Honorary Oscar too early, O'Toole tells academy

Toronto Star ^ | 1/29/2003 | AP

[JennysCool]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter O'Toole's peers want to reward him with an honorary Academy Award. But the actor, who has been nominated for an Oscar seven times but never won, is not sure he's ready to accept it.

O'Toole, 70, sent a handwritten letter last week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences saying he was "enchanted" at the thought of an honorary Oscar but that he still had a shot at earning the award for a particular acting performance.

The academy announced last week that it intended to award O'Toole an honorary Oscar for a career that has included best-actor nominations for Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr. Chips, My Favourite Year and three other film roles.

The actor wrote back that since he was "still in the game, and might yet win (the award) outright, would the academy please defer the honour until I am 80?"

Academy officials said Wednesday they had not received a definite answer from O'Toole on whether the letter meant he would not show up to collect the award at the Oscar ceremony March 23. An O'Toole spokeswoman contacted by telephone Wednesday declined to comment.

The story first appeared in the trade paper Daily Variety.

In his letter, O'Toole said he learned of the honorary Oscar from his agent, who had talked informally with the Academy board.

"We don't negotiate and it's not contingent upon anyone appearing," Academy President Frank Pierson told Variety.

The statue will be waiting for O'Toole whenever he is ready to accept it, Pierson said.

The academy's board "unanimously and enthusiastically voted you the honorary award because you've earned it and deserved it," Pierson said in a response to O'Toole.

"It will be there for you at the awards ceremony March 23, and we hope you'll be there with us. If not, it will be at the academy for you to pick up when you're 80, or whenever you're ready," he said.

[JennysCool]

O'Toole wants to win it by working. I think that's refreshing.

[Argus]

I cracked up when I read this today. "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

[JennysCool]

"would the academy please defer the honour until I am 80?"

The guy's got both class and a sense of humor, I'm thinking.

[LS]

How did this guy NOT win it for "Lawrence of Arabia?" Who won it that year?

[JennysCool]

Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird ... Well-deserved!

[TheConservator]

Two great acting performances in one year! You won't see that today. The movie industry has sure gone to hell in a handbasket.

(I saw Gangs of New York recently. A terribly violent movie. But I did think Daniel Day-Lewis did a superb acting job as Bill the Butcher.)

[Tax-chick]

Good for him! "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Lion in Winter" are my two favorite movies, ever.

If Peter O'Toole is still breathing, he can win an Oscar for a current role.

Maybe he's a fruitbat like most of them, I dunno, but damn, he makes great movies!

[Inspectorette]

I'll never forget him in "My Favorite Year" - a comedy about '50's TV. He was brilliant - hilarious, but poignant as well, especially in the scenes where he's surreptiously checking on his young daughter, who has been estranged from him by his ex-wife.

O'Toole plays a faded, womanizing star. One of the characters, mentions something about his "talent" for pleasing the ladies. To which, O'Toole rebuts, "The activities of my ____ is MY business". The hapless lackey then asks, "So - how's business?" O'Toole, without missing a beat: "Nevah bettah!"

[habs4ever]

This great actor has been robbed and he deserves one NOW.That he was passed over for Lawrence of Arabia for that drip Gregory Peck in Kill a Mockingbird is absurd.Or his riveting role in the Ruling Class and Lion and Winter proved his immense talent.Hollywood never gave an Oscar to James Mason, or Richard Burton, as well.

[wimpycat]

Peter O'Toole is one of my favorites, too, but he sure hasn't aged very well. I think it's because he's Irish; Richard Harris looked like death warmed over, too, for at least a decade before he actually died.

Have you noticed that that former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the one who is fluent in Arabic that we see on the news all the time looks almost exactly like Peter O'Toole?

A really fun O'Toole flick is "What's New, Pussycat?" It's really dated and campy, but funny. Tom Jones sings the title song.

[Vinomori]

"What's New Pussycat" is HUGELY underrated...and O'Toole
was fabulous in it....as he was in Becket.....in my own opinion
his greatest performance ever.

[mgstarr]

"Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Lion in Winter" are my two favorite movies, ever.

Don't forget about Becket and a younger Henry II.

[Tax-chick]

I don't know that I've seen a recent film. "Svengali," with a young Jodie Foster (singing!) was cool.

My Grandpop was Irish; he faded early, too. But he could whistle a symphony and charm a bar crowd until the day he died!

[wimpycat]

I saw Becket years and years ago; I need to rent that again.

[Tax-chick]

Gorgeous, but he just didn't do it for me as Henry II. Not Viking enough. The Normans were rednecks, don'tcha know ...

[Inspectorette]

I'll never forget him in "My Favorite Year" - a comedy about '50's TV. He was brilliant - hilarious, but poignant as well, especially in the scenes where he's surreptiously checking on his young daughter, who has been estranged from him by his ex-wife.

O'Toole plays a faded, womanizing star. One of the characters, mentions something about his "talent" for pleasing the ladies. To which, O'Toole rebuts, "The activities of my ____ is MY business". The hapless lackey then asks, "So - how's business?" O'Toole, without missing a beat: "Nevah bettah!"

[wimpycat]

No doubt, no doubt! The Irish are lovely people, but the men sure look weatherbeaten as they get older. And it's probably the whiskey that does it.

[Inspectorette]

Oops - sorry for the double post!

[mgstarr]

Terrific performances by both Burton and O'Toole in Becket - before the influence of too much booze and women set in.

In their prime they could run circles around our current crop of "stars". They actually knew how to act.

[Tax-chick]

I meant the younger Henry II, feeling his oats. He was perfect as the old lion, and Katharine Hepburn was the Eleanor for the ages. If my little Eleanor has her class, I'll consider myself a successful mother!