This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/2dWBAEB/167 Message Board Post: Academy Award-nominated Actor Paul Winfield, who was known for his versatility in stage, film and television roles, including a highly praised 1978 depiction of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has died. He was 62. Mr. Winfield died Sunday of a heart attack, said his agent, Michael Livingston. In 1968, Mr. Winfield played the boyfriend of Diahann Carroll in her situation comedy " Julia " a role that some suggest helped open television to other black performers. Four years later Mr. Winfield ' s portrayal of the father in " Sounder " earned him an Academy Award nomination. He was Emmy-nominated for best actor in the title role of the 1978 miniseries " King, " and nominated the next year in the best supporting actor category for playing a college chancellor willing to sing Negro spirituals to get donations for his school in " Roots: The Next Generation. " He finally won an Emmy in 1995 for a guest appearance on " Picket Fences. " He played a federal judge whose rulings on busing inner-city children are challenged by a local resident. Despite acclaim, Mr. Winfield was often relegated to supporting roles, including playing Jim in a 1974 remake of " Huckleberry Finn. " Sidney Poitier hired Mr. Winfield for his first movie role in " The Lost Man " in 1969. Other significant roles included an appearance in the Broadway play " Checkmates " with Denzel Washington, and his portrayal of Don King in a 1995 HBO movie. A Los Angeles native, Mr. Winfield was born May 22, 1941. Until he was 8, he was raised by union organizer Lois Edwards, who later married Mr. Winfield ' s stepfather. He was bused to the predominantly white Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles and was named best actor for three years in a row in an annual Southern California high school drama competition. He later studied drama at four colleges before leaving the University of California Los Angeles six credits short of a bachelor ' s degree. He is survived by his sister, Patricia Wilson, of Las Vegas. Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on 3/9/2004. (volunteer submission)