Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the
Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...
, a
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...
, a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
, and four
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...
as well as nominations for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
and a
Laurence Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
.
O'Toole started his training at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
(RADA) in London and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a
Shakespearean actor at the
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
and with the
English Stage Company. In 1959, he made his
West End debut in ''
The Long and the Short and the Tall'', and played the
title role in ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'' in the
National Theatre's first production in 1963. Excelling on stage, O'Toole was known for his "hellraiser" lifestyle off-stage.
He received a nomination for the
Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for his portrayal of
Jeffrey Bernard in the play ''
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell'' (1990).
Making his film debut in 1959, O'Toole received his first
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
nomination for portraying
T. E. Lawrence in the historical epic ''
Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962). He was further Oscar-nominated for playing
King Henry II in both ''
Becket'' (1964) and ''
The Lion in Winter'' (1968), a public school teacher in ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1969), a
paranoid schizophrenic in ''
The Ruling Class'' (1972), a ruthless film director in ''
The Stunt Man'' (1980), a film actor in ''
My Favorite Year'' (1982), and an elderly man in ''
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
'' (2006). He holds the record for the most Oscar nominations for acting without a win (tied with
Glenn Close). In 2002, he was awarded the
Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...
for his career achievements.
O'Toole also starred in films such as ''
What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), ''
How to Steal a Million'' (1966), ''
Man of La Mancha'' (1972), ''
Caligula
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...
'' (1979), ''
Zulu Dawn'' (1979), and ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' (1984), with supporting roles in ''
The Last Emperor'' (1987), ''
Bright Young Things'' (2003), ''
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
'' (2004), ''
Stardust'' (2007), and ''
Dean Spanley'' (2008). He voiced Anton Ego, the restaurant critic in
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
's animated film ''
Ratatouille'' (2007). On television, he received the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his portrayal of Bishop
Pierre Cauchon in the
CBS miniseries ''
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
'' (1999). He was Emmy-nominated for his performances as
Lucius Flavius Silva in the ABC miniseries ''
Masada'' (1981), and
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...
in the miniseries ''
Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' (2003).
Early life and education
Peter Seamus O'Toole was born on 2 August 1932, the son of Constance Jane Eliot (née Ferguson), a Scottish nurse,
[O'Toole, Peter. ''Loitering with Intent: Child'' (Large print edition), Macmillan London Ltd., London, 1992. ; pg. 10, "My mother, Constance Jane, had led a troubled and a harsh life. Orphaned early, she had been reared in Scotland and shunted between relatives;..."] and Patrick Joseph "Spats" O'Toole, an Irish metal plater, football player, and
bookmaker
A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds
In probability theory, odds provide a measure of the probability of a particular outco ...
. O'Toole claimed he was not certain of his birthplace or date, stating in his autobiography that he accepted 2 August as his birth date but had birth certificates from England and Ireland. The birth certificate recorded at the Leeds General Register Office says he was born at
St James's University Hospital in
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, Yorkshire, England, on 2 August 1932.
O'Toole had an elder sister named Patricia and grew up in the south Leeds suburb of
Hunslet
Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past.
It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...
. When he was one year old, his family began a five-year tour of major racecourse towns in Northern England. He and his sister were brought up in their father's Catholic faith. O'Toole was
evacuated from Leeds early in the Second World War, and went to a Catholic school for seven or eight years: St Joseph's Secondary School in Hunslet, Leeds. He later said, "I used to be scared stiff of the nuns: their whole denial of womanhood—the black dresses and the shaving of the hair—was so horrible, so terrifying.
..Of course, that's all been stopped. They're sipping gin and tonic in the
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
pubs now, and a couple of them flashed their pretty ankles at me just the other day."
Upon leaving school, O'Toole obtained employment as a trainee journalist and photographer on the ''
Yorkshire Evening Post
The ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' (''YEP'') is a regional daily newspaper covering the City of Leeds. Founded in 1890 it is published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, National World.
Despite being having coverage and being sold across West Yorkshire ...
'', until he was called up for
national service
National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
as a
signaller
A signaller, signalman, colloquially referred to as a radioman or signaleer in the armed forces is a specialist soldier, sailor or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, a.k.a. Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are ...
in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. As reported in a radio interview in 2006 on
NPR, he was asked by an officer whether he had something he had always wanted to do. His reply was that he had always wanted to try being either a poet or an actor.
He attended the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...
(RADA) in London from 1952 to 1954 on a scholarship. This came after being rejected by the
Abbey Theatre's drama school in Dublin by the director
Ernest Blythe, because he could not speak the
Irish language
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...
. At RADA, he was in the same class as
Albert Finney,
Alan Bates and
Brian Bedford. O'Toole described this as "the most remarkable class the academy ever had, though we weren't reckoned for much at the time. We were all considered
dotty."
Acting career
1954–1961: Early work and rise to prominence
O'Toole began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a
Shakespearean actor at the
Bristol Old Vic
Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
and with the
English Stage Company, before making his television debut in 1954. He played a soldier in an episode of ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel'' in 1954. He was based at the Bristol Old Vic from 1956 to 1958, appearing in productions of ''
King Lear
''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'', ''
The Recruiting Officer
''The Recruiting Officer'' is a 1706 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar, which follows the social and sexual exploits of two English Army officers, the womanising Plume and the cowardly Brazen, in the town of Shrewsbury (the town where ...
'', ''
Major Barbara
''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...
'', ''
Othello
''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...
'', and ''The Slave of Truth'' (all 1956). He was Henry Higgins in ''
Pygmalion'', Lysander in ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...
'', Uncle Gustave in ''Oh! My Papa!'', and Jimmy Porter in ''
Look Back in Anger'' (all 1957). O'Toole was Tanner in Shaw's ''
Man and Superman'' (1958), a performance he reprised often during his career. He was also in ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
'', ''The Holiday'', ''Amphitryon '38'', and ''
Waiting for Godot
''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'' (as Vladimir; all 1958). He hoped ''The Holiday'' would take him to the West End but it ultimately folded in the provinces; during that show he met
Siân Phillips who became his first wife.
O'Toole continued to appear on television, being in episodes of ''
Armchair Theatre'' ("The Pier", 1957), and ''
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre'' ("The Laughing Woman", 1958) and was in the TV adaptation of ''
The Castiglioni Brothers'' (1958). He made his London debut in a musical, ''Oh, My Papa''.
He gained fame on the
West End in the play ''
The Long and the Short and the Tall'', performed at the Royal Court beginning in January 1959. His co-stars included
Robert Shaw and
Edward Judd
Edward Judd (4 October 1932 – 24 February 2009) was a British actor.
Biography
Born in Shanghai, Judd and his English father and Russian mother fled when the Japanese attacked Republic of China (1912–49), China five years later. His ca ...
, and it was directed by
Lindsay Anderson. O'Toole reprised his performance for television on ''Theatre Night'' in 1959 (although he did not appear in the
1961 film version). The show transferred to the West End in April and won O'Toole Best Actor of the Year in 1959.
O'Toole was in much demand. He reportedly received five offers of long-term contracts but turned them down.
His first role was a small role in Disney's version of ''
Kidnapped'' (1960), playing the bagpipes opposite
Peter Finch.
His second feature was ''
The Savage Innocents'' (1960) with
Anthony Quinn
Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...
for director
Nicholas Ray. With his then wife Sian Phillips he did ''Siwan: The King's Daughter'' (1960) for TV. In 1960 he had a nine-month season at the
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...
in Stratford, appearing in ''
The Taming of the Shrew
''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...
'' (as Petruchio), ''
The Merchant of Venice'' (as Shylock) and ''
Troilus and Cressida'' (as Thersites). He could have made more money in films but said "You've got to go to Stratford when you've got the chance."
O'Toole had been seen in ''The Long and the Short and the Tall'' by
Jules Buck who later established a company with the actor.
Buck cast O'Toole in ''
The Day They Robbed the Bank of England
''The Day They Robbed the Bank of England'' is a 1960 British crime film directed by John Guillermin and starring Aldo Ray, Elizabeth Sellars and Peter O'Toole. It was written by Howard Clewes and Richard Maibaum and based upon the 1959 The Day ...
'' (1960), a heist thriller from director
John Guillermin
Yvon Jean Guillermin (11 November 192527 September 2015), known as John Guillermin, was an English film director, writer and producer. Working both in the United Kingdom and the United States, he was most active in big-budget, action-adventure f ...
. O'Toole was billed third, beneath
Aldo Ray and
Elizabeth Sellars.
The following year he appeared in several episodes of the TV series ''
Rendezvous'' ("End of a Good Man", "Once a Horseplayer", "London-New York").
He lost the role in the film adaptation of ''Long and the Short and the Tall'' to
Laurence Harvey
Laurence Harvey (born Zvi Mosheh Skikne; 1 October 192825 November 1973) was a Lithuanian-born British actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to Union of South Africa, South Africa at an early age, before ...
.
"It broke my heart", he said later.
1962–1972: ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and stardom
O'Toole's major break came in November 1960 when he was chosen to play the eponymous hero
T. E. Lawrence in Sir
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...
's epic ''
Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), after
Albert Finney reportedly turned down the part. The role introduced him to a global audience and earned him the first of his eight nominations for the
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
. He received the
BAFTA Award for Best British Actor. His performance was ranked number one in ''
Premiere
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
'' magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Performances of All Time. In 2003, Lawrence as portrayed by O'Toole was selected as the
tenth-greatest hero in cinema history by the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
.
Janet Maslin of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote in 1989 "The then unknown Peter O'Toole, with his charmingly diffident manner and his hair and eyes looking unnaturally gold and blue, accounted for no small part of this film's appeal to impressionable young fans".
O'Toole played
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
under
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
's direction in the premiere production of the
Royal National Theatre
The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...
in 1963. The casting of O'Toole as the Dane was met with some controversy with
Michael Gambon
Sir Michael John Gambon (; 19 October 1940 – 27 September 2023) was an Irish-English actor. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivier as one of the original members of the Royal National Theatre. Over his six-decade-long career ...
describing him as a "god with bright blonde hair". On playing the role O'Toole stated he was "sick with nerves", adding "If you want to know what it's like to be lonely, really lonely, try playing Hamlet." ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' wrote, "Mr O'Toole, like Olivier, is an electrifyingly outgoing actor, and it is a surprise to see him make his first appearance...with his features twisted into melancholy" He performed in ''
Baal
Baal (), or Baʻal, was a title and honorific meaning 'owner' or 'lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The ...
'' (1963) at the Phoenix Theatre.
Even prior to the making of ''Lawrence of Arabia'', O'Toole announced he wanted to form a production company with Jules Buck. In November 1961 they said their company, known as Keep Films (also known as Tricolor Productions) would make a film starring Terry-Thomas, ''
Operation Snatch
''Operation Snatch'' (also known as ''Top Secret'' ) is a 1962 British comedy film starring Terry-Thomas and George Sanders and directed by Robert Day (director), Robert Day. It was written by Alan Hackney, Len Heath and John Warren (actor), ...
''. In 1962 O'Toole and Buck announced they wanted to make a version of ''Waiting for Godot'' for £80,000. The film was never made. Instead their first production was ''
Becket'' (1964), where O'Toole played
King Henry II opposite Richard Burton. The film, done in association with
Hal Wallis, was a financial success.
O'Toole turned down the lead role in ''
The Cardinal'' (1963).
Instead he and Buck made another epic, ''
Lord Jim'' (1965), based on the novel by
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Eng ...
directed by Richard Brooks.
He and Buck intended to follow this with a biopic of
Will Adams and a film about
the Charge of the Light Brigade, but neither project happened. Instead O'Toole went into ''
What's New Pussycat?'' (1965), a comedy based on a script by
Woody Allen
Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
, taking over a role originally meant for
Warren Beatty
Henry Warren Beatty (né Beaty; born March 30, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. His career has spanned over six decades, and he has received an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards. He also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memor ...
and starring alongside
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
. It was a huge success.
He and Buck helped produce ''
The Party's Over'' (1965). O'Toole returned to the stage with ''Ride a Cock Horse'' at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1965, which was harshly reviewed.
He made a heist film with
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...
, ''
How to Steal a Million'' (1966), directed by
William Wyler
William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...
. He played the Three Angels in the all-star ''
The Bible: In the Beginning...'' (1966), directed by
John Huston
John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...
. In 1966 at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin he appeared in productions of ''
Juno and the Paycock'' and ''
Man and Superman''.
Sam Spiegel, producer of ''Lawrence of Arabia'', reunited O'Toole with Omar Sharif in ''
The Night of the Generals'' (1967), which was a box office disappointment. O'Toole played in an adaptation of
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...
's ''
Present Laughter'' for TV in 1968, and had a cameo in ''
Casino Royale'' (1967). He played Henry II again in ''
The Lion in Winter'' (1968) alongside
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...
, and was nominated for an Oscar again – one of the few times an actor had been nominated playing the same character in different films. The film was also successful at the box office. Less popular was ''
Great Catherine'' (1968) with
Jeanne Moreau
Jeanne Moreau (; 23 January 1928 – 31 July 2017) was a French actress, singer, screenwriter, director, and socialite. She made her theatrical debut in 1947, and established herself as one of the leading actresses of the Comédie-Française. Mo ...
, an adaptation of the play by
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
which Buck and O'Toole co-produced.
In 1969, he played the title role in the film ''
Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', a musical adaptation of
James Hilton's novella, starring opposite
Petula Clark
Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
. He was nominated for an
Academy Award as Best Actor and won a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. O'Toole fulfilled a lifetime ambition in 1970 when he performed on stage in
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
's ''
Waiting for Godot
''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...
'', alongside
Donal McCann, at Dublin's
Abbey Theatre.
In other films, he played a man in love with his sister (played by
Susannah York) in ''
Country Dance'' (1970). O'Toole starred in a war film for director
Peter Yates
Peter James Yates (24 July 1929 – 9 January 2011) was an English film director and producer. He was known for making films in a wide variety of genres, including the Steve McQueen police thriller film '' Bullitt'' in 1968. He received nomin ...
, ''
Murphy's War'' (1971), appearing alongside Sian Phillips. He was reunited with Richard Burton in a film version of ''
Under Milk Wood
''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh people, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. The BBC commissioned the play, which was later adapted for the stage. The first public reading was in New York City in 1953.
A Under Milk Wood (1972 film), f ...
'' (1972) by
Dylan Thomas, produced by himself and Buck;
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...
co-starred. The film was not a popular success.
He received another
Academy Award for Best Actor
The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
nomination for his performance in ''
The Ruling Class'' (1972), done for his own company.
In 1972, he played both
Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...
and his fictional creation
Don Quixote
, the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...
in ''
Man of La Mancha'', the motion picture adaptation of the
1965 hit Broadway musical, opposite
Sophia Loren. The film was a critical and commercial failure, criticised for using mostly non-singing actors. His singing was dubbed by
tenor
A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
Simon Gilbert, but the other actors did their own singing. O'Toole and co-star
James Coco, who played both Cervantes's manservant and
Sancho Panza
Sancho Panza (; ) is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spain, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, ...
, both received
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...
nominations for their performances.
1973–1999: Established actor
O'Toole did not make a film for several years. He performed at the Bristol Old Vic from 1973 to 1974 in ''
Uncle Vanya'', ''
Plunder'', ''
The Apple Cart'' and ''Judgement''. He returned to films with ''
Rosebud'' (1975), a flop thriller for
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger ( ; ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian-American film and theatre director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the the ...
, in which O'Toole replaced
Robert Mitchum at the last minute. He followed it with ''
Man Friday'' (1975), an adaptation of the
Robinson Crusoe story, which was the last work from Keep Films.
O'Toole made ''
Foxtrot
The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a time ...
'' (1976), directed by
Arturo Ripstein. He was critically acclaimed for his performance in ''
Rogue Male'' (1976) for British television.
He did ''Dead Eyed Dicks'' on stage in Sydney in 1976. Less well received was ''
Power Play'' (1978), made in Canada, and ''
Zulu Dawn'' (1979), shot in South Africa. He toured ''
Uncle Vanya'' and ''
Present Laughter'' on stage. In 1979, O'Toole starred as
Tiberius
Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...
in the controversial ''
Penthouse''-funded biopic ''
Caligula
Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...
'' acting alongside
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor. He first became known for portraying Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's ''if....'' (1968), a role he later reprised in ''O Lucky Man!'' (1973) and ''Britannia Hospital ...
,
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...
and
John Gielgud.
In 1980, he received critical acclaim for playing the director in the behind-the-scenes film ''
The Stunt Man''. His performance earned him an Oscar nomination. He appeared in a mini-series for Irish TV, ''
Strumpet City'', in which he played
James Larkin. He followed this with another mini-series, ''
Masada'' (1981), playing
Lucius Flavius Silva. In 1980, he performed in ''
Macbeth
''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...
'' at the Old Vic for $500 a week (), a performance that famously earned O'Toole some of the worst reviews of his career.
O'Toole was nominated for another Oscar for ''
My Favorite Year'' (1982), a light romantic comedy about the behind-the-scenes at a 1950s TV variety-comedy show, in which O'Toole plays an ageing
swashbuckling film star reminiscent of
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...
. He returned to the stage in London with a performance in ''Man and Superman'' (1982) that was better received than his ''Macbeth''. He focused on television, doing an adaptation of ''
Man and Superman'' (1983), ''
Svengali'' (1983), ''Pygmalion'' (1984), and ''
Kim'' (1984), and providing the voice of
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
for a series of animated TV movies. He played in ''Pygmalion'' on stage in 1984 at the West End's
Shaftesbury Theatre.
O'Toole returned to feature films in ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' (1984), ''
Creator'' (1985), ''
Club Paradise'' (1986), ''
The Last Emperor'' (1987) as Sir
Reginald Johnston, and ''
High Spirits'' (1988). He appeared on Broadway in an adaptation of ''
Pygmalion'' (1987), opposite
Amanda Plummer. It ran for 113 performances.
He won a
Laurence Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
for his performance in ''
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell'' (1989). His other appearances that decade include ''
Uncle Silas'' (1989) for television. O'Toole's performances in the 1990s include ''
Wings of Fame'' (1990); ''
The Rainbow Thief'' (1990), with Sharif; ''
King Ralph'' (1991) with
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...
; ''
Isabelle Eberhardt'' (1992); ''
Rebecca's Daughters'' (1992), in Wales; ''
Civvies'' (1992), a British TV series; ''
The Seventh Coin'' (1993); ''
Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III'' (1994), for American TV; and ''
Heavy Weather'' (1995), for British TV. He was in an adaptation of ''
Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...
'' (1996), playing the Emperor of Lilliput; ''
FairyTale: A True Story'' (1997), playing
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; ''
Phantoms'' (1998), from a novel by
Dean Koontz; and ''
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien'' (1999). He won a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for his role as Bishop Pierre Cauchon in the 1999 mini-series ''
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...
''. He also produced and starred in a TV adaptation of ''
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell'' (1999).
2000–2013: Resurgence and final roles
O'Toole's work in the next decade included ''
Global Heresy'' (2002); ''
The Final Curtain'' (2003); ''
Bright Young Things'' (2003); ''
Hitler: The Rise of Evil'' (2003) for TV, as
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military and political leader who led the Imperial German Army during the First World War and later became President of Germany (1919� ...
; and ''
Imperium: Augustus'' (2004) as
Augustus Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
. In 2004, he played
King Priam in ''
Troy
Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
''. In 2005, he appeared on television as the older version of legendary 18th century Italian adventurer
Giacomo Casanova in the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
drama serial ''
Casanova''. The younger Casanova, on screen for most of the action, was played by
David Tennant
David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
, who had to wear contact lenses to match his brown eyes to O'Toole's blue. He followed it with a role in ''
Lassie'' (2005).
O'Toole was once again nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Maurice in the 2006 film ''
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
'', directed by
Roger Michell, his eighth such nomination. He was in ''
One Night with the King
''One Night with the King'' is a 2006 American religious epic film produced by Matthew Crouch, Matt Crouch and Laurie Crouch of Gener8Xion Entertainment, directed by Michael O. Sajbel, and starring Peter O'Toole, Tiffany Dupont, John Rhys-Davies, a ...
'' (2007) and co-starred in the
Pixar
Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...
animated film ''
Ratatouille'' (2007), an animated film about a rat with dreams of becoming the greatest chef in Paris, as Anton Ego, a food critic. He had a small role in ''
Stardust'' (2007). O'Toole also appeared in the second season of
Showtime's drama series ''
The Tudors
''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...
'' (2008), portraying
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III (; ; born Alessandro Farnese; 29 February 1468 – 10 November 1549) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 October 1534 to his death, in November 1549.
He came to the papal throne in an era follo ...
, who
excommunicates
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
from the church, an act which leads to a confrontation between the two men in seven of the ten episodes. Also in 2008, he starred with
Jeremy Northam and
Sam Neill in the New Zealand/British film ''
Dean Spanley'', based on an Alan Sharp adaptation of Irish author Lord Dunsany's short novel, ''My Talks with Dean Spanley''.
O'Toole was in ''
Thomas Kinkade's Christmas Cottage'' (2008) and ''
Iron Road'' (2009), a Canadian-Chinese miniseries. O'Toole's final performances were in ''
Eldorado'' (2012) and ''
For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada'' (2012). On 10 July 2012, O'Toole released a statement announcing his retirement from acting. A number of films were released after his retirement and death: ''
Decline of an Empire'' (2013), as
Gallus, and ''
Diamond Cartel'' (2017).
Personal life
Personal views
While studying at RADA in the early 1950s, O'Toole opposed the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, and later became a supporter of the
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. During the 1960s, he was involved in the
opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War, United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew ...
. He played a role in the creation of the current form of the well-known Irish folk song "
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
" which he related to
Dominic Behan, who put it in print and made a recording in the mid-1960s.
Although he lost faith in
organised religion as a teenager, O'Toole expressed positive sentiments regarding the life of Jesus Christ. In an interview for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', he said "No one can take Jesus away from me... there's no doubt there was a historical figure of tremendous importance, with enormous notions. Such as peace." He called himself "a retired Christian" who prefers "an education and reading and facts" to faith.
British Pakistani playwright
Hanif Kureishi states in his memoir that O'Toole told him "The only Paki I ever liked was Omar Sharif."
Ireland
The son of an Irishman, O’Toole had a strong affinity with Ireland and on occasion referred to himself as Irish: “I consider myself to be an Irishman but I have lived most of my life in England so I am fairly bogus Irish actor as such”. In an interview with
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...
in 1992 he said Irishness was “almost the centre of my very being” and that “Everything I think of is coloured by its history, by its literature, by its people, by its geography”. He recalls that he was “a bit of a misfit, a bit of an odd man out” but that when he went to
County Kerry
County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...
, Ireland in 1946 he realized “I wasn’t different at all”.
He possessed an Irish passport and believed he may have been born in
Connemara
Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
. He owned a house in Ireland located in
Clifden,
County Galway
County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...
. In 1969 he met future Irish president
Michael D. Higgins and the two developed a friendship.
His son Lorcan was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. He told his friends that he wanted him to be "raised as an Irishman".
Relationships
O'Toole married Welsh actress Siân Phillips in 1959, with whom he had two daughters: actress
Kate Kate may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname
* Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer
* Lauren Kate (born 1981), American author o ...
and Patricia. They were divorced in 1979. Phillips later said in two autobiographies that O'Toole had subjected her to mental cruelty, largely fuelled by drinking, and was subject to bouts of extreme jealousy when she finally left him for a younger lover.
O'Toole and his girlfriend, model Karen Brown, had a son, Lorcan O'Toole (born 17 March 1983), when O'Toole was 50 years old. Lorcan, now an actor, was a pupil at
Harrow School
Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...
, boarding at West Acre from 1996.
Sports
O'Toole played
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
as a child in Leeds and was also a
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
fan, attending
Five Nations matches with friends and fellow rugby fans
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, he rose to prominence as an icon of the British New Wave. He received numerous a ...
,
Kenneth Griffith,
Peter Finch and
Richard Burton
Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor.
Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...
. He was also a lifelong player, coach and enthusiast of cricket and a fan of
Sunderland A.F.C. His support of Sunderland was passed on to him through his father, who was a labourer in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
for many years.
He was named their most famous fan. The actor in a later interview expressed that he no longer considered himself as much of a fan following the demolition of
Roker Park and the subsequent move to the
Stadium of Light. He described Roker Park as his last connection to the club and that everything "they meant to him was when they were at Roker Park".
Health
Severe illness almost ended O'Toole's life in the late 1970s. His stomach cancer was misdiagnosed as resulting from his alcoholic excess. O'Toole underwent surgery in 1976 to have his
pancreas
The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...
and a large portion of his stomach removed, which resulted in
insulin
Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the insulin (''INS)'' gene. It is the main Anabolism, anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabol ...
-dependent
diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
. In 1978, he nearly died from a
hematologic disease. He eventually recovered and returned to work. He resided on the Sky Road, just outside
Clifden,
Connemara
Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...
, County Galway, from 1963, and at the height of his career maintained homes in Dublin, London, and Paris (at the
Ritz, which was where his character supposedly lived in the film ''
How to Steal a Million'').
Interests and influences
In an interview with
NPR in December 2006, O'Toole revealed that he knew all 154 of
Shakespeare's sonnets
William Shakespeare (1565 –1616) wrote sonnets on a variety of themes. When discussing or referring to Shakespeare's sonnets, it is almost always a reference to the 154 sonnets that were first published all together in a quarto in 1609. Howe ...
. A self-described romantic, O'Toole said of the sonnets that nothing in the English language compares with them, and that he read them daily. In ''
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
'' (2006), he recites
Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?").
O'Toole wrote two memoirs. ''Loitering with Intent: The Child'' chronicles his childhood in the years leading up to the Second World War, and was a ''New York Times'' Notable Book of the Year in 1992. His second, ''Loitering With Intent: The Apprentice'', is about his years spent training with a cadre of friends at
RADA.
O'Toole was interviewed at least three times by
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...
on his eponymous
talk show
A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...
. In a 17 January 2007 interview, O'Toole stated that British actor
Eric Porter
Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television.
Early life
Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdo ...
had most influenced him, adding that the difference between actors of yesterday and today is that actors of his generation were trained for "theatre, theatre, theatre". He also believes that the challenge for the actor is "to use his imagination to link to his emotion" and that "good parts make good actors." However, in other venues (including the DVD commentary for ''
Becket''), O'Toole credited
Donald Wolfit as being his most important mentor.
Death and legacy
O'Toole retired from acting in July 2012 owing to a recurrence of stomach cancer.
He died on 14 December 2013 at the
Wellington Hospital in
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster, London, England, about 2.5 miles (4 km) northwest of Charing Cross. Historically the northern part of the Civil Parish#An ...
, London, at the age of 81. His funeral was held at
Golders Green Crematorium in London on 21 December 2013, where his body was cremated in a wicker coffin. His family stated their intention to fulfil his wishes and take his ashes to the west of Ireland.
On 18 May 2014, a new prize was launched in memory of Peter O'Toole at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; this includes an annual award given to two young actors from the School, including a professional contract at Bristol Old Vic Theatre. He has a memorial plaque in
St Paul's, the Actors' Church in
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
, London.
On 21 April 2017, the
Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe ...
at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
announced that
Kate O'Toole had placed her father's archive at the Humanities Research Centre. The collection includes O'Toole's scripts, extensive published and unpublished writings, props, photographs, letters, medical records, and more. It joins the archives of several of O'Toole's collaborators and friends, including
Donald Wolfit,
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...
,
Peter Glenville, Sir
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
, and Dame
Edith Evans.
Acting credits and accolades
O'Toole was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards. He was offered a
knighthood but rejected it in objection to Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
's policies. He received four
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...
s, one
BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (for ''Lawrence of Arabia'') and one
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
.
Academy Award nominations
O'Toole was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for
Best Actor in a Leading Role but was never able to win a competitive Oscar. In 2002,
the Academy honoured him with an
Academy Honorary Award
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...
for his entire body of work and his lifelong contribution to film. O'Toole initially balked about accepting and wrote the Academy a letter saying that he was "still in the game" and would like more time to "win the lovely bugger outright". The Academy informed him that they would bestow the award whether he wanted it or not. He told
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete Rose Jr. (born January 5, 1942) is an American journalist and talk show host. From 1991 to 2017, he was the host and executive producer of the talk show ''Charlie Rose (talk show), Charlie Rose'' on PBS and Bloomberg L.P., Bloombe ...
in January 2007 that his children admonished him, saying that it was the highest honour one could receive in the filmmaking industry. O'Toole agreed to appear at the ceremony and receive his Honorary Oscar. It was presented to him by
Meryl Streep. He joked with
Robert Osborne during an interview at
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
' film festival that he was the "Biggest Loser of All Time" due to failure to win an Academy Award after multiple nominations.
Bibliography
* ''Loitering with Intent: The Child'' (1992)
* ''Loitering with Intent: The Apprentice'' (1997)
See also
*
List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
*
List of actors with Academy Award nominations
*
List of actors with three or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
Notes
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otoole, Peter
1932 births
2013 deaths
Military personnel from Leeds
20th-century Royal Navy personnel
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
Academy Honorary Award recipients
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Best British Actor BAFTA Award winners
Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners
David di Donatello winners
English people of Irish descent
English people of Scottish descent
English male film actors
English male Shakespearean actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
Irish people of Scottish descent
Irish male film actors
Irish male stage actors
Irish male television actors
Irish male voice actors
Male actors from Leeds
New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winners
People with type 1 diabetes
Royal Navy sailors
Royal Shakespeare Company members
People from Hunslet
Deaths from stomach cancer in England