the Academy once again nominated him for the Best Actor award.

Related Topics:
George Patton - Patton - The Hustler - Oscar - Black comedy - The Hospital

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Scott had a reputation for being somewhat moody and mercurial while on the set. There is a famous story that one of his co-stars (Maureen Stapleton) told the director of Neil Simon's Plaza Suite: "I don't know what to do, I am scared of him". The director replied "My dear, everyone is scared of George C. Scott!"

Related Topics:
Maureen Stapleton - Neil Simon - Plaza Suite

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In 1984, Scott was cast in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a television adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Critics and the public alike praised his performance. Some have said he was the finest Scrooge of all time, next to Alastair Sim. This movie has since become a television favorite at Christmas.

Related Topics:
Ebenezer Scrooge - A Christmas Carol - Alastair Sim

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Scott was twice married to and twice divorced from Canadian-born actress Colleen Dewhurst, with whom he had two sons, one the actor Campbell Scott. He was also married to much younger actress Trish Vandevere, from whom he was estranged at the time of his death. His reputation will always be soiled, regardless of his greatness as an actor, by his physical abuse of the women in his life (Dewhurst, Vandevere, Ava Gardner). He died in 1999 from a ruptured abdomen aortic aneurysm. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California.

Related Topics:
Colleen Dewhurst - Campbell Scott - Ava Gardner - 1999 - Aortic aneurysm - Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery - Westwood, California

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