Paul Winfield Biography

Fast Facts

• Inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame
• Offered a scholarship to Yale for his violin and cello skills
• Passed away at age 64 due to complications from diabetes, a condition he had been suffering from for many years
• Quote: "I was given a lot of prestige as a distinguished black actor but very little power․ They give prestige out by the buckets, but they give power by the teaspoon, just enough to stroke your ego․"
• Bounced between numerous mediums, as he contributed to numerous films and television series during the earliest parts of his career in the 1960s
• Gained prominence after becoming one of the industry's most well-known African American starrers following his appearance as Martin Luther King Jr․ in the television miniseries "King" in 1978
• Actively bred pugs at his home later in his career and often attended dog shows across the United States
• Made his Broadway debut alongside co-star Denzel Washington in 1988's "Checkmates"