I thought he was dead.
I like the guy, but something about him always seemed a bit creepy. Maybe that was his intent as part of his characters and, if so, he was successful.
Aside from is personal induced problems, he was a great actor.
Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia
He was an English guy
He came to fight the Turkish
Too bad. He is one of the greats, even a this age. Curiously he showed up in two movies I saw this year. One was in clips of “Lawrence of Arabia” (his breakout film) shown in Prometheus. The other, maybe his last? role, as a priest in the remarkable, and under appreciated film, “For Greater Glory.”
I’ve always admired Peter O’Toole as an actor. He’s in a category, in my mind, that contains NONE of today’s Hollywood types. None. ‘Becket’ and ‘The Lion in Winter’ are two of my favorite films. Two that I never miss whenever they’re on the tube and that I pop in the DVD Player at least twice a year.
“The Lion in Winter” an incredible, physically demanding performance, with what must have been Anthony Hopkins first screen role. Every scene, has O’Toole forcefully delivering lines like a roaring old lion for upwards of 20 minutes without interruption. Great lungs for a chain smoker!
LoA was my Dad’s all-time favorite movie.
I really enjoyed ‘The Night of the Generals’ (1967).
I watched “My Favorite year” on Sunday. O’Toole was fantastic in that movie: “I’m not an actor! I’m a movie star!”
Here is his filmography:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000564/
His first role was on TV in the 1956 production of “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, as ‘The First Soldier’.
His last role was as Symeon, in Mary Mother of Christ (2013, in pre-production).
“Under the reign of terror of Herod the Great and against all odds, Mary and Joseph survive as young parents in one of the most treacherous times in history. From Mary’s youth to her struggles as a young mother caring for her child, Jesus, up to the age of four years old. We will peer into Mary’s life at ages 8, 15, 19 and 27.”
About O’Toole’s role as Simeon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simeon_%28Gospel_of_Luke%29
All good things do,sadly, come to an end.
The sadness is that he has lost his heart for it. On the other hand, he might just be acting.
He is an astoundingly versatile actor - who has been at the top of his profession for over fifty years and could probably do another fifty without stopping to catch a breath.
Given the nature of the business, that is a phenomenal accomplishment.
My favorite O’Toole role is in the little seen and underappreciated MURPHY’S WAR. Skinny Irishman versus a Nazi submarine. Don’t pi$$ off the Irish!
I remember him from Masada, and ABC miniseries that ran in the early 80s. He was one of the Romans. I really don’t remember much from the series/movie, as I was about 15 at the time. Haven’t seen it since. But I just remember him from the series, thinking this guy is awesome.
Just saw him the other day in My Favorite Year. Fantastic film.
Mark
Come on Peter. Have a few drinks, grab a pole and head for Holland.
Sorry to hear he is retiring. I’ve enjoyed his acting over the years. Enjoy the rest of the time you have Mr. O’Toole.
self ping