Oscar-winning actor Paul Scofield dead at 86

London: The British actor Paul Scofield, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons, has died.

His agent Rosalind Chatto said Scofield, 86, died peacefully at a hospital near his home in southern England.

"He had leukemia and had not been well for some time," she said.

The British-born actor started his stage career in 1940.

Scofield's portrayal of King Lear in 1962 was voted the greatest performance in a Shakespeare play by a panel of Royal Shakespeare Company actors, including Sir Ian McKellen, Ian Richardson and Sir Antony Sher, in 2004.

"Of the 10 greatest moments in the theatre, eight are Scofield's," actor Richard Burton once said.

Scofield won his Oscar in 1967. He made his name on the London stage as a classical actor and also won several Baftas.

Scofield leaves his widow, the actress Joy Parker, a son and a daughter.