The press is now reporting the passing of the great actor Peter O'Toole, who is widely beloved for his role as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean's landmark film, Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
Although O'Toole is a household name because of that particular performance, his impressive career includes roles in films such as The Lion in Winter (1968), Man of La Mancha (1972), My Favorite Year (1982), and The Last Emperor (1987).
In terms of genre films, the theater-trained O'Toole appeared in such efforts as Supergirl (1984), Creator (1985), Phantoms (1998), and Stardust (2007).
Just last year, O'Toole's star-making role in Lawrence of Arabia was excerpted in Ridley Scott's Prometheus, and shown to be the role model for the android in the film, David (Michael Fassbender). In fact, Prometheus directly quotes Lawrence of Arabia (and O'Toole's character) on several occasions.
Although we mourn the loss of this great talent today, the medium of film renders Peter O'Toole's memory immortal...
I'll miss him. He's one of those actors that have the "Ebert - Harry Dean Stanton effect" on me. I think the first Peter O'Toole film I ever saw was the little remembered BBC production Rogue Male. The second was My Favorite Year - how about that for sampling a wide range of his acting abilities in a short time?
ReplyDeleteSide note: I didn't like Prometheus anywhere near as much as you did (nor did I feel it was anywhere near as bad as so many others did) I was really impressed by Michael Fassbender's performance when he was modeling himself on O'Toole in Lawrence Of Arabia.
Well said, Nowhere. I will miss him too. I agree with you about Fassbender's performance. In some ways, it was a real tribute to O'Toole's greatness.
DeletePeter O'Toole was a great actor that made any film shine brighter and will be missed. He is part of a very short list of older actors that were truly special to their craft and we are lucky to have them forever preserved on film.
ReplyDeleteSGB
Let's not forget The Stunt Man, one of the best movies-about-movies ever made (and kind of a companion piece, in a way, to MyFavorite Year). Also, The Ruling Class -- flawed, but creepy and thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteAnd heck, his performance could almost salvage a movie like Supergirl. Almost.
We'll miss ya, Pete.
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