Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Touched by an Actor
Paul Winfield died this week. He was an actor who had many roles, some good, some not so good and one that was simply extrodinary.
Paul Winfield's portrayal of Nathan Lee Morgan in 1972's, Sounder was something special for me.
I wrote about Paul Winfield today.
*******************
From TV Barn.com (see link)
Paul Winfield's quiet dignity
Paul Winfield, who died at age 62, may not be remembered best for his role as the beaten-down dad in “Sounder,” but TV Barn contributor Tom Jacobs will always remember Winfield best for that remarkable performance.
Quiet dignity
Quick: Who was Nathan Lee Morgan?
Not a name with which you’re familiar? Remember “Sounder”?
A hint of recognition, but still a lot of blank stares.
How about Paul Winfield? Of course, the guy who does the narration on A&E’s “City Confidential.” While cable television junkies may know him for his tongue-in-cheek delivery that makes “City Confidential” one of those guilty pleasures we don’t admit watching, there’s another side to Paul Winfield, who died today at the age of 62, that I’ll never forget.
In 1972, Paul Winfield portrayed Nathan Lee Morgan, in Sounder, a film nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture and for which Winfield received a much-deserved nomination for Best Actor. Winfield portrays Nathan Lee, the Black sharecropper who steals a ham to feed his starving family. He’s caught and ends up sentenced to do his time on a Louisiana chain gang, leaving his wife, portrayed by the incomparable Cicely Tyson (also an Oscar nominee), two sons and “Sounder”, the family dog.
While much of the story focuses on Nathan Lee’s son coming of age and learning the value of education, for me it was the quiet dignity of Winfield that was simply remarkable.
Remember, this was 1972 and the success of Richard Roundtree’s “Shaft” and the late Ron O’Neal’s “Superfly” meant that Black was indeed beautiful in Hollywood. The only problem was that most of the films belonged to the so-called “blaxplotation genre.” Sex, violence, “stickin’ it to the Man” — these were the themes seen time and time again in Hollywood’s version of Black America.
But then, along came Sounder. It was the story of a family. A Black family, in the racist and segregated South of the 1930’s. It was the story of a man and a woman who choose to live and to survive, rather than give in to the crushing weight of injustice that defined their daily lives.
For me, 22 and fresh from the Civil Rights/Black Power/In Your Face School of Protest and Demonstration, Winfield was a reminder of the quiet dignity that my own father, a hard working civil servant, had demonstrated time and time again. These were not men who made excuses. They accepted responsibility for their lives, took care of their families and did the best they could, despite the obstacles thrown their way.
The New York Times said as much about the obstacles Mr. Winfield faced in their obituary. “Even an Oscar nomination did not guarantee acting offers, and Mr. Winfield often found himself relegated to supporting roles like Jim in a remake of Huckleberry Finn,” it said.
Despite that, Winfield carved out a respectable, if not spectacular career, highlighted by an acclaimed portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King in the 1978 television movie “King,” and a well deserved Emmy for a guest appearance in CBS’ “Picket Fences.”
Paul Winfield never achieved superstar status but I would submit that he achieved a more lasting legacy with his performance in Sounder. He brought Nathan Lee Morgan to life and made me feel his frustration, his pain and his love for his family. Two years after the death of my own father, it was a gift of understanding for which I will always be grateful.
Paul Winfield died this week. He was an actor who had many roles, some good, some not so good and one that was simply extrodinary.
Paul Winfield's portrayal of Nathan Lee Morgan in 1972's, Sounder was something special for me.
I wrote about Paul Winfield today.
*******************
From TV Barn.com (see link)
Paul Winfield's quiet dignity
Paul Winfield, who died at age 62, may not be remembered best for his role as the beaten-down dad in “Sounder,” but TV Barn contributor Tom Jacobs will always remember Winfield best for that remarkable performance.
Quiet dignity
Quick: Who was Nathan Lee Morgan?
Not a name with which you’re familiar? Remember “Sounder”?
A hint of recognition, but still a lot of blank stares.
How about Paul Winfield? Of course, the guy who does the narration on A&E’s “City Confidential.” While cable television junkies may know him for his tongue-in-cheek delivery that makes “City Confidential” one of those guilty pleasures we don’t admit watching, there’s another side to Paul Winfield, who died today at the age of 62, that I’ll never forget.
In 1972, Paul Winfield portrayed Nathan Lee Morgan, in Sounder, a film nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture and for which Winfield received a much-deserved nomination for Best Actor. Winfield portrays Nathan Lee, the Black sharecropper who steals a ham to feed his starving family. He’s caught and ends up sentenced to do his time on a Louisiana chain gang, leaving his wife, portrayed by the incomparable Cicely Tyson (also an Oscar nominee), two sons and “Sounder”, the family dog.
While much of the story focuses on Nathan Lee’s son coming of age and learning the value of education, for me it was the quiet dignity of Winfield that was simply remarkable.
Remember, this was 1972 and the success of Richard Roundtree’s “Shaft” and the late Ron O’Neal’s “Superfly” meant that Black was indeed beautiful in Hollywood. The only problem was that most of the films belonged to the so-called “blaxplotation genre.” Sex, violence, “stickin’ it to the Man” — these were the themes seen time and time again in Hollywood’s version of Black America.
But then, along came Sounder. It was the story of a family. A Black family, in the racist and segregated South of the 1930’s. It was the story of a man and a woman who choose to live and to survive, rather than give in to the crushing weight of injustice that defined their daily lives.
For me, 22 and fresh from the Civil Rights/Black Power/In Your Face School of Protest and Demonstration, Winfield was a reminder of the quiet dignity that my own father, a hard working civil servant, had demonstrated time and time again. These were not men who made excuses. They accepted responsibility for their lives, took care of their families and did the best they could, despite the obstacles thrown their way.
The New York Times said as much about the obstacles Mr. Winfield faced in their obituary. “Even an Oscar nomination did not guarantee acting offers, and Mr. Winfield often found himself relegated to supporting roles like Jim in a remake of Huckleberry Finn,” it said.
Despite that, Winfield carved out a respectable, if not spectacular career, highlighted by an acclaimed portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King in the 1978 television movie “King,” and a well deserved Emmy for a guest appearance in CBS’ “Picket Fences.”
Paul Winfield never achieved superstar status but I would submit that he achieved a more lasting legacy with his performance in Sounder. He brought Nathan Lee Morgan to life and made me feel his frustration, his pain and his love for his family. Two years after the death of my own father, it was a gift of understanding for which I will always be grateful.
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