Eight times Oscar Nominee, famously known as Lawrence Of Arabia, Peter O’Toole, passed away on December 14, 2013 after a prolonged battle with illness in London. O’Toole, had survived a bout of stomach cancer in the 1970s, was eighty one and is survived by his three daughters.
To some he was a warm and a wonderful human being, to some funny and immensely talented but to some he was impulsive and rude.
Peter O’Toole was famous for hell-raising exploits and his alcoholic benders and once said “Booze is the most outrageous of all drugs, which is why I chose it.”
O’Toole initially pursued a career in journalism and served in the British Navy before being awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art. He began his acting career on the stage in Britain in the 1950s.
Australian filmmaker Paul Cox had nothing but kind words for Peter O’Toole, whom he directed in the 1999 movie Molokai: The Story of Father Damien starring David Wenham and Peter O’Toole. The film did not go well with the audience, but this film showcased O’Toole’s ability not just as an actor but as a writer as well.
“He wrote about six or seven credible, well-written stories about his life and his experiences. And I think they’ll go into history as something rather important,” Paul said.
Among O’Toole’s more ridiculous roles was Macbeth, performed at the Old Vic in 1980. It was an attempt to restore the fortunes of that playhouse after the National Theatre had left it in 1976. Contradicting the advice he had given as Hamlet to the players at the same theatre under Laurence Olivier’s direction 17 years earlier, he sawed the air with his hands, tore passions to tatters, and ranted until the audience laughed in his face. The production, disowned by fellow members of the Old Vic board, broke records in London and in the provinces.
O’Toole never won the Oscar and holds the record for most nominations without a win. He was, however, given an honorary Oscar in 2003 — an accolade he initially refused, saying he believed he still had time to win the award competitively. He later agreed to appear at the ceremony and accept the honor.
O’Toole announced his retirement in 2012 and wanted to focus on writing, guess God had something else written for him.
May his soul rest in peace.
