Peter O'Toole
Peter O'Toole | |
---|---|
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1954–2012 |
Notable work | Full list |
Spouse | |
Partner | Karen Brown (1982–1988) |
Children | 3, including Kate |
Awards | Full list |
Peter Seamus O'Toole (
Making his film debut in 1959, O'Toole achieved international recognition playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) for which he received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was nominated for this award another seven times – for playing King Henry II in both Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), and Venus (2006) – and 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 for his career achievements.[3]
O'Toole was the recipient of four
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,[4] and Patrick Joseph "Spats" O'Toole, an Irish metal plater, football player, and bookmaker.[5][6][7][8] 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. Records from the Leeds General Register Office confirm he was born at St James's University Hospital in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, on 2 August 1932.[1]
O'Toole had an elder sister named Patricia and grew up in the south Leeds suburb of Hunslet. 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.[9] O'Toole was evacuated from Leeds early in the Second World War,[10] and went to a Catholic school for seven or eight years: St Joseph's Secondary School in Hunslet, Leeds.[11] 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 pubs now, and a couple of them flashed their pretty ankles at me just the other day."[12]
Upon leaving school, O'Toole obtained employment as a trainee journalist and photographer on the Yorkshire Evening Post,[13] until he was called up for national service as a signaller in the Royal Navy.[14] 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.[15] He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) 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.[16] At RADA, he was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Brian Bedford.[17] 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."[18]
Acting career
1950s
O'Toole began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a
O'Toole continued to appear on television, being in episodes of
1960s
O'Toole was in much demand. He reportedly received five offers of long-term contracts but turned them down.[20] His first role was a small role in Disney's version of Kidnapped (1960), playing the bagpipes opposite Peter Finch.[22] His second feature was The Savage Innocents (1960) with Anthony Quinn 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 in Stratford, appearing in The Taming of the Shrew (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."[23]
O'Toole had been seen in The Long and the Short and the Tall by
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
O'Toole's major break came in November 1960 when he was chosen to play the eponymous hero
O'Toole played Hamlet under Laurence Olivier's direction in the premiere production of the Royal National Theatre in 1963.[30] He performed in Baal (1963) at the Phoenix Theatre.[31]
Partnership with Jules Buck
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,
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.[19] He made a heist film with Audrey Hepburn, How to Steal a Million (1966), directed by William Wyler. He played the Three Angels in the all-star The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966), directed by John Huston. In 1966 at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin he appeared in productions of Juno and the Paycock and Man and Superman.[19] 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's Present Laughter for TV in 1968, and had a cameo in Casino Royale (1967).
The Lion in Winter (1968)
He played Henry II again in The Lion in Winter (1968) alongside Katharine Hepburn, 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.[38]
Less popular was Great Catherine (1968) with Jeanne Moreau, an adaptation of the play by George Bernard Shaw which Buck and O'Toole co-produced.[24][39]
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)
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. 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's Waiting for Godot, alongside Donal McCann, at Dublin's Abbey Theatre.
In other films, he played a man in love with his sister (played by
1970s
The Ruling Class (1972)
O'Toole received another Oscar nomination for his performance in
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, 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.[34] O'Toole made Foxtrot (1976), directed by Arturo Ripstein. He was critically acclaimed for his performance in Rogue Male (1976) for British television.[41] He did Dead Eyed Dicks on stage in Sydney in 1976.[42] Less well received was Power Play (1978), made in Canada, and Zulu Dawn (1979), shot in South Africa.[43] He toured Uncle Vanya and Present Laughter on stage. In 1979, O'Toole starred as Tiberius in the Penthouse-funded biopic Caligula.
1980s
The Stunt Man (1980)
In 1980, he received critical acclaim for playing the director in the behind-the-scenes film The Stunt Man.[44][45] 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 at the Old Vic for $500 a week (equivalent to $1,800 in 2023), a performance that famously earned O'Toole some of the worst reviews of his career.[46][47]
My Favorite Year (1982)
O'Toole was nominated for another Oscar for
O'Toole returned to feature films in
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell (1989)
He won a
1990s
O'Toole's performances in the 1990s include
2000s
O'Toole's work in the next decade included
Venus (2006)
O'Toole was once again nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Maurice in the 2006 film
He was in
Personal life
Personal views
While studying at RADA in the early 1950s, O'Toole was active in protesting against British involvement in the Korean War. Later, in the 1960s, he was an active opponent of the Vietnam War.[citation needed] He played a role in the creation of the current form of the well-known folk song "Carrickfergus" which he related to Dominic Behan, who put it in print and made a recording in the mid-1960s.[55]
Although he lost faith in
Relationships
O'Toole married Welsh actress Siân Phillips in 1959, with whom he had two daughters: actress Kate 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.[57]
O'Toole and his girlfriend, model Karen Brown,[58] had a son, Lorcan O'Toole (born 17 March 1983), when O'Toole was fifty years old. Lorcan, now an actor, was a pupil at Harrow School, boarding at West Acre from 1996.[59]
Sports
O'Toole played rugby league as a child in Leeds[60] and was also a rugby union fan, attending Five Nations matches with friends and fellow rugby fans Richard Harris, Kenneth Griffith, Peter Finch and Richard Burton. He was also a lifelong player, coach and enthusiast of cricket[61] and a fan of Sunderland A.F.C.[62] His support of Sunderland was passed on to him through his father, who was a labourer in Sunderland for many years.[63] He was named their most famous fan.[64] 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".[63]
O'Toole was interviewed at least three times by
Health
Severe illness almost ended O'Toole's life in the late 1970s. His stomach cancer was misdiagnosed as resulting from his alcoholic excess.
In an interview with NPR in December 2006, O'Toole revealed that he knew all 154 of
Death
O'Toole retired from acting in July 2012 owing to a recurrence of stomach cancer.[69] He died on 14 December 2013 at the Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, London, at the age of 81.[70] His funeral was held at Golders Green Crematorium in London on 21 December 2013, where his body was cremated in a wicker coffin.[71] His family stated their intention to fulfil his wishes and take his ashes to the west of Ireland.[72]
Legacy
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.[73] He has a memorial plaque in St Paul's, the Actors' Church in Covent Garden, London.
On 21 April 2017, the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin announced that Kate O'Toole had placed her father's archive at the Humanities Research Centre.[74] 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, Peter Glenville, Sir Tom Stoppard, and Dame Edith Evans.[75][76]
Acting credits
Awards and honours
O'Toole was the recipient of numerous nominations and awards. He was offered a
Academy Award nominations
O'Toole was nominated eight times for the Academy Award for
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 two or more Academy Award nominations in acting categories
Notes
- ^ Records from the Leeds General Register Office confirm he was born at St James's University Hospital on 2 August 1932.[1]
References
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- ^ a b "Four 'Hellraisers,' Living It Up In The Public Eye". NPR. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Kodak Theatre: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 23 March 2003 [2002]. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ISBN 1-85695-051-4; 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;..."
- ^ "Peter O'Toole Dead: Actor Dies At Age 81". Huffington Post. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole profile at". Film Reference. 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ Murphy, Frank (31 January 2007). "Peter O'Toole, A winner in waiting". The Irish World. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ "Loitering with Intent Summary – Magill Book Reviews". Enotes.com. Retrieved 12 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Tweedie, Neil (24 January 2007). "Too late for an Oscar? No, no, no...". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole: Lad from Leeds who became one of screen greats". Yorkshire Evening Post. 15 December 2013. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ^ "Obituary: Peter O'Toole, actor". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Waldman, Alan. "Tribute to Peter O'Toole". films42.com. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ Lambourne, Helen (16 December 2013). "'You'll never make a reporter' editor told O'Toole". Hold the Fronte Page. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
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- ^ Lee, Adrian (15 December 2013). "Remembering Peter O'Toole". The Atlantic. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
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- ^ Flatley, Guy (24 July 2007). "The Rule of O'Toole". MovieCrazed. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Flatley, Guy (17 September 1972). "Peter O'Toole, From 'Lawrence' To 'La Mancha'". The New York Times. p. D1.
- ^ a b c Archer, Eugene (30 September 1962). "INTRODUCTION TO AN IRISH INDIVIDUALIST". The New York Times. p. X7.
- ^ Hall, Willis (2 April 1959). "Writing regional plays for a national audience". The Manchester Guardian. p. 6.
- ^ ProQuest 115236724.
- ^ a b Watts, Stephen (5 February 1961). "NOTED ON BRITAIN'S FILM FRONT". The New York Times. p. X7. M.
- ^ a b c d e "Jules Buck". The Independent on Sunday. London. 23 July 2001. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2007.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (17 November 2020). "John Guillermin: Action Man". Filmink.
- ^ Glaister, Dan (29 October 2004). "After 42 years, Sharif and O'Toole decide the time is right to get their epic act together again". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ "Albert Finney death: The actor was David Lean's first choice for Lawrence of Arabia'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Movie Performances of All Time". Premiere Magazine. April 2006.
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- ^ a b "Dressing-room talk with a wild man of destiny— PETER O'TOOLE". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 32, no. 49. 5 May 1965. p. 36. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Watts, Stephen (5 November 1961). "BRITAIN'S SCREEN SCENE". The New York Times. p. X7.
- ^ Weiler, A. H. (9 September 1962). "PASSING PICTURE SCENE: Film Version of 'Waiting for Godot' Planned--'Gunfighter'--Busy Lass". New York Times. p. 137.
- ^ a b Bergan, Ronald (24 July 2001). "Obituary: Jules Buck: Film producer behind Peter O'Toole's rise to screen stardom". The Guardian. p. 20.
- ^ "O'Toole's New Role to Be 'Will Adams'". Los Angeles Times. 19 August 1964. p. D13.
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (3 March 1965). "O'Toole and Harvey in Levine Brigade: Wolper on Remagen Bridge; Wise's Music Really Sounds". Los Angeles Times. p. D9.
- ISBN 978-1-4391-2661-5.
- ^ "The World's Top Twenty Films", Sunday Times, [London, England], 27 September 1970: 27. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. accessed 5 April 2014
- ^ Marks, Sally K. (30 April 1967). "'Catherine' Plush Saga of Czarist Era". Los Angeles Times. p. c11.
- ^ "Man of La Mancha (1972) – Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Hodgson, Clive (1 April 1978). "Television: An Interview with Mark Shivas". London Magazine. Vol. 18, no. 1. p. 68.
- ^ "IN BRIEF Actors". The Canberra Times. Vol. 51, no. 14, 539. 20 November 1976. p. 7. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Canadian calls the shots at U.S. cable giant". Toronto Star. 16 November 1988. p. B9.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (7 November 1980). "The Stunt Man". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (17 October 1980). "O'Toole In 'Stunt Man'". The New York Times.
- ^ "Another 'Macbeth' success". The Canberra Times. Vol. 55, no. 16, 441. 30 September 1980. p. 18. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Downie, Leonard, Jr. (9 September 1980). "Toil and Trouble At the Old Vic". The Washington Post.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "O'Toole role improves on his Macbeth". The Canberra Times. Vol. 57, no. 17, 224. 24 November 1982. p. 28. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole: buccaneer at large". The Globe and Mail. 12 May 1984. p. 8.
- ^ "FILM". The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 414. 1 December 1988. p. 29. Retrieved 25 November 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Gibbons, Fiachra (19 February 2000). "National upsets the form book at awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ "A Peter O'Toole interview with USA TODAY". USA Today. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ French, Philip (14 December 2008). "Dean Spanley". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole announces retirement from show biz". CBC.ca. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Harris & O'Toole – Carrickfergus video". NME. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ Gates, Anita (26 July 2007). "Papal Robes, and Deference, Fit O'Toole Snugly". The New York Times.
- ^ Southern, Nathan (2008). "Peter O'Toole profile". AllRovi. MSN Movies. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ "Model Karen Brown Somerville". December 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ Standing, Sarah (15 December 2013). "Remembering Peter O'Toole". GQ. Retrieved 15 December 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "O'Toole joins the rugby league actors XIII". The Roar. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "O'Toole bowled them over in Galway". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole, a hell-raising dad and a lost Sunderland passion". Salut Sunderland. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Peter O'Toole and a lost Sunderland passion". Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ Terry, Paper (23 December 2013). "Peter O'Toole Dies – Sunderland Most Famous Supporter Is Dead". Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Kabatchnik, Amnon (2017). Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 209.
- ^ Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. Chronicle Books (Turner Classic Movies Film Guide). 2006. p. 165.
- ^ Hogan, Mike (15 December 2013). "Peter O'Toole, Dead at 81, Made an Indelible Mark with Lawrence of Arabia". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole and a Young 'Venus'". NPR. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- ^ "President leads tributes to Peter O'Toole, a legend fiercely proud of his Irish heritage". Irish Independent. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "Peter O'Toole's ex-wife makes an appearance at his funeral". Express.co.uk. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ "O'Toole's ashes heading home to Ireland". Ulster Television. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "The Peter O'Toole Prize". bristololdvic.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ "Archive Acquired of Theatre and Film Actor Peter O'Toole". utexas.edu. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ Nyren, Erin. "Peter O'Toole Archive Acquired by University of Texas". Variety. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
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- ^ "Interview de Peter O'Toole". Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2016 – via YouTube.
External links
- Peter O'Toole at the Internet Broadway Database
- Peter O'Toole at IMDb
- Portraits of Peter O'Toole at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Peter O'Toole at the TCM Movie Database
- Peter O'Toole at the BFI's Screenonline