Peter O'Toole
Born: 1932-08-02 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died: 2013-12-14
Known For: Acting
Biography
Peter Seamus O'Toole (August 2, 1932 – December 14, 2013) was a British-Irish actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and with the English Stage Company. In 1959 he made his West End debut in The Long and the Short and the Tall, and played the title role in Hamlet in the National Theatre's first production in 1963. Excelling on the London stage, O'Toole was known for his "hellraiser" lifestyle off it. Making his film debut in 1959, O'Toole achieved international recognition playing T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia (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 playing King Henry II in both Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980), My Favorite Year (1982), and Venus (2006) – and 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. O'Toole was the recipient of four Golden Globe Awards, one BAFTA Award for Best British Actor and one Primetime Emmy Award. Other performances include What's New Pussycat? (1965), How to Steal a Million (1966), Supergirl (1984), and minor roles in The Last Emperor (1987) and Troy (2004). He also voiced Anton Ego, the restaurant critic in Pixar's Ratatouille (2007).
Filmography
2025
2022
- Peter O'Toole: Along the Sky Road to Aqaba as Self (archive footage)
2021
- Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony as Self (archive footage)
2020
- Omar Sharif: Citizen of the World as Self - Actor (archive footage)
2018
- Hangover in Death Valley as Narrator (voice)
2015
- Diamond Cartel as Tugboat
2014
- Katherine of Alexandria as Gallus
2013
- Talking Pictures as Self (archive footage)
2012
- Outlaws - For Greater Glory as Father Christopher
- Eldorado as Narrator (voice)
- Peter O'Toole: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival as Self
2010
- Eager to Die as Lord Pelican
2009
- Iron Road as Relic
- Behind The Scenes of Caligula
- Iron Road as Lionel Relic
2008
- Dean Spanley as Fisk Senior
- Christmas Cottage as Glen
2007
- Ratatouille as Anton Ego (voice)
- The Tudors as Pope Paul III
- Stardust as King
2006
- Venus as Maurice
- One Night with the King as Samuel, the Prophet
2005
- Lassie as The Duke
- Casanova as Giacomo Casanova
- Mystic India as Narrador
2004
- Troy as Priam
2003
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show as Self
- Hitler: The Rise of Evil as President Paul von Hindenburg
- Bright Young Things as Colonel Blount
- Augustus: The First Emperor as Augustus Caesar
- Augustus: The First Emperor as Augustus Caesar
2002
- Global Heresy as Lord Foxley
- The Final Curtain as JJ Curtis
2000
- Hellraisers as Self
- The Sinister Saga of Making The Stunt Man
- The Making of Lawrence of Arabia as Self (archive footage)
1999
- Joan of Arc as Bishop Cauchon
- The Manor as Mr. Ravenscroft
- The Early Show as Self
- Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell as Jeffrey Bernard
- Molokai: The Story of Father Damien as William Williamson
1998
- Phantoms as Dr. Timothy Flyte
- Coming Home as Colonel Edgar Carey-Lewis
- Coming Home as Colonel Edgar Carey-Lewis
1997
- The View as Self
- FairyTale: A True Story as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1996
- The Daily Show as Self
- Gulliver's Travels as King of Lilliput
- An Evening with Spike Milligan as Himself
1995
- Die Harald Schmidt Show as Self
- Heavy Weather as Clarence, Earl of Emsworth
1994
- The Rainbow Thief as Prince Meleagre
1993
- The Seventh Coin as Emil Saber
1992
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as Self
- Rebecca's Daughters as Lord Sarn
1991
- King Ralph as Sir Cedric Charles Willingham
- Isabelle Eberhardt as Maj. Lyautey
- Civvies as Barry Newman
1990
- The Nutcracker Prince as Pantaloon (voice)
- Wings of Fame as Cesar Valentin
- Crossing to Freedom as John Sidney Howard
1989
- On a Moonlit Night as Prof. Yan McShoul
- The Dark Angel as Silas Ruthyn
1988
- High Spirits as Peter Plunkett
- Bernardo Bertolucci and the Making of 'The Last Emperor' as Self
1987
- The Last Emperor as Reginald Johnston (R.J.)
- The Dark Angel as Uncle Silas Ruthyn
1986
- Club Paradise as Anthony Cloyden Hayes
1985
- North and South as Sam Trump
- The Ray Bradbury Theater as John Hampton
- Creator as Dr. Harry Wolper
- Supergirl: The Making of the Movie as Self / Zaltar
1983
- Pygmalion as Professor Henry Higgins
- Svengali as Anton Bosnyak
- Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet as Sherlock Holmes (voice)
- Is There One Who Understands Me? The World of James Joyce
1982
- Wogan as Self
- My Favorite Year as Alan Swann
- Man and Superman as Jack Tanner
1981
- Wetten, dass..? as Self
- Masada as General Cornelius Flavius Silva
1980
- The Stunt Man as Eli Cross
- Strumpet City as Jim Larkin
1978
- Power Play as Colonel Zeller
1976
- Foxtrot as Liviu
- Rogue Male as Sir Robert Thorndyke
1975
- Man Friday as Robinson Crusoe
- Rosebud as Larry Martin
1974
- The Public's Right to Know as Self
1973
1972
- Man of La Mancha as Don Quixote De La Mancha / Miguel de Cervantes / Alonso Quijana
- Under Milk Wood as Captain Tom Cat
- The Ruling Class as Jack 14th Earl of Gurney
1971
- Murphy's War as Murphy
1970
- Brotherly Love as Sir Charles Ferguson
- Wind, Sand and Star: The Making of a Classic
1969
- Stiletto as Man at the Premiere (uncredited)
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips as Arthur Chipping
1968
- The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- Great Catherine as Capt. Charles Edstaston
- The Lion in Winter as Henry II
1967
- Casino Royale as Scottish Piper (uncredited)
- The Night of the Generals as General Tanz
- Present Laughter as Garry Essendine
1966
- How to Steal a Million as Simon Dermott
- The Bible: In the Beginning... as The Three Angels
1965
- Lord Jim as Lord Jim
- The Sandpiper as (voice) (uncredited)
- What's New Pussycat? as Michael James
- The Party's Over ... (Producer)
1964
- Becket as King Henry II of England
1962
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- The Merv Griffin Show as Self
- Lawrence of Arabia as T.E. Lawrence
- Operation Snatch ... (Producer)
1960
- Kidnapped as Robin MacGregor
- The Day They Robbed the Bank of England as Capt. Monty Fitch
- The Savage Innocents as First Trooper
1958
- The Castiglioni Brothers as Mario
1955
- The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel as First Soldier
1953
- The Oscars as Self
1952
- Today as Self
1950
- Sunday Night Theatre as Rene Latour
1948
- The Ed Sullivan Show as Self