Renowned actor Peter O’Toole died in London’s Wellington Hospital yesterday, according to his agent. O’Toole, who was best known for his role as T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence Of Arabia, was 81 when he passed.
His acting career kicked off on stage in England as a teenager, before steadily expanding onto television and then film. He landed his first major role in Lawrence Of Arabia before moving on to star in other great films such as Becket, The Lion In Winter, and The Stunt Man. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards over the course of his 54-year career before going into retirement less than a year ago. He is survived by his two daughters Patricia and Kate, and his son Lorcan.
O’Toole was an extremely charismatic presence on screen and his performances always succeeded in gripping some area of my emotions. Hell, the movie Venus was a clear display of how natural O’Toole’s acting abilities were, putting on stellar performances in the latter stages in his career. A legend in Ireland and the world, his contributions to film and theater will always be remembered and appreciated.
“And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest…”
Now that grand, beautiful actor can finally join his pals Harris, Burton and Reed for another drink, swapping stories into eternity.
Some of my earliest memories are of his film performances. As his career was roughly coeval with my life, I feel gutted at his passing, despite having expected it for some time. Thank you, Peter, for sharing your gift with us.
I’m reminded of the story of T E Lawrence’s widow, concerned about who would portray him in David Lean’s upcoming film, waiting with the director to meet the young, unknown O’Toole; as he strode towards them from outside, head down in thought, she said it was as if her long-dead husband had come back to life–he even had Lawrence’s odd, duck-footed stride down pat. Then, O’Toole raised his head and looked at her with those ethereal pale blue eyes, and she gasped in shock, saying, “It’s him…where did you find this young man?” That was his debut in film.
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We also lost Joan Fontaine at 96 today. She starred in two Hitchcock films, Rebecca and Suspicion. There’s not a whole lot left from classic Hollywood, which saddens me. Of the top of my head, there’s still Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple and amazingly Fontaines older sister Olivia DeHavilland. Good genes in that family
Casanova!! 🙁
The Lion in Winter. This one will raise a little hell in heaven, or bring a little heaven to hell, and it makes me smile to think of it.
The Lion in Winter, hands down.
“I found out the way your mind works and the kind of man you are. I know your plans and expectations – you’ve burbled every bit of strategy you’ve got. I know exactly what you will do, and exactly what you won’t, and I’ve told you exactly nothing. To these aged eyes, boy, that’s what winning looks like! “
This makes me so sad. He was a truly great actor with amazing versatility. He could do an epic masterpiece like Lawrence of Arabia and comedies like How to Steal a Million (my favorite of his).