Honorary Oscar too early, O'Toole tells academy

Toronto Star ^ | 1/29/2003 | AP

[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!