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Peter O'Toole (born August 2, 1932) is a famous
Ireland|Irish-born film actor.

He was born Peter Seamus O'Toole in County Galway,
Ireland, and was raised in Leeds, England. He left
school at an early age and became a journalist,
working at the Yorkshire Evening News. But after
National Service he attended the Royal Academy of
Dramatic Art (1952-54) on  a scholarship. He
worked in theatre, gaining recognition as a
Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic and
with the English Stage Company, before making his
television debut in 1954 and a very minor film
debut in 1959. In 1958 he married Welsh actress
SiÃĒn Phillips, and they had two daughters; they
divorced in 1979.

O'Toole's major break came when he was chosen to
play T.E. Lawrence in David Lean|David Lean's
Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia
(1962), after Albert Finney turned down the role.
His performance introduced him to US audiences and
earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for
Best Actor.

Severe illness related to his heavy drinking
almost ended his life in the late 1970s. In 1976
he underwent surgery to have parts of his stomach
and intestines removed, and in the following year
he contracted a deadly blood disorder. Gradually,
O'Toole recovered and returned to work, although
he found it harder to get in films, resulting in
more work for television and occasional stage
roles.

After Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole received six
more nominations for the Best Actor Oscar but
never won the award. In 2003, the Academy bestowed
upon him the Academy Honorary Award for his
lifetime achievements in film. O'Toole initially
balked about accepting and wrote the academy a
letter saying he was "still in the game" and would
like more time to "win the lovely bugger
outright."  In the end, O'Toole relented and
agreed to appear at the ceremony and pick up his
Oscar.

O'Toole also has the distinction of being the only
actor ever nominated for Academy Awards for
playing the same character in two different films;
he played King Henry II in both 1964's Becket and
1968's The Lion in Winter. He is tied with Becket
costar Richard Burton for most nominations for an
acting Oscar (7) without winning.

In 1984 Golden Raspberry Awards|1984, he was
nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award as "Worst
Actor" for his role in Supergirl.

In 2005 he took a rare television role as the
older version of legendary 18th century
Italy|Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova in the
BBC drama serial Casanova (2005
television)|Casanova. O'Toole's role was mainly to
frame the drama, telling the story of his life to
serving maid Edith (Rose Byrne). The younger
Casanova seen for most of the action was played by
David Tennant, who had to wear contact lenses to
match his brown eyes to O'Toole's brilliant,
mesmerizing blue eyes.

Not to be confused with his friend and fellow
Irishman, the late
Richard_Harris_%28actor%29|Richard Harris.

==Selected filmography==

*Kidnapped (1960)
*The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)
*Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia
(1962)
*Becket (1964)
*Lord Jim (1965)
*What's New, Pussycat? (1965)
*How to Steal a Million (1966)
*The Bible (movie)|The Bible (1967)
*The Night of the Generals (1967)
*Great Catherine (1968)
*The Lion in Winter (1968)
*Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips
(1969)
*Brotherly Love (1969)
*Murphy's War (1971)
*The Ruling Class (1972)
*Man of La Mancha (1972)
*Under Milk Wood (1973)
*Rosebud (1975)
*Power Play (1978)
*Zulu Dawn (1979)
*Caligula_(film)|Caligula (1979)
*The Stunt Man (1980)
*My Favorite Year (1982)
*Creator (movie) (1985)
*The Last Emperor (1987)
*High Spirits (film)|High Spirits (1988)
*Wings of Fame (1990)
*King Ralph (1991)
*The Seventh Coin (1992)
*FairyTale: A True Story (1997)
*Phantoms (1998)
*Hitler: Rise of Evil (2003)
*Troy (movie)|Troy (2004)
*Casanova (2005 television)|Casanova (2005,
television)

== Stage appearances ==
*Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell (1989)

== External links==
*imdb name|id=0000564|name=Peter O'Toole
*http://www.realitymouse.com/otoole/ The
Unofficial Peter O'Toole Pages