The Academy Award winning drama about the conflict between St. Thomas More and King Henry VIII. Robert Shaw stars as Henry, who wants to divorce his wife to marry Anne Boleyn. Only Sir Thomas More has the conviction to oppose the King. More's valiant refusal to abandon his principle leads to his martyrdom. A stunning performance by Scofield who won Best Actor for his role as More.
Starring Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, and Orson Welles
Profile Studied at London and Oxford. Page for the Archbishop of Canterbury. Lawyer. Twice married, father of one son and three daughters, and a devoted family man. Writer. Friend of King Henry VIII. Lord Chancellor of England, a position of power second only to the king. Opposed the king on the matter of royal divorce, and refused to swear the Oath of Supremacy which declared the king the head of the Church in England. Resigned the Chancellorship, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Martyred for his refusal to bend his religious beliefs to the king's political needs.
Born 1478 at London, England
Died beheaded in 1535; head kept in the Roper Vault, Saint Dunstan's church, Canterbury, England; body at Saint Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, England