Peter O’Toole was one of the finest actors of all time, and certainly one of my most loved. He began his career on the stage as a thrilling Shakespearean actor. He made his West End debut in 1959 and in 1963 he played the title role in Hamlet, directed by Laurence Olivier in the National Theatre’s very first production. Exceptional on stage and screen, O’Toole had quite a reputation for his life off them.
O’Toole became an international star at 30 years old playing gay archaeologist, adventurer, diplomat, and writer T. E. Lawrence in David Lean‘s Lawrence Of Arabia (1962), receiving his first Academy Award nomination. He was Oscar nominated seven more times; tied with Glenn Close for the most acting Oscar nominations without a win, but in 2002, he was given an Academy Honorary Award for his career. His Oscar nominations were for playing two very different versions of King Henry II, in Becket (1964) and in The Lion In Winter (1968); for his quiet, endearing performance in the musical Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), and for his raucous, over the top work in The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980), and My Favorite Year (1982); plus for his poignant performance as a dying man in Venus (2006). O’Toole did take home four Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, and an Emmy Award.
Of course, O’Toole played up his well-deserved reputation as a hard-drinking, rabble rouser in the manner of his fellow actors of the period, Richard Burton, Oliver Reed, and Richard Harris. Even with all the injuries, destroyed hotel rooms, and hangovers, O’Toole gave one great performance after another for five decades. He could do it all, breezy comedies, historical dramas, psychological dramas, even musicals.
O’Toole’s final film performance is in a historical war flick, For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada (2012). His final credits rolled at the end of 2013, gone at 81 years old, leaving behind an unmatched legacy of fine work. I only saw him onstage one time, and he was simply brilliant as Henry Higgins in G.B. Shaw‘s Pygmalion opposite Amanda Plummer.
Here are 10 of this writer’s favorite O’Toole performances on film:
