Peter O'toole

Peter O'toole
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Peter O'Toole

Peter Seamus O'Toole was born on 2nd August 1932 in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. He was the son of a bookmaker and when Peter was one his family moved to a tiny, two-bedroom terraced house in Leeds where he was raised. He used to tag along to the local racetracks and pubs with his father, Patrick, and it was from him that Peter learned the importance of appearing to be more than you really are. He also learned to take pride in his Irish upbringing, despite the fact that he has spent less than a year living there, even to the point of always wearing at least one item of green clothing - usually his socks.

He left school at 14 and joined the Yorkshire Evening News, running errands for the copy editors and photographers, and slipping into cinema and theatre matinees to write short notices for the paper, but by the time he was 18 he had decided that career in journalist was beneath him. After serving as a signalman in the Navy in the early 1950's, he used his demob money to embark on a grand tour of the nation's theatres. He wound up in Stratford-upon-Avon where he say Michael Redgrave perform King Lear. Peter realised that he was destined for a life on stage and hitched to London, calling in at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Although he had none of the qualifications for entry to RADA, his intelligence and acting ability were enough to convince the entrance panel to grant him an audition, which won him a scholarship. The class that he enrolled in included Albert Finney, Alan Bates and Richard Harris. He spent several years with the Bristol Old Vic where he became a first rate actor.

In 1954 Peter made his first television guest appearance in The Scarlet Pimpernel, playing a soldier. He then went on to make his film debut in The Savage Innocents (1959) as First Trooper. In 1960 he played Robin MacGregor in Kidnapped and Captain Fitch in The Day They Robbed the Bank of England. However it was in 1962, when Peter was chosen by David Lean to play T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, that Peter became an international superstar. The film earned him the first of seven Oscar nominations although no win. He was awarded a BAFTA for Best British Actor for the film in 1963.

In 1958 Peter married Welsh stage actress Siân Phillips and they had two daughters, Kate and Patricia. Unfortunately, after 19 years of marriage, during which time Peter was torn between the love for his wife and his love of freedom, they were divorced in 1979.

Peter's film career has spanned four decades during which time he has made some 40 or more movies. In 1964 he followed his success of Lawrence of Arabia when he played King Henry II opposite Richard Burton in Becket (picture on right) for which he was nominated for another Oscar. In 1965 he played Lord Jim in Lord Jim and Michael James in What's New Pussycat. He also supplied a voiceover in The Sandpiper. In 1966 he was Simon Dermott in How to Steal a Million and played The Three Angels in The Bible. In 1967 he played General Tanz in The Night of the Generals and Piper in Casino Royale. In 1968 he was Captain Charles Edstaston in Great Catherine and King Henry II (once again) in The Lion in Winter opposite Katherine Hepburn - earning yet another Oscar nomination. In 1969 Peter was once more nominated for an Oscar when he played Arthur Chipping in Goodbye, Mr Chips.

During the 1970's he made several films, including Country Dance (1970); Murphy's War (1971) (photo on left); The Ruling Class (1972); Man of La Mancha (1972); Under Milk Wood in which he played Captain Cat (1973); The Other Side of Paradise (175); Rosebud (1975); Man Friday in which he was Robinson Crusoe (1976); Power Play (1978); and Zulu Dawn (1979). However, it was during this period that Peter's health took a serious downturn when medical problems brought on by his drinking threatened to destroy his career and his life. He managed to survive by giving-up alcohol and after serious medical treatment, which included an operation on his stomach in which part of his intestines were removed, he returned to films with a triumphant performance in The Stunt Man as Eli Cross in 1980 - resulting in another Oscar nomination. This was followed by Tiberius in Caligula (1980) and another brilliant performance as Alan Swann in My Favourite Year (1982) and once more an Oscar nomination. In 1984 Peter played Zaltar in Supergirl: The Movie and followed this as Doctor Harry Wolper in Creator (1985); as Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes in Club Paradise (1986); as Reginald Johnston in The Last Emperor (1987); Peter Plunkett in High Spirits (1988); Cesar Valentin in Wings of Fame (1989); and as Prof. McShoul in As Long as It's Love (aka On a Moonlit Night) (1989).

In 1983 Peter became a father once more during a short-lived affair with model, Karen Brown. He fought a costly battle in win custody of his son, Lorcan, to whom he has dedicated his life. Since 1990 Peter has continued to appear in films and has delighted audiences and inspired young actors with his talent. These films include The Rainbow Thief (1990); The Nutcracker Prince (1990); Isabelle Eberhardt (1991); King Ralph (1991); The Seventh Coin (1992); Rebecca's Daughters (1992); Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997); Phantoms (1998); The Manor House (1999); and Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999).

Peter's television career has been no less illustrious and he has appeared in many productions over the years, including: Present Laughter (1968); Rogue Male (1976); Strumpet City (1980); Masada (1981); Pygmalion as Henry Higgins (1983); Svengali as Anton Bosnyak (1983); Kim (1984); Uncle Silas (1990); Crossing to Freedom as John Sidney Howard (1990); The Dark Angel (1991); Civvies (1992); Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III (1994); Heavy Weather (1995); Gulliver's Travels as the Emperor of Lilliput (1996); Coming Home as Colonel Carey-Lewis alongside a large cast which included Susan Hampshire, Donald Sinden, Katie Ryder Richardson and Joanna Lumley (1998); and Joan of Arc as Bishop Cauchon (1999).

In amongst all his film and television appearances, Peter has also managed to spend a lot of his time on stage and his theatrical appearances also span four decades. In 1954 he made his professional stage debut in A Midsummer NIght's Dream at Brighton. Between 1955 and 1958 he spent three seasons in classical repertory at the Bristol Old Vic and English Stage Company which included European tours. During this time he played over 40 roles. He made his London debut in 1956 at the Old Vic in Major Barbara. In 1957 he appeared at the Garrick Theatre in Oh My Papa and in 1958 he toured England, Scotland and Wales in The Holiday. From 1958 to 1959 he appeared at the Royal Court Theatre and the New Theatre, London in The Long and the Short and the Tall. In 1960 he went to Stratford-upon-Avon where he spent one season with the Royal Shakespeare Company as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, as Thersites in Troilus and Cressida and as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. In 1962 he appeared in Sean O'Casey's Pictures in the Hallway at the London Mermaid Theatre and at Dublin Olympia; and in 1963 he returned to London to the Phoenix Theatre where he appeared in Bertolt Brecht's Baal. In 1964 he was Hamlet at the Old Vic, London; and in 1965 he returned to Dublin to appear in Shaw's Correspondents at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1965 he was in Ride a Cock Horse at the London Piccadilly Theatre. He then returned to Dublin for three years where he was in Juno and the Paycock (1966); and Man and Superman (1967) both at the Gaiety Theatre; and in Waiting for Godot (1967-68) at the Abbey Theatre. He then came to England with Waiting for Godot in 1969 where he appeared at the Nottingham Playhouse. From 1972 to 1973 he enjoyed a season of Chekhov, Shaw and Travers with Bristol Old Vic Repertory Company and gave the world première of Barry Collins' monologue Judgement. In 1975 he gave an English and Australian tour of Deadeyed Dicks; and in 1978 he went to Toronto, Washington and Chicago with Uncle Vanya and Present Laughter. In 1980 he returned to the Old Vic, London in Macbeth. From 1982 to 1983 he appeared in Man and Superman at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket and the Cambridge Theatre, London. In 1984 he played Henry Higgins in Pygmalion at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London; and in 1986 he appeared in The Apple Cart at the Theatre Royal, Bath and the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London. In 1987 Peter went to Broadway to recreate his role in Pygmalion. In 1989 he gave one of his finest performances as the drinking journalist Jeffrey Barnard in Jeffrey Barnard is Unwell which he gave at the Apollo Theatre, London from 1989 to 1990. He then repeated this to great acclaim at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London in 1991. In 1992 he appeared in Our Song at the Apollo Theatre, London; and in 1998 he appeared in The Winslow Boy at the Ryan Theatre, North London. In 1999 Peter was honoured to repeat his brilliant performance as Jeffrey Barnard at the Old Vic, London and at the end of this excellent run a video of the production was released. In 2000 Peter stole the show at the Laurence Olivier Awards when he was honoured with the outstanding achievement accolade for his role in Jeffrey Barnard is Unwell.

Peter's passions in life are cricket and fly-fishing, visiting Harrow to watch his son in school plays and the ongoing writing of his autobiography - Loitering With Intent.

Actor - filmography
(In Production) (2000s) (1990s) (1980s) (1970s) (1960s) (1950s)

Fenice, La (2006) (announced)
Love and Virtue (2008) (pre-production) (rumored) .... Atlantes
Stardust (2007) (post-production) .... King Of Stormhold

One Night with the King (2006) .... Samuel, the Prophet
Venus (2006/I) .... Maurice
Romeo and Me (2006)
Lassie (2005) .... The Duke
Casanova (2005) (TV) .... Older Casanova
Troy (2004) .... Priam
Imperium: Augustus (2003) (TV) .... Augustus Caesar
... aka Augustus (Australia: DVD box title) (USA: video title)
... aka Augustus: The First Emperor (UK: DVD title)
... aka Imperium: Augusto (Italy)
... aka Mein Vater, der Kaiser (Germany)
Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) (TV) .... President Paul von Hindenburg
... aka Hitler: La naissance du mal (Canada: French title)
Bright Young Things (2003) .... Colonel Blount
The Final Curtain (2002) .... J.J. Curtis
Global Heresy (2002) .... Lord Charles Foxley
... aka Au coeur du rock (Canada: French title)
... aka Rock My World (USA: video box title)
"The Education of Max Bickford" .... Sidney McKnight (1 episode, 2002)
- One More Time (2002) TV Episode .... Sidney McKnight

Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell (1999) (TV) .... Jeffrey Bernard
Joan of Arc (1999) (TV) .... Bishop Cauchon
... aka Jeanne d'Arc (Canada: French title)
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (1999) .... William Williamson
... aka Damiaan (Belgium: Flemish title)
... aka Father Damien
... aka Molokai: The Forbidden Island (UK: DVD title)
The Manor (1999) .... Mr. Ravenscroft
Coming Home (1998) (TV) .... Colonel Carey-Lewis
... aka Heimkehr (Germany)
... aka Rosamunde Pilcher - Heimkehr (Germany)
Phantoms (1998) .... Dr. Timothy Flyte
... aka Dean Koontz's Phantoms (USA: complete title)
FairyTale: A True Story (1997) .... Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
... aka Fairy Tale
... aka Illumination
Gulliver's Travels (1996) (TV) .... Emperor of Lilliput
Heavy Weather (1995) (TV) .... Clarence, Earl of Emsworth
... aka P.G. Wodehouse's Heavy Weather (UK: complete title)
"Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III" (1994) (mini) TV Series .... Sam Trump
... aka John Jakes' Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III
... aka North and South III
The Seventh Coin (1993) .... Emil Saber
... aka Worlds Apart
Isabelle Eberhardt (1992) .... Maj. Lyautey
Rebecca's Daughters (1992) .... Lord Sarn
... aka Rebecca's Töchter (Germany)
Civvies (1992) (TV) .... Barry Newman
King Ralph (1991) .... Sir Cedric Charles Willingham
The Nutcracker Prince (1990) (voice) .... Pantaloon
Crossing to Freedom (1990) (TV) .... John Sidney Howard
... aka The Pied Piper (UK)
... aka The Red Piper
Wings of Fame (1990) .... Cesar Valentin
The Rainbow Thief (1990) .... Prince Meleagre

In una notte di chiaro di luna (1989) .... Prof. Yan McShoul
... aka As Long as It's Love
... aka Clair (France)
... aka Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It's Love
... aka On a Moonlit Night
High Spirits (1988) .... Peter Plunkett
The Dark Angel (1987) (TV) .... Uncle Silas
... aka Uncle Silas (USA)
The Last Emperor (1987) .... Reginald Johnston (R.J.)
... aka Dernier empereur, Le (France)
... aka Ultimo imperatore, L' (Italy)
Club Paradise (1986) .... Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes
"The Ray Bradbury Theater" .... John Hampton (1 episode, 1986)
... aka Monde fantastique de Ray Bradbury, Le (Canada: French title)
... aka Mystery Theatre (UK: rerun title)
... aka Ray Bradbury présente (France)
... aka The Bradbury Trilogy (UK: rerun title)
... aka The Ray Bradbury Theatre (UK)
- Banshee (1986) TV Episode .... John Hampton
Creator (1985) .... Harry
... aka The Big Picture (USA)
Supergirl (1984) .... Zaltar
... aka Supergirl: The Movie
Kim (1984) (TV) .... Lama
Svengali (1983) (TV) .... Anton Bosnyak
Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four (1983) (voice) .... Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet (1983) (voice) .... Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse (1983) (voice) .... Sherlock Holmes
Pygmalion (1983) (TV) .... Professor Henry Higgins
Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear (1983) (voice) .... Sherlock Holmes
Man and Superman (1982) (TV) .... Jack Tanner
My Favorite Year (1982) .... Alan Swann
"Masada" (1981) (mini) TV Series .... General Cornelius Flavius Silva
... aka The Antagonists (UK)
The Stunt Man (1980) .... Eli Cross
"Strumpet City" (1980) TV Series .... Jim Larkin (unknown episodes)

Caligola (1979) .... Emperor Tiberius Caesar
... aka Caligula (USA)
... aka Caligula, My Son (UK)
... aka Io, Caligola (Italy: recut version)
Zulu Dawn (1979) .... Lord Chelmsford
Power Play (1978) .... Colonel Zeller
... aka Jeu de la puissance, Le (Canada: French title: dubbed version)
... aka Operation Overthrow
... aka State of Shock
Foxtrot (1976) .... Liviu
... aka The Far Side of Paradise
... aka The Other Side of Paradise
Rogue Male (1976) (TV) .... Capt. Robert Thorndyke
Man Friday (1975) .... Robinson Crusoe
Rosebud (1975) .... Larry Martin
Man of La Mancha (1972) .... Don Quixote de La Mancha/Miguel de Cervantes/Alonso Quijana
... aka Uomo della Mancha, L' (Italy)
The Ruling Class (1972) .... Jack Gurney, 14th Earl of Gurney
Under Milk Wood (1972) .... Captain Tom Cat
Murphy's War (1971) .... Murphy
Country Dance (1970) .... Sir Charles Ferguson
... aka Brotherly Love (USA)
... aka The Same Skin (UK)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) .... Arthur Chipping
Great Catherine (1968) .... Capt. Charles Edstaston
The Lion in Winter (1968) .... Henry II
Present Laughter (1968) (TV)
Casino Royale (1967) (uncredited) .... Piper
... aka Charles K. Feldman's Casino Royale
The Night of the Generals (1967) .... General Tanz
... aka Nuit des généraux, La (France)
... aka Tank Force (Philippines: English title)
The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966) .... The Three Angels
... aka Bibbia, La (Italy)
... aka The Bible (USA: short title)
How to Steal a Million (1966) .... Simon Dermott
... aka How to Steal a Million Dollars and Live Happily Ever After
... aka William Wyler's How to Steal a Million (USA: complete title)
The Sandpiper (1965) (voice) (uncredited)
What's New, Pussycat (1965) .... Michael James
... aka Quoi de neuf, Pussycat? (France)
Lord Jim (1965) .... Lord Jim
Becket (1964) .... King Henry II
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) .... T.E. Lawrence
"Rendezvous" .... John / ... (3 episodes, 1959-1961)
- Once a Horseplayer (1961) TV Episode .... Patrick O'Toole
- End of a Good Man (1961) TV Episode .... Larry Dunne
- London-New York (1959) TV Episode .... John
The Savage Innocents (1960) .... First Trooper
... aka Dents du diable, Les (France)
... aka Ombre bianche (Italy)
The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960) .... Captain Fitch
Kidnapped (1960) .... Robin MacGregor

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" .... First Soldier (1 episode, 1956)
- A Tale of Two Pigtails (1956) TV Episode .... First Soldier