George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen.[1] With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex authority figures.
George Campbell Scott was born on the kitchen table on October 18, 1927—the younger of two siblings—in the modestWise, Virginia, home of his parents, Gerald Dewey Scott (1902–1988) and Helena Agnes (née Slemp; 1904–1935). His mother was the first cousin, once removed, of Republican CongressmanC. Bascom Slemp.[5] His maternal grandfather was a local jurist, Judge Campbell Slemp.[6] Scott's mother died just before his eighth birthday, and he was raised by his father, an executive atBuick. Scott's original ambition was to be a writer like his favorite author,F. Scott Fitzgerald. While attendingRedford High School inDetroit, he wrote many short stories, none of which were published. He tried on many occasions to write a novel, but never completed one to his own satisfaction.[5]
After high school, Scott enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps, serving from 1945 to 1949. He was assigned to8th and I Barracks inWashington, D.C., and his primary duty was serving as honor guard at military funerals atArlington National Cemetery.[7] He later said that during his duty at Arlington, "[I] pick[ed] up a solid drinking habit that stayed with me from then on."[8]
Following military service, Scott enrolled at theUniversity of Missouri on theG.I. Bill where he majored in journalism and then became interested in drama.[9] His first public appearance on stage was as the barrister in a university production ofTerence Rattigan'sThe Winslow Boy, directed by H. Donovan Rhynsburger. During rehearsals for that show, he made his first stage appearance—in a student production ofNoël Coward'sHands Across the Sea, directed by Jerry V. Tobias. He graduated from the university in 1953 with degrees in English and theater.[10]
WithGeraldine Page (1959) in a publicity still forPeople Kill People Sometimes
Scott earned his first Academy Award nomination for his performance inOtto Preminger'sAnatomy of a Murder (1959). Later that year he appeared on Broadway inThe Andersonville Trial bySaul Levitt directed byJose Ferrer, winning critical acclaim for his portrayal of the prosecutor. This was based on the military trial of the commandant of the infamousCivil War prison camp inAndersonville, Georgia. It ran for 179 performances from December 1959 to June 1960.
Scott as General Buck Turgidson inDr. Strangelove, 1964
Scott's highest-profile early role was in theStanley Kubrick–directedDr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), in which he played General "Buck" Turgidson. In later interviews with Kubrick, Scott was revealed to have initially refused to camp it up on camera. As a compromise, Kubrick had Scott go over the top in rehearsal, assuring Scott that the cameras were off, which was untrue. Somehow, Scott was unable to hear the very loud motor on the 35mm film cameras of the time. Kubrick proceeded to use this version in the final cut, which Scott supposedly resented.[16] Scott was one of many stars inThe Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964).
Scott returned to Broadway in 1967 to directDr. Cook's Garden by Ira Levin but quit during tryouts. As an actor, he appeared in a revival ofThe Little Foxes (1967–1968) directed byMike Nichols, which ran for 100 performances. Scott starred inThe Flim-Flam Man (1967) andPetulia (1968). He appeared in the television filmMirror, Mirror Off the Wall (1969).
Scott playedGeorge S. Patton in the filmPatton (1970) and researched extensively for the role, studying films of the general and talking to those who knew him. Scott declined the Oscar nomination forPatton, just as he had done for his nomination in 1962 forThe Hustler, but won the award anyway.[18]
In a letter to theMotion Picture Academy, he stated that he did not feel himself to be in competition with other actors. However, regarding this second rejection of the Academy Award, Scott famously said elsewhere, "The whole thing is a goddamn meat parade. I don't want any part of it."[8][19] The Best Picture Oscar forPatton was given to theGeorge C. Marshall Foundation Library at theVirginia Military Institute inLexington, Virginia, the same institution that generations of Pattons attended, by producerFrank McCarthy a few weeks after the awards ceremony, and is on display there. Scott accepted theNew York Film Critics Award. His then-wife Colleen Dewhurst said, "George thinks this is the only film award worth having".[20]
Scott had a big Broadway hit withNeil Simon'sPlaza Suite (1968), directed by Mike Nichols. The show was composed of three separate one-act plays all using the same set, with Scott portraying a different lead character in each act; it ran for 1,097 performances. Scott directed a production ofAll God's Chillun Got Wings (1975) which starred Van Devere and only had a short run. He directed and playedWilly Loman in a 1975 revival ofDeath of a Salesman, for which he garnered another Tony nomination.[21] Scott received aTony Award nomination for his performance as Astrov in a 1973 revival ofUncle Vanya, directed by Nichols, which ran for 64 performances. Scott starred in a well-received production ofLarry Gelbart'sSly Fox (1976; based onBen Jonson'sVolpone), which ran 495 performances.
Scott appeared in a television production ofBeauty and the Beast (1976), with Trish Van Devere. He later starred as anErnest Hemingway-based artist inIslands in the Stream (1977) directed by Schaffner and based on Hemingway's posthumously published novel. He had a cameo inCrossed Swords (1977) directed by Fleischer, then had the lead inMovie Movie (1978) directed byStanley Donen, costarring with Van Devere, andHardcore (1979) written and directed byPaul Schrader.
Scott starred inThe Changeling (1980), withMelvyn Douglas,John Colicos,Jean Marsh, and Van Devere, for which he received the CanadianGenie Award for Best Foreign Film Actor for his performance.[22] He followed this withThe Formula (1980) co-starringMarlon Brando, which was a flop. With one exception, it was the last time he had the lead in a major studio feature film. Scott returned to Broadway forTricks of the Trade in 1980 with Van Devere, but it ran for a single performance.
Scott appeared alongsideTimothy Hutton and rising starsSean Penn andTom Cruise in the coming-of-age filmTaps (1981), and was cast asFagin in the CBS made-for-TV adaptation ofCharles Dickens'sOliver Twist (1982). On Broadway, he starred in and directed a successful revival of Noël Coward'sPresent Laughter which ran during 1982–83. He starred inChina Rose (1983) on television, and in 1984, had a supporting role inFirestarter and portrayedEbenezer Scrooge in a television adaptation ofA Christmas Carol. He directed the 1984 Broadway revival of Noël Coward'sDesign for Living, which ran for 245 performances. In 1986, on Broadway, Scott didThe Boys in Autumn in 1986. In 1993, he appeared off-Broadway successfully withWrong Turn at Lungfish. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for the role. Scott played the title role in the television filmMussolini: The Untold Story (1985).
On Influences:
I think I learned to act from people likeJames Cagney andPaul Muni. And I'm sure I learned more fromBette Davis than anyone. She has enormous presence, a sense of surprise. She sets you up like a great boxer and BAM! she gives you something else. She does have a certain consistent style, but when you examine her work you find enormous variety of color and intelligence.
Scott on Some Aspects of Acting,Time, March 22, 1971
Scott reprised his role as Patton in a made-for-television sequel,The Last Days of Patton (1986). Based on the final weeks of Patton's life after being mortally injured in a car accident, it contains flashbacks of Patton's life. At the time the sequel was aired, Scott mentioned in aTV Guide interview that he told the academy to donate his Oscar to thePatton Museum, but since the instructions were never put in writing, it was never delivered.[23]
In 1990, he voiced two villainous roles: Smoke in the television specialCartoon All-Stars to the Rescue and Percival McLeach in theDisney filmThe Rescuers Down Under. He was featured inThe Exorcist III (1990). For TV, he starred inDescending Angel (also 1990) andFinding the Way Home (1991). On Broadway, he directed and appeared in a revival ofOn Borrowed Time (1991–92). He had a supporting role inCuracao (1993) andMalice (1993). Scott had a starring role inTraps (1994) but the series only ran for five episodes. He also had a semi-regular role on another short-lived seriesNew York News (1995). Around this time, Scott appeared in such feature films asThe Whipping Boy (1994),Tyson (1995), andAngus (1995). Scott received another Tony nomination for his performance as Henry Drummond in a revival ofInherit the Wind (1996). In the latter play, he had to miss many performances due to illness, with his role being taken over byNational Actors Theatre artistic directorTony Randall.[24] In 1996, he received an honoraryDrama Desk Award for a lifetime devotion to theatre.
On the small screen, Scott appeared inCountry Justice (1996),Titanic (1996) (as the ship's captain), andThe Searchers (1996). Scott portrayed Juror No. 3 in the television film12 Angry Men (1997), the role played byLee J. Cobb in the1957 film, for which he would win another Emmy Award. He hostedWeapons at War onA&E TV, but was replaced after one season byGerald McRaney.Weapons at War moved toThe History Channel with Scott still credited as host for the first season. Scott was replaced byRobert Conrad after his death in 1999. He had support roles inGloria (1999) forSidney Lumet andRocky Marciano (1999). Scott made his last film, the television filmInherit the Wind (1999), portraying Matthew Harrison Brady (ironically opposite the role he had played on stage) withJack Lemmon as Henry Drummond, with whom he had also worked in12 Angry Men. Scott had a reputation for being moody and mercurial while on the set. "There is no question you get pumped up by the recognition ... Then a self-loathing sets in when you realize you're enjoying it", he was quoted as saying.[25] One anecdote relates that one of his stage co-stars,Maureen Stapleton, told the director of Neil Simon'sPlaza Suite, "I don't know what to do – I'm scared of him." The director,Mike Nichols, replied, "My dear, everyone is scared of George C. Scott."[26]
Carolyn Hughes (m. 1951–1955); one daughter, Victoria (b. December 19, 1952).
Patricia Reed (m. 1955–1960); two children, Matthew (b. May 27, 1957) and actressDevon Scott (b. November 29, 1958).[27]
Colleen Dewhurst (m. 1960–1965); two sons, writer Alexander Scott (b. August 1960), and actorCampbell Scott (b. July 19, 1961). Dewhurst nicknamed her husband "G.C."
Colleen Dewhurst (remarried July 4, 1967 – divorced for a second time on February 2, 1972).
Trish Van Devere (m. September 4, 1972), with whom he starred in several films, including the supernatural thrillerThe Changeling (1980). Scott met Van Devere while shootingThe Last Run (1971), which also featured his ex-wife Dewhurst. Scott adopted Van Devere's nephew, George Dressell, and resided in Malibu. They remained married until his death in 1999.
He had a daughter, Michelle (b. 1954),[citation needed] with Karen Truesdell.
^"The Informer".AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived fromthe original on March 5, 2013.
^abSheward, David (October 1, 2008).Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 1, 137.ISBN9781557836700.
^Grodin, Charles (September 1990).It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business.Vintage Books. pp. 61–62.ISBN0-679-73134-2.
^Stephen, Bowie."East Side/West Side". classictvhistory.com.The official reason for the series' death, and the one maintained to this day by most of the individuals who worked on the show, was a decline in ratings and a loss of sponsorship resulting from many Southern affiliates' refusal to broadcastEast Side. This explanation conveniently locates the bigotry behind the series' cancellation with backward Southern viewers, rather than with the top brass of CBS. But it doesn't hold up to close scrutiny. As Edith Efron pointed out in a 1964TV Guide article,East Side / West Side was dropped by no more affiliates in the South than in any other region of the country, and ultimately only six percent of the potential viewing audience had the series blacked out in their areas. It's more likely that Aubrey and his subordinates gaveEast Side the axe because they were caught in a no-win situation: they couldn't allow the show to remain as openly liberal as it was for fear that the voluminous hate mail would scare off sponsors, but they couldn't eliminate the hot-button elements of the series without endangering its critical cachet and existing viewer loyalty. Had the show been a smash in the ratings, its controversial nature would not have been an issue.
^"George C Scott (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJuly 25, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
