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Peter O'Toole

ACTOR · BORN 1932 · DIED 2013

Peter O'Toole

Born
2 August 1932
Died
14 December 2013
Known for
Ratatouille (2007), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Caligola (1979), The Lion in Winter (1968)

61 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

Peter O'Toole (2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an actor best known for Ratatouille, Lawrence of Arabia and Caligola.

61 Interesting Facts About Peter O'Toole

Interesting Facts (18)

  1. #001

    After Peter O'Toole's death, his ashes were brought to Ireland and kept safely at Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of President Michael D Higgins. The ashes will be kept there until they are buried in the west of Ireland. The arrangement reflects O'Toole's strong connection to Ireland and his love for his country.

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  2. #002

    Travelling to America with Omar Sharif for the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O'Toole took Sharif to a Lenny Bruce show the night before the opening. After the show they met Lenny backstage and went out drinking together. When Lenny said he had to go home, they accompanied him, but as Lenny injected himself with drugs they were caught in a police raid and all of them were arrested. At the police station Omar Sharif called the producer Sam Spiegel, who had them released.

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  3. #003

    Peter O'Toole could play the bagpipes and was a member of an Irish pipe band in his youth. He displayed the skill in two of his films: Kidnapped (1960) and Brotherly Love (1970). Playing the bagpipes was part of his attachment to Irish culture.

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  4. #004

    From the 1980s onwards, Peter O'Toole is often seen in his films wearing an Irish Claddagh ring on the third finger of his right hand. The ring is a symbol particular to the Galway region of Ireland and reflects O'Toole's attachment to his Irish heritage. The detail became part of his personal style.

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  5. #005

    Peter O'Toole disliked Troy (2004) and walked out of the finished film minutes into it. He also disliked the director, Wolfgang Petersen. The situation shows that O'Toole had a personality that expressed his views about projects openly.

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  6. #006

    Peter O'Toole was a close friend of Katharine Hepburn. Some believe his daughter Kate O'Toole was named after Hepburn, but according to Siân Phillips's autobiography, they named their daughter after the character Kate in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The line "Kate, sweet Kate, the prettiest Kate in Christendom" inspired the choice of name.

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  7. #007

    While a student at RADA in the early 1950s, Peter O'Toole was active in protesting the British intervention in the Korean War. He later became an active opponent of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. This political stance shows he was an artist sensitive to social issues.

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  8. #008

    Peter O'Toole was considered for Sean Connery's roles in Marnie (1964), Highlander (1986) and The Name of the Rose (1986). Although he did not appear in these projects, it shows he was an actor considered for the major productions of the period.

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  9. #009

    Peter O'Toole turned down the role of Judas Iscariot in Jesus of Nazareth (1977) due to health problems. The role eventually went to Ian McShane. O'Toole's health problems were adversely affecting his career at the time.

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  10. #010

    Peter O'Toole was considered for the lead role in Doctor Dolittle (1967). However, the role eventually went to Rex Harrison. O'Toole's absence from this project can be regarded as a significant missed opportunity in his career.

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  11. #011

    Peter O'Toole appeared in four films with his former wife Siân Phillips: Becket (1964), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969), Murphy's War (1971) and Under Milk Wood (1971). These films were part of the pair's professional as well as personal relationship. O'Toole and Phillips continued to work together.

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  12. #012

    While studying at RADA in the early 1950s, Peter O'Toole was active in protesting the British intervention in the Korean War. He later became an active opponent of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He also played a part in creating the present form of the famous folk song 'Carrickfergus'; he passed the song on to Dominic Behan, who published and recorded it in the mid-1960s.

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  13. #013

    At the time of his death, Peter O'Toole was residing in Galway, Ireland, and London, England. O'Toole had established strong ties with both Ireland and England.

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  14. #014

    The son of Peter O'Toole and Karen Brown is named Lorcan O'Toole. Lorcan followed in his father's footsteps with an acting career, and O'Toole's children carried on his legacy.

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  15. #015

    The title character of the comic book Alan Ford, widely popular in Italy, was modelled on Peter O'Toole's physical features.

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  16. #016

    In 1983, Peter O'Toole played Sherlock Holmes in three separate television films: Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four, Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear and Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet. He also played Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes's creator, in the 1997 film FairyTale: A True Story. These two roles show O'Toole's interest in literary characters and his ability to approach them from different angles.

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  17. #017

    Peter O'Toole always tried to avoid seeing his own films. This behaviour is similar to that of many actors who dislike watching their own performances. This attitude of O'Toole's suggests that he was a perfectionist and self-critical artist.

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  18. #018

    Peter O'Toole was considered for the role played by Stanley Baker in the 1959 film Chance Meeting. The film was a crime drama about a murder investigation. O'Toole's consideration for the role shows that he was regarded as a respected actor even early in his career.

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Behind the Scenes (13)

  1. #019

    During the shooting of Venus (2006), Peter O'Toole broke his hip but returned to the set only three weeks later. The incident shows his dedication to his work and his professionalism. Despite his age and health problems, O'Toole kept working.

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  2. #020

    Peter O'Toole was one of six actors nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. He played King Henry II in Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968) and was nominated for Best Actor for both performances. Other actors who have achieved this include Bing Crosby, Al Pacino, Paul Newman and Cate Blanchett.

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  3. #021

    Peter O'Toole played the first Roman Emperor Augustus in Augustus: The First Emperor (2003). His ex-wife Siân Phillips had previously played Augustus's wife Livia in the series I, Claudius (1976). This coincidence stands out as an interesting parallel in the pair's careers.

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  4. #022

    Peter O'Toole was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 for his outstanding achievement throughout his theatre career. O'Toole had also won great acclaim for his stage performances.

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  5. #023

    Peter O'Toole was the first choice for the role of King Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966), but the role was given to Robert Shaw. Shaw was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this performance. O'Toole's loss of this role can be seen as a significant missed opportunity in his career.

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  6. #024

    Peter O'Toole was initially cast as Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1979), and Laurence Olivier was to play Dr. Watson. When the two could not agree, however, the project fell apart. The situation shows the incompatibility between O'Toole and Olivier.

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  7. #025

    He was Harry Saltzman's first choice for Albert Finney's breakthrough role in the 1960 film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Saltzman would later become famous as the producer of the James Bond films. Finney's performance is regarded as an important example of the British New Wave.

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  8. #026

    He was considered to play Quentin Crisp in the 1975 film The Naked Civil Servant. The film was adapted from the autobiographical work of the English writer and gay rights activist Quentin Crisp. The role ultimately went to John Hurt, and Hurt won great acclaim for his performance. That O'Toole was considered for this role shows his interest in bold and unusual characters.

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  9. #027

    He was Sam Spiegel's first choice for the role of Jason 'Jake' Rogers, played by James Fox, in the 1966 film The Chase. The film was a drama directed by Arthur Penn and starring names such as Marlon Brando and Robert Redford.

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  10. #028

    He was considered for the role of Sean O'Casey, played by Rod Taylor, in the 1965 film Young Cassidy. The film was about the life of the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey. That O'Toole was considered for this role shows his potential to play a character that overlapped with his Irish identity.

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  11. #029

    He turned down the role of Sir Michael Barrington, played by Timothy Dalton, in the 1977 film Sextette. The film was a comedy starring Mae West and was her last film. O'Toole's rejection of this role shows his meticulousness in choosing projects and how he steered his career.

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  12. #030

    He was considered for the role of Charlie Venner, played by Del Henney, in the 1971 film Straw Dogs. The film was a violence-themed thriller directed by Sam Peckinpah. That O'Toole was considered for this role shows his interest in dark and disturbing characters.

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  13. #031

    He was initially announced to star in the 1982 film Killing 'em Softly. The film was a thriller about a serial killer. However, the project did not come together, and O'Toole's role in the film never came to fruition.

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Characters & Cast (11)

  1. #032

    Peter O'Toole was nearly cast as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1964), since Rex Harrison was thought to be too old for the part. O'Toole's salary demands, however, were more than producer Jack L. Warner was willing to pay. The role therefore remained with Harrison.

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  2. #033

    After Richard Harris's death, his family hoped Peter O'Toole would take on the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). The role went to Michael Gambon instead. O'Toole was a close friend of Harris, and his family therefore saw him as a suitable successor.

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  3. #034

    Peter O'Toole turned down the lead role in Doctor Zhivago (1965) because, after the experience of Lawrence of Arabia (1962), he did not want to work with David Lean again. The decision reflects the difficult working relationship between O'Toole and the director. The role eventually went to Omar Sharif.

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  4. #035

    Peter O'Toole was considered to play the Eighth Doctor in Doctor Who: The Movie (1996). He was also considered for the character of Borusa and was keen on the role, but the character was cut from the script. The situation shows O'Toole's interest in science fiction.

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  5. #036

    Peter O'Toole was approached for the role of Dillinger/Sark in Tron (1982), but after reading the script he became far more interested in playing the character Tron. The situation is an indication of O'Toole's engagement with projects and his creative choices.

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  6. #037

    Peter O'Toole was among the names mentioned for the character played by Cyril Cusack in the 1966 film Fahrenheit 451. In François Truffaut's science-fiction classic, set in a dystopian world where firemen burn books, Cusack's role is a significant one, and O'Toole's consideration for it shows how seriously producers of the period regarded him as an actor.

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  7. #038

    Peter O'Toole was among the actors considered for the role of Dr. Sam Loomis in the 1978 horror classic Halloween. Directed by John Carpenter, the film is regarded as a pioneer of the slasher genre; Loomis is the psychiatrist trying to stop serial killer Michael Myers, and the part ultimately went to Donald Pleasence. O'Toole's consideration for the role shows the range of his career.

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  8. #039

    Peter O'Toole was set to star alongside Toshirō Mifune in "Will Adams," to be directed by John Huston, written by Dalton Trumbo and produced by Eugene Frenke and Jules Buck. The film was announced with the tagline "A bold adventurer defies the traditions of a mighty empire." The project never came to fruition, however, and no film starring O'Toole and Mifune together was ever made.

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  9. #040

    Peter O'Toole was considered for the role of Fielding, played by James Fox, in David Lean's 1984 film A Passage to India. The film was adapted from E.M. Forster's novel of the same name and dealt with themes of racism and justice during the British Raj. O'Toole's consideration for the role is an indication of his success in period dramas.

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  10. #041

    In 2005, actor Kevin Quarmby, who later trained as a Shakespeare scholar, wrote a detailed account of Peter O'Toole's eccentric behaviour in the lead role of the 1980 Old Vic production of Macbeth. This account lays bare O'Toole's unusual and unpredictable performances on the stage. O'Toole's interpretation of Macbeth reflects the boldness and originality of his approach to Shakespeare.

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  11. #042

    Peter O'Toole was initially considered for the role of Joe Baker, played by Dean Martin, in the 1971 film Something Big. The film was a Western comedy and held an important place in Martin's career. O'Toole's consideration for the role shows that his comedic ability was also recognised.

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Career & Awards (9)

  1. #043

    When he was awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2003, O'Toole initially considered turning it down, feeling that such an award meant the end of his career. In a letter to the Academy he said he was 'still in the game' and asked for more time 'to win the lovely bugger outright.' He accepted only after the Academy informed him that it would give him the award whether or not he accepted it.

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  2. #044

    On 10 July 2012 Peter O'Toole announced his retirement from acting. The announcement marked the end of a long and successful career. O'Toole retired as a figure who had left a deep mark on the worlds of film and theatre.

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  3. #045

    The film The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) was originally conceived as a vehicle for Peter O'Toole. The project ultimately went in a different direction, however, and the lead role was given to David Bowie. O'Toole's absence from the project can be seen as a significant missed opportunity in his career.

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  4. #046

    Peter O'Toole said that working with José Ferrer on Lawrence of Arabia (1962) taught him more about acting than any acting class. Ferrer regarded his small role in the film as the best performance of his career. Ironically, Ferrer nearly turned the role down because he appeared for only five minutes in the four-hour film.

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  5. #047

    A two-page Peter O'Toole biography included on the DVD of Rogue Male (1976) ended with the line "Peter O'Toole died in 2003 after a long illness." Whoever entered this incorrect information must have been surprised to see O'Toole attend the 79th Academy Awards in 2007 for his nomination for Venus (2006). The incident shows that false reports of O'Toole's death were in circulation.

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  6. #048

    Peter O'Toole tested for Montgomery Clift's role in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). The test went so badly that the producer Sam Spiegel nearly did not cast him in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). This event was a critical turning point in O'Toole's career.

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  7. #049

    Peter O'Toole turned down the role of Michael in David Lean's 1970 film Ryan's Daughter; the part went to John Mills, who won an Oscar for his performance. He was also considered for the role of Major Randolph Doryan, played by Christopher Jones. Staying away from the project could have been a turning point in his career, but he chose to pursue different projects.

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  8. #050

    Peter O'Toole named Eric Porter as the actor who influenced him most. Porter was one of the leading figures of British theatre and cinema, known especially for his performance in the series The Forsyte Saga. O'Toole's statement reveals which names inspired him in his acting career.

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  9. #051

    Peter O'Toole was to reprise his stage role in the 1961 film Jungle Fighters, but lost the part to Laurence Harvey because the studio wanted a well-known actor. Even so, the loss was not a major turning point in his career.

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Life & Family (10)

  1. #052

    Peter O'Toole's daughter Kate O'Toole said that, because of her father's personal superstitions, he wore green socks every day. On David Letterman's show in 1983, however, O'Toole explained that his father held a superstition requiring him not to wear the colour green and had expressed this to him quite harshly. To disobey his father, he reasoned that his green socks would go unnoticed, and he kept up the habit for life.

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  2. #053

    Peter O'Toole once said that his real date of birth had not been recorded and that he might have been born in June 1932. Leeds City Council's birth, death and marriage records, however, proved that he was born on 2 August 1932 at St James's University Hospital in Leeds. The records removed the uncertainty about O'Toole's date of birth.

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  3. #054

    In 1976 Peter O'Toole underwent surgery to remove part of his stomach and intestines; at the time this was attributed to his heavy drinking, but it was later announced that he had stomach cancer. The following year he nearly died from a blood disease. These two serious health problems greatly affected his ability to work at the time and caused a pause in his career.

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  4. #055

    Peter O'Toole attended a Catholic school where the nuns beat him to correct his left-handedness. The experience shows that he went through a harsh education in his childhood. Despite such difficulties, O'Toole achieved great success in his acting career.

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  5. #056

    Director Billy Wilder initially considered Peter O'Toole for the role of Sherlock Holmes and Peter Sellers for Dr. Watson in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). Wilder later decided to go ahead with lesser-known stars. The project can be seen as an important opportunity O'Toole missed.

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  6. #057

    Peter O'Toole was the father of the actors Lorcan O'Toole, Kate O'Toole and Pat O'Toole. His children carried on his legacy, and Kate O'Toole also had an acting career. O'Toole's family continued to keep his name alive after his death.

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  7. #058

    According to Richard Benjamin, Peter O'Toole trained in music hall, the British equivalent of vaudeville. This training contributed to O'Toole's stage performances and comic ability, and he drew on the experience in both theatre and film.

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  8. #059

    In 1997, Peter O'Toole worked as a professional cricket coach in London, reflecting his passion for and expertise in the sport. Alongside acting, O'Toole devoted significant time to sport.

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  9. #060

    In the 1996 adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, Peter O'Toole played the father of John Standing and Edward Fox, although in real life he was only two years older than Standing and less than five years older than Fox.

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  10. #061

    After his divorce from Siân Phillips, Peter O'Toole referred to her from that moment on as "my widow." The phrase reflects O'Toole's witty and mocking personality. His making such remarks about their post-divorce relationship shows that he handled even the events of his private life with his own distinctive humour.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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