Richard John Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. The news of his death comes just one year after he formally retired from acting on the eve of his 80th birthday. Upon leaving school, he decided to become a journalist, beginning as a newspaper copy boy. He was 81. He played rugby league when he was a child. [84] He received four Golden Globe Awards, one BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (for Lawrence of Arabia) and one Primetime Emmy Award. Triumphant: Delighting theatre audiences in Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell at the Old Vic, Another hit role: What's New Pussycat? Following Lawrence Of Arabia, other nominations followed for Becket (1964), The Lion In Winter (1968), Goodbye, Mr Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), The Stunt Man (1980) and My Favourite Year (1982). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Bishop Pierre Cauchon in the 1999 mini-series Joan of Arc. He refused to take door keys with him when he left his house. Excelling on the London stage, O'Toole was known as a "hellraiser" off it.[1]. He was 81. I had the honour of directing him in a scene. The charismatic actor – whose early life is something of a mystery – achieved instant stardom as Lawrence Of Arabia and went on to be nominated eight times for a best-actor Academy Award. O'Toole was Tanner in Shaw's Man and Superman (1958), a performance he reprised often during his career. He reportedly received five offers of long-term contracts but turned them down. It was presented to him by Meryl Streep, who has the most Oscar nominations of any actor or actress (19). They're sipping gin and tonic in the Dublin pubs now, and a couple of them flashed their pretty ankles at me just the other day. ‘I got my showmanship and style from him,’ he recalled. On stage he portrayed the impossibly drunken but beloved journalist Jeffrey Bernard in the play by author and long-time Mail columnist Keith Waterhouse, set in the writer’s regular habitat, The Coach & Horses in Soho. Emotional: He is embraced by actress and presenter Meryl Streep after he received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2003. Hamlet was withdrawn after only 27 performances and O’Toole returned to films as Henry II opposite Katharine Hepburn in The Lion In Winter — one of his best. [28] "It broke my heart", he said later. He played a role in the creation of the current form of the well-known folksong "Carrickfergus" which he related to Dominic Behan, who put it in print and made a recording in the mid-1960s. A reformed but unrepentant hell-raiser, O’Toole long suffered from ill health, but continued to amuse and delight those he met. Another memorable role: O'Toole starred in Under Milk Wood with Elizabeth Taylor. Passengers could travel on hydrogen-powered aircraft... Man, 21, appears in court over murder of teenager, 17, whose body was found on banks of river near Hull. One day he clutched her and  said: ‘Have my children.’ She agreed, and soon after conceived Kate, the first of their two daughters. However, he ended up with the unenviable record of being the most nominated actor never to win. He was also a lifelong player, coach and enthusiast of cricket[67] and a fan of Sunderland A.F.C. Peter O’Toole was writing two screenplays just before his death at the age of 81, according to research that also suggests the actor’s hell-raising image was … Lawrence]: Killed in a motorcycle accident at the beginning of the movie; the rest of the film depicts his life in flashback. US Embassy in London attempts to play down fears that Biden's removal of Churchill bust signals a souring of... How a British couple took in a family of Jews from Austria during the Second World War after a chance... My hunt for Hitler's horses: How the 'Indiana Jones of the art world' ARTHUR BRAND was plunged into a... Help us get computers to kids: Daily Mail launches new drive to aid Britain's children struggling with... 'I've been blessed. (1965), a comedy based on a script by Woody Allen, taking over a role originally meant for Warren Beatty. Actor Peter O'Toole (C), son Lorcan O'Toole and daughter Kate arrive at the 79th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, 25 February 2007. He followed it with Man Friday (1975), an adaptation of the Robinson Crusoe story, which was the last work from Keep Films. Peter O’Toole’s £4m snub to daughter ACTOR Peter O’Toole left nothing to his youngest daughter in his will after being estranged from her for years, it was revealed yesterday. [61], Although he lost faith in organised religion as a teenager, O'Toole expressed positive sentiments regarding the life of Jesus Christ. He also had stomach cancer for the last eighteen months of his life. 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. "[18], Upon leaving school, O'Toole obtained employment as a trainee journalist and photographer on the Yorkshire Evening Post,[19] until he was called up for national service as a signaller in the Royal Navy. [77] His family have stated their intention to fulfill his wishes and take his ashes to the west of Ireland.[78]. [36] He performed in Baal (1963) at the Phoenix Theatre. He was reunited with Richard Burton in a film version of Under Milk Wood (1972) by Dylan Thomas, produced by himself and Buck; Elizabeth Taylor co-starred. Yet he still stayed up talking and  drinking all night afterwards. Wildness, rage and violent behaviour could take over. O'Toole was nominated for an Oscar and went on to achieve a record eight best actor nominations without a win. [54] He focused on television, doing an adaptation of Man and Superman (1983), Svengali (1983), Pygmalion (1984), and Kim (1984), and providing the voice of Sherlock Holmes for a series of animated TV movies. His reputation as a roisterer began to outshine his reliability as an actor. Their nights out would end in Covent Garden with O’Toole — as she always referred to him — climbing up the walls of a Lloyds Bank while she watched with the tramps gathered around a late-night refreshment stall. ‘I just hope some b*****d is in when I get home,’ he said. [27], O'Toole was in much demand. With Audrey Hepburn, Peter O'Toole, Eli Wallach, Hugh Griffith. ‘He dressed beautifully — spats and a bowler. It’s better not to know.’. [73] He eventually recovered and returned to work. Legendary: O'Toole was one of the film industry's most well-respected stars, Most famous role: Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia - a film which put the actor on the map, Legend: Peter O'Toole has died at the age of 81 - just one year after he announced his retirement, The acclaimed star was both commercially successful and critically acclaimed during his career, The actor’s agent, Steve Kenis, said: ‘He was one of a kind in the very best sense and a giant in his field.’, O’Toole’s daughter, actress Kate O’Toole, said: ‘His family are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time. [3], Peter Seamus O'Toole was born on 2 August 1932, the son of Constance Jane Eliot (née Ferguson), a Scottish nurse,[4] and Patrick Joseph "Spats" O'Toole, an Irish metal plater, football player, and bookmaker. To take classes in English literature, was critically acclaimed for his achievements... 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