Happy Birthday, Peter O’Toole, Irish Actor From “Lawrence of Arabia”

Peter Seamus O’Toole was born in Connemara, Ireland, on August 2, 1932. When O’Toole was a child, his family moved to Leeds, England, where his father worked as a racetrack bookie. According to Moviefone, in his youth, O’Toole aspired to be a journalist, and at the age of 14 dropped out of high school to work for the Yorkshire Evening Post. In the three years that O’Toole worked for the paper, he worked as a copyboy, messenger and eventually a reporter.

After three years, he traded his job as a reporter for a position at Leeds Civic Theatre. After serving in the British Royal Navy for two years, he returned to the stage and made his London debut in 1956 as Peter Shirley in George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara.” Throughout his career, “O’Toole continued to appear on stages throughout the world to great acclaim.” O’Toole made his film debut in the 1960 film, “Kidnapped.”

O’Toole is best known for his 1962 role as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s sweeping epic, “Lawrence of Arabia.” His role in this classic launched him into the upper echelon of actors and solidified his position as one of the best actors of his generation. The film won seven Oscars and earned O’Toole a nomination for best actor. The nomination was the first of eight he has received throughout his career.

Peter O’Toole has received nine acting awards including an honorary Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Drama, and three National Board of Review awards for Best Actor. In addition to his nine awards won, he has also received over 30 nominations in a career that has spanned classical drama, such as his role as Henry II opposite Katharine Hepburn in “The Lion in Winter,” to the broad farce of “My Favourite Year.”

The Internet Movie Database provides a list of Peter O’Toole’s television and film roles and awards as well as photographs.

He continued to flourish until the 1970s when personal troubles led to a career decline as well. O’Toole was notorious for his party-animal lifestyle and it eventually caught up with him. The 1970s saw a divorce, severe illness due to excessive drinking and a sharp decline in popularity and acting opportunities.

But Peter O’Toole “made a strong comeback in the early ’80s” with three well-received roles, the most popular being his depiction of Alan Swann in 1982’s “My Favorite Year.” Since his comeback, O’Toole’s performances have confirmed his early promise as one of the most distinguished actors of his generation. He received an honorary Oscar for his overall career in 2003, and was nominated for his eighth Oscar in 2008 for his role in the film “Venus.” Although, once again he couldn’t secure a win, O’Toole continues his remarkable career in the hopes that he will one day win his elusive Oscar.