For as far back as I can remember, Peter O’Toole was one of those actors that was always mentioned when it came to the conversation of the “best” that had not yet received an Oscar. Of course, O’Toole won an honorary Oscar in 2003 as the Academy celebrated what was referred to as “remarkable talents [that] have provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.” Still it felt incomplete, at least to me, that the man that was Lawrence of Arabia had not yet received an actual Oscar win. Today, it seems he never will.
O’Toole passed away Saturday at the age of 81, leaving behind an acting legacy that I’m sure will receive even greater attention in the coming years. Recently he’s most remember for his fantastic performance in Venus followed by providing the voice for Anton Ego in Pixar’s Ratatouille. Additional performances of note include The Lion in Winter and Becket, but I haven’t even seen those as I still need to fill some holes in my watchlist.
O’Toole had announced back in July 2012 he was retiring from acting saying, “The heart for it has gone out of me… It won’t come back”. His performances, thankfully, will be with us forever.
