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Peter O'Toole, Star Of 'Lawrence Of Arabia,' Dies

By Eyder Peralta
Published December 15, 2013 at 1:43 PM EST
Actor Peter O'Toole performed on stage and on film in many leading roles, and began his acting career in the 1950s when he was serving in the Navy. He died on Dec. 14 at the age of 81.
1 of 6  — Actor Peter O'Toole performed on stage and on film in many leading roles, and began his acting career in the 1950s when he was serving in the Navy. He died on Dec. 14 at the age of 81.
Actor Peter O'Toole performed on stage and on film in many leading roles, and began his acting career in the 1950s when he was serving in the Navy. He died on Dec. 14 at the age of 81.
Throughout his career, launched by <em>Lawrence of Arabia</em>, O'Toole was nominated for eight Oscars.
2 of 6  — Throughout his career, launched by Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole was nominated for eight Oscars.
Throughout his career, launched by Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole was nominated for eight Oscars.
O'Toole receives an honorary Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards, presented by actress Meryl Streep, in March 2003.
3 of 6  — O'Toole receives an honorary Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards, presented by actress Meryl Streep, in March 2003.
O'Toole receives an honorary Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards, presented by actress Meryl Streep, in March 2003.
In 1983, O'Toole stars as Professor Higgins with Canadian actress Margot Kidder as Eliza Doolittle in a U.S. television production of <em>Pygmalion</em>.
4 of 6  — In 1983, O'Toole stars as Professor Higgins with Canadian actress Margot Kidder as Eliza Doolittle in a U.S. television production of Pygmalion.
In 1983, O'Toole stars as Professor Higgins with Canadian actress Margot Kidder as Eliza Doolittle in a U.S. television production of Pygmalion.
O'Toole started on the stage in London. In 1960, he stars as Petruchio, with Peggy Ashcroft as Katherine, in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", at the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
5 of 6  — O'Toole started on the stage in London. In 1960, he stars as Petruchio, with Peggy Ashcroft as Katherine, in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", at the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
O'Toole started on the stage in London. In 1960, he stars as Petruchio, with Peggy Ashcroft as Katherine, in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", at the Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
<em>Lawrence of Arabia</em> is filmed in the Jordanian desert in 1961. The role of T.E. Lawrence<em> </em>would make O'Toole famous.
6 of 6  — Lawrence of Arabia is filmed in the Jordanian desert in 1961. The role of T.E. Lawrence would make O'Toole famous.
Lawrence of Arabia is filmed in the Jordanian desert in 1961. The role of T.E. Lawrence would make O'Toole famous.

Peter O'Toole, the legendary Hollywood star made famous by his leading role in 1962's Lawrence of Arabia,died on Saturday, his agent Steve Kenis said.

O'Toole went on to be recognized as one of the premiere actors of his generation. He was nominated for eight Oscars, but never won until he was given an honorary honor in 2003.

O'Toole was born in Ireland and grew up in Leeds, Yorkshire. O'Toole honed his acting chops in the London theater, before he beat out Marlon Brando and Albert Finney for the role of Lawrence of Arabia.

"In a long list of leading roles on stage and in film, Peter brought an extraordinary standard to bear as an actor," the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, said in a statement. "He had a deep interest in literature and a love of Shakespearean Sonnets in particular. While he was nominated as Best Actor for an Oscar eight times, and received a special Oscar from his peers, for his contribution to film, he was deeply committed to the stage."

As the BBC reports, at first, O'Toole declined the honorary Oscar, telling the Academy to hold off until was 80, because he was "still in the game and might win the bugger outright." At age 79, O'Toole announced that he was retiring from acting.

O'Toole died in a London hospital following a long illness. He was 81.

NPR's Melissa Block spoke to O'Toole in 2007. They talked about how he got into acting in the 1950s just as he was serving in the Royal Navy.

"I served with men who'd been blown up in the Atlantic, who'd seen their friends drinking icy bubbles in oil and being machine gunned in the water," O'Toole told Melissa. "And I mentioned that I wasn't particularly satisfied with what I was doing in civilian life, which was working for a newspaper. And the skipper said to me one night, have you any unanswered calls inside you that you don't understand or can't qualify? I said, well, yes, I do. I quite fancy myself either as a poet or an actor. He said, well, if you don't at least give it a try, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

We'll leave you with an iconic scene from David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia:

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta
Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
See stories by Eyder Peralta