Posted on 07/11/2012 7:45:32 AM PDT by beaversmom
Screen legend Peter O'Toole announced today that he is retiring from acting.
"It's time for me to chuck in the sponge," he said in a statement. "To retire from stage and screen. The heart for it has gone out of me; it won't come back."
O'Toole, who turns 80 on Aug. 2, achieved international stardom and his first Oscar nomination for David Lean's 1962's Academy Award-winning epic "Lawrence of Arabia." O'Toole was 27 when he earned the coveted title role. When he was cast in 1960, The Times quoted a London critic who called the young actor "a blazing new talent."
At the time, O'Toole was known mainly for his work on stage. But producer Sam Spiegel told The Times he wanted a new face for the part of T.E. Lawrence.
O'Toole went on to earn best actor nominations -- but no wins -- for 1964's "Becket," 1968's "The Lion in Winter," 1969's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," 1972's "The Ruling Class," 1980's "The Stunt Man," 1982's "My Favorite Year" and 2006's "Venus." He earned an honorary Oscar in 2003.
This Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is presenting the U.S. premiere of the new digital restoration of "Lawrence of Arabia" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I loved “High Spirits” too! A very funny movie.
I too found this a surprisingly touching movie when I saw it decades ago. A tragi-comedy. Although O'Toole's "Alan Swann" was unmistakenly Errol Flynn, it was also had sad auto-biographical overtones due to his own abuse of alcohol which had clearly taken its toll on O'Toole.
PING
LOL!
"Hey Newbomb, where's your brother's El Camino?"
O’Toole has created an amazing body of work but “Murphy’s War” was the first film to come to my mind while reading this thread. I don’t think any other actor could have brought the intensity and determination to the role that he did. Absolutely nothing was going to stop him from sinking that submarine! Great film.
Looks like an uncut version of “Masada” is available on Netflix.
As for Peter ... what can I say? One of the greats. It’s a shame he feels like retiring, but OTOH, people in other professions get to retire when they’re old and done in, so why not rich actors as well?
Ah, seems like IMDB does not like its pictures posted elsewhere - the pic was there in the preview and in the thread just after I posted.
Anyway, what I was recommending was Rogue Male (1977). IMDB.com has the details.
I sometimes get the feeling that a lot of his stories were made-up or dressed-up; but he told them with relish and such a twinkle in his eye, that I didn’t care. I remember, way back, decades ago, thinking he’d soon be dead, what with his horrendous drinking and turbulent lifestyle. He was way up there in the betting pools. But he pulled it together and still managed to come across as a charming rogue and a wonderfully entertaining actor and bon vivant. Sorry to hear he’s retiring. I thank him and wish him well.
Yes, postman, it might be a TRICK! Let us hope.
Looks like Alan Ladd stretched vertically.
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I think I read or heard in an interview of him that he had childhood fantasies of going over to kill Hitler.
It must have been in this interview—starts at approximately the 4:00 mark. This is an excellent interview of O’Toole BTW.
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/3343
One of the better war movies ever made, IMO. The book was good, too.
Agreed. Even when he was young and handsome (see below) there's just something a little off-putting about him.
If you want to really be creeped out, go Google some pics of what he looks like now.
I haven’t seen that movie in ages but remember it fairly well.
Watch for the really bouncing boulders during one of the first seige scenes.
self ping
Noel Coward reportedly said after the premiere that if Peter had been any prettier, the film would have been called “Florence of Arabia”.
Hey, be nice. The guy is 80 years old in a couple of weeks. We've all got to get old. Not sure why you two get the creeps from him. See some of his interview with Charlie Rose a few posts above that I posted. To me he's real, charming, smart, hysterical, and incredibly interesting. Not a phony bone in his body and nothing that I can see that's creepy.
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