Peter Seamus O'Toole was an English actor, who for Disney, portrayed Robin MacGregor in the 1960 film Kidnapped and voiced Anton Ego in the 2007 Disney/Pixar film Ratatouille.
O'Toole was born on August 2, 1932 and grew up in the south Leeds suburb of Hunslet. He was among the many evacuated from Leeds early in World War II, and went to St. Joseph's Secondary School. Upon leaving school, O'Toole obtained employment as a trainee journalist and photographer on the Yorkshire Evening Post, until he was called up for national service as a signaler in the Royal Navy. He later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1952 to 1954 on a scholarship. He was in the same class as Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Brian Bedford. He gained recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic with plays, like King Lear, Hamlet, Othello, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Other productions he appeared in included The Long and the Short and the Tall, Pygmalion, Waiting for Godot, Man and Superman, Uncle Vanya, and Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell.
Although, he had make his film debut in 1960, O'Toole gained international recognition playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia in 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 Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man, My Favorite Year, and Venus. His other film credits included What's New Pussycat?, How to Steal a Million, The Bible: In the Beginning, The Night of the Generals, Country Dance, Murphy's War, Man of La Mancha, Caligula, Club Paradise, Supergirl, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, The Last Emperor, Dean Spanley, and Troy.
O'Toole also appeared in critically acclaimed television films, such as Masada, Joan of Arc, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III, and Gulliver's Travels (1996).
In the 1970s, his developed stomach cancer that was misdiagnosed as resulting from his alcoholism. O'Toole underwent surgery to have his pancreas and a large portion of his stomach removed, which resulted in insulin-dependent diabetes for the remainder of his life. O'Toole's cancer returned in 2012 which led to his retirement from acting. He died on December 14, 2013 at Wellington Hospital in St John's Wood, London.
Roles[]
(Kidnapped)
Trivia[]
- He was initially cast as Sark in the film Tron, but backed out when learning that much of the world would be created during post-production.
- He 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.
- He was considered for the role of Bert in Mary Poppins.
References[]
- ↑ Records from the Leeds General Register Office confirm he was born at St James's University Hospital on 2 August 1932.
