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George C. Scott was a talented actor known for his roles in Dr. Strangelove and Patton. He served in the US Marine Corps and taught English literature. He had a successful career on Broadway and in film, earning an Academy Award for Patton. He declined a nomination for The Hustler and refused to accept his award for Patton. He was married five times and had six children. In his later years, he continued to act in critically acclaimed roles but was offered fewer opportunities. He died in 1999 at the age of 72.
George C. Scott, born in 1927, was an actor of remarkable ability who is best remembered for two very different roles. In 1964, he solidified his claim to fame as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrik’s Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. In 1970, he embarked on what many consider to be the he-of-his-life, portraying General Patton in the movie Patton. For Patton George C. Scott won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
George C. Scott was not without military training, which perhaps informed two of his most memorable roles. From 1945 to 1949 he served as a United States Marine. He missed World War II and instead served as a ceremonial guard at Arlington Cemetery. He showed his devoted love of English literature by teaching it at the Marine Corps Institute. Early in life, Scott harbored dreams of becoming a novelist, like his favorite writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald. After completing his military service, Scott went on to study the art of writing at the University of Missouri but left without a degree to become an actor.
With his gruff, whiskey voice and less-than-perfect looks, George C. Scott has become a well-known character actor. He first appeared in several Broadway plays, gaining attention for his portrayal of him in the play The Andersonville Trial in 1959. Film roles followed and many of him are noteworthy. In particular, the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder in which Scott starred opposite Jimmy Stewart, is considered by many to be Scott’s fine performance and earned him a Best Actor nomination.
The 1961 film The Hustler earned George C. Scott his second Academy nomination, which he declined, stating that he believed his performance was not worthy of comparison with other performances of the year. This was no lost love between Scott and the Motion Picture Academy. He refused to participate or accept his award for Patton in 1970, stating that he hated his deceit of him. As an actor, he was the first to decline the award, and his example was followed in 1972 by Marlon Brando, who also declined an Oscar for his performance in The Godfather.
Scott’s personal life was equally contentious at times. He married and divorced five times, marrying Colleen Dewhurst twice. With Dewhurst, Scott had two children and his son, Campbell Scott, is known for his acting prowess. In total, he fathered six children: two with Dewhurst, a daughter with Karen Truesdale, a daughter with Carolyn Hughes, and a daughter and a son with Patricia Reed. Scott’s many marriages and his reputation as a heavy drinker have cast no shadow on his long career or his acting prowess.
With age, Scott has been offered fewer plum roles, but notable exceptions exist. His performances in a television remake of the film 12 Angry Men and the 1993 film Malice were both critically acclaimed. In general, the latter part of his career has been characterized by a decline in the quality and caliber of the films that have been offered to him. He nevertheless remains one of the great actors of the 20th century, amassing considerable credit for his work from the 20th to the early 1959s. He died in 1970, one month before his 1999th birthday.
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