This lauded Irish thespian studied at RADA alongside the likes of Albert Finney and his lifelong friend (and frequent drinking partner) Richard Harris before debuting on the London stage. But movies were where blue-eyed stunner O'Toole became a star. With only a few TV and film parts on his résumé, O'Toole won the title role in the 1962 epic
Lawrence of Arabia, though he was not the first choice; myriad actors had turned down the part, including Finney. Yet as writer/adventurer/warrior T.E. Lawrence, O'Toole was magnetic and magnificent, earning his first Academy Award nomination for best actor. For the rest of the decade, he remained a mega movie star, appearing in projects both prestigious (as King Henry II in both
Becket and
The Lion in Winter, garnering him two more Oscar nods) and popular (the caper
How to Steal a Million, the comedy
What's New, Pussycat?). He even tackled a musical,
Goodbye, Mr. Chips, earning yet another Oscar nomination. But in the '70s, despite a nod for his turn as an insane nobleman in the satire
The Ruling Class, O'Toole's hard off-screen life began to catch up with him. Although married to actress Siân Phillips with two children, he was a notorious ladies' man and heavy drinker. His career and health began to suffer, and doctors eventually had to remove parts of his stomach and intestines. O'Toole nearly died, but went on to make a full recovery. In the '80s, after some low-profile projects and a divorce, he made a comeback with a pair of Oscar-nominated turns: a manipulative director in the thriller
Stunt Man and a washed-up, alcoholic movie star in the comedy
My Favorite Year. While O'Toole continued to work steadily, he often signed on to projects of dubious quality (
Supergirl,
Club Paradise,
King Ralph) seemingly just for the paycheck. In 2003, having been nominated for---but never winning---seven acting Oscars (a record he shared with buddy Richard Burton), he finally took home an honorary statuette. However, O'Toole was initially hesitant to accept it, and wrote a note to the Academy stating that despite his advanced age, he was "still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright." In 2006, he proved that wasn't an empty boast when he was nominated for an eighth Oscar for his work as an elderly actor involved with a teen in
Venus. A couple years later, O'Toole accepted a rare recurring TV role, playing Pope Paul III on the second season of Showtime period drama
The Tudors; but he continued to remain active on the big screen, which had always been where his talents truly shone---Oscar or no Oscar.
Peter O'Toole Fast Facts:
- As a teenager, worked for the Yorkshire Evening News and considered a career in journalism.
- At 19, joined the Navy and spent a few years on a submarine.
- Classmates at RADA included Albert Finney and lifelong friend Richard Harris.
- Made his professional acting debut in 1955 as a member of the Bristol Old Vic company.
- Published the first part of his three-volume memoir, Loitering with Intent: The Child, in 1993; the second part, Loitering with Intent: The Apprentice, was published in 1997.
- In 2003, became the first person to attempt to turn down an Honorary Oscar, but eventually accepted the award.
- Nominated for eight acting Oscars without taking home the prize.
- Peter O'Toole Relationships:
- Constance O'Toole - Mother
- Karen Somerville - Ex-significant Other
- Kate O'Toole - Daughter
- Lorcan O'Toole - Son
- Patricia - Sister
- Patricia O'Toole - Daughter
- Patrick O'Toole - Father
- Siân Phillips - Ex-wife
- Peter O'Toole Awards:
- 1963 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 1965 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 1969 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 1981 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - Nominee
- 1970 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Winner
- 1973 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 1983 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2006 BAFTA Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2000 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 1964 BAFTA Awards: Best British Actor - Nominee
- 1988 BAFTA Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1963 Golden Globe: New Star of the Year - Actor - Winner
- 1981 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special - Nominee
- 1982 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 1962 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1964 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1968 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1969 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1972 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1980 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 1982 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Nominee
- 2002 Oscar: Honorary Award - Winner
- College:
- Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England (1954)