- Was the first actor ever to refuse an Academy Award (1970, for Patton (1970)). He was followed by Marlon Brando, who also turned down the award for The Godfather (1972). The reason he claimed for missing the ceremony was that he was busy watching a hockey game.
- Joined the United States Marines Corps at age 17 in 1945, but the atomic bomb ended World War II before he could see combat. Over the next four years, Scott served with the Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, for which he was decorated. According to the 3/22/1971 issue of Time magazine, Scott gained a reputation as a heavy drinker during this period; he admitted to finding the grave detail extremely depressing.
- Although he refused the Oscar he won for Patton (1970), he accepted the Emmy for his performance in the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) 1971 production of Arthur Miller's "The Price", saying that he felt that the Emmy Awards were a more honest appreciation of an actor's work.
- He accepted the role of Sheriff Bill Gillespie in In the Heat of the Night (1967), according to producer Walter Mirisch's memoir "I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History". Scott backed out when wife Colleen Dewhurst wanted him to direct her in a play on Broadway. Mirisch then offered the role to Rod Steiger, who accepted and won an Oscar. Steiger later turned down the lead in Patton (1970) that went to Scott, which brought him an Oscar.
- Became a father for the sixth time at age 33 when his third ex-wife Colleen Dewhurst gave birth to their son Campbell Scott (full name: George Dewey Campbell Scott III) on July 19, 1961.
- During filming of The Bible in the Beginning... (1966), Scott and Ava Gardner, who had been in a tempestuous relationship for a few years, drank heavily. His drinking and his explosive temper resulted in Scott beating Gardner. He broke her shoulder and during some of the filming she was in a body brace.
- According to his Patton (1970) co-star Karl Malden, Scott caused a shooting delay on the set of that movie by holding an impromptu "ping-pong" tournament against a world-champion table-tennis player. Scott, who was in full costume as General Patton, kept losing to the world champ and was determined to keep playing him all night, if need be, until winning at least one set.
- Scott and Marlon Brando played chess together while shooting The Formula (1980). In his Playboy interview of December 1980 (Vol. 27, Iss. 12, pg. 81- 138), Scott told Lawrence Grobel -- who had conducted the famous interview with Brando for Playboy a year earlier -- that Marlon was not that good a player. Many years later, Christiane Kubrick leveled the same charge against Scott, who was beaten regularly by her late husband Stanley Kubrick on the set of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) between setups. However, Kubrick was renowned as a master-level chess player who used to hustle other players in his youth in New York City.
- An aficionado of acting, he told interviewer Lawrence Grobel in his December 1980 Playboy magazine interview that his The Hustler (1961) co-star Paul Newman's performance in that film was nothing special (both actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances). However, he found Newman's performance as the eponymous Hud (1963) to be a superb piece of acting.
- His performance as General George S. Patton in Patton (1970) is ranked #82 on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
- Following his death, he was interred in an unmarked grave at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
- Suffered several heart attacks in his last years.
- He played Lt. William "Bill" Kinderman in the sequel The Exorcist III (1990). His ex-wife Colleen Dewhurst was the voice of Satan in the film. Son Campbell Scott played Ethan Thomas in The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005).
- According to a Time magazine cover-story (March 22, 1971), Scott once had to go back on-stage during a Broadway play with his hand in a rubber glove after punching the mirror in his dressing room. The broken glass cut his hand and the flow of blood could not be stanched. This was in the days of Scott's heavy drinking, which was caused by an inner-torment and self-loathing. Scott had turned to acting to exorcise those demons, and by the time of his success with Patton (1970) had largely succeeded, according to the magazine profile.
- In his autobiography, Marlon Brando, Scott's co-star in the film The Formula (1980) -- in a caption for a picture from the film -- recounts that Scott asked him during the shooting of the film whether he, Brando, would ever give the same line-reading twice. Brando replied, "I know you know a cue when you hear one.".
- Was infamous for his intense, intimidating personality. Julie Christie, who had earlier co-starred with him in Petulia (1968), was rattled by his presence when they appeared together on Broadway in Mike Nichols' all-star production of Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" in the summer of 1973 (other cast members included Conrad Bain, Lillian Gish, Barnard Hughes, Cathleen Nesbitt and Nicol Williamson in the title role. The play garnered 1974 Tony Award nominations for Nichols for Best Director and Best Actor [Play] nods for Scott and Williamson; Williamson won the 1974 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance). Christie also told the press, at the time, that Scott frightened her, something that surprised the actor when he was told of her comment six years later by Lawrence Grobel, who was interviewing Scott for Playboy magazine (December 1980).
- Became a father for the fifth time at age 32 when his third ex-wife Colleen Dewhurst gave birth to their son Alexander Robert Scott in August 1960.
- During the period when he was harassing Ava Gardner, Scott found clothes in his hotel room cut off at the shoulders. Ava Gardner was still very close to Frank Sinatra, who was himself very close to the Mafia.
- Reprised his role as General George S. Patton in the television movie The Last Days of Patton (1986), 16 years after his original portrayal which he won the Oscar.
- 1950: Attended the University of Missouri Journalism School for one year, where he began taking drama classes.
- He played three roles originated by actor Lee J. Cobb. He played Lt. Kinderman in The Exorcist III (1990), which was played by Cobb in the original The Exorcist (1973). Scott later played Juror #3 in the remake of 12 Angry Men (1997), a role played by Cobb in the original film (12 Angry Men (1957)). He also received a Tony nomination for playing Cobb's signature role of Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway.
- There were only two feature films shot in the Dimension 150 process. Scott starred in both of them: The Bible in the Beginning... (1966) and Patton (1970). "Patton", which was released in Cinerama theaters, was the last movie shot in a widescreen format specifically for exhibition on the Cinerama circuit, which featured curved screens. Spectators at the Cinerama showings of "Patton" were awed by the three-dimensional effect of Patton's opening speech, in which Scott as Patton stands by himself on-screen. The scene likely was shot for the purpose of showcasing the Cinerama screen.
- Each of the two times he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor, a male co-star was also nominated in the same category, with Arthur O'Connell doing so for Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and Jackie Gleason for The Hustler (1961). He is the only actor to achieve this twice.
- He has appeared in five films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Hustler (1961), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Patton (1970) and The Hospital (1971).
- Was an avid bridge player.
- Starred in four Oscar Best Picture nominees: Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Hustler (1961), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) and Patton (1970), with Patton the only winner.
- Campaigned for Eugene McCarthy in the 1968 Democratic primaries, and for George McGovern in the 1972 presidential election.
- Passed away on September 22, 1999, less than a month before his 72nd birthday.
- The only products that Scott ever endorsed in a television commercial shown in the United States were the Renault Alliance sedan and Encore coupe (later the Alliance coupe), built in the United States by American Motors.
- Best known for playing the legendary General George S. Patton.
- He was offered the role of Earl Partridge in Magnolia (1999) but turned it down as he described the script as the worst thing he'd ever read.
- Became a father for the fourth time at age 31 when his second ex-wife Patricia Reed gave birth to their daughter Devon Scott on November 29, 1958.
- Became a father for the first time at age 25 when his first ex-wife Carolyn Hughes gave birth to their daughter Victoria Scott on December 19, 1952.
- Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 550-551. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
- Became a father for the second time at age 26 when his former lover Karen Truesdell gave birth to their daughter Michelle Scott on August 21, 1954.
- Became a father for the third time at age 29 when his second ex-wife Patricia Reed gave birth to their son Matthew Scott on May 27, 1957.
- He was considered for the role of Superintendent Newhouse in Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), before Laurence Olivier was cast.
- Actor Jim MacGeorge, who played the evil Dr. Scarab on the animated series Bionic Six (1987), based his Scarab voice on Scott's voice.
- Son of George D. Scott (full name: George Dewey Campbell Scott Senior).
- In the 1970s, before he married Trish Van Devere, Scott liked to visit friends in the Beverly Hills area accompanied by two actor buddies, Stephen Young and Paul Stevens. Both of these actors appeared in films starring Scott.
- He grew up in Detroit and after serving in the marines he studied journalism then acted while working as a laborer and clerk.
- His theatre breakthrough came as Richard III in New York. in 1957 while his film debut was in a Gary Cooper Western.
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