A rock of acting, with an ambiguous, many times, charm, he will write his own history in world cinema, as a key representative of the British school, which he exploited to the highest degree and took it a step further, using the classic theatrical Shakespearean forms, for to be one step ahead of his time. Even today, Peter O’Toole’s performances would be considered advanced for the time, leaving their shadow in world cinema, as he uniquely did in the famous desert scene in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia, the masterful epic film which took off his career.

And yet, this acting legend who graced the screens will never be honored with an Oscar for any of his many admirable roles, despite being nominated eight times for the golden statuette, still holding that negative record today, followed by by his friend Richard Burton with seven nominations.

On the 10th anniversary of his death (December 14, 2013), it’s worth remembering where this Irish acting beast came from, his cinematic highlights, his belief that he was “a child of the criminal class”, about his debaucheries and follies, his passions with women and alcohol, with which he replaced water in his turbulent life. And at the same time, the artist who refused the title of “Sir” from the British crown, for ideological and personal reasons.

Irish by conviction

Peter O’Toole was born on August 2, 1932, in Connemara, Ireland, according to himself, although some argue that this was in Leeds, England, where he grew up. His mother was Constance Jane, of Scottish descent, a nurse by profession and his father, the Irish metallurgist, football player and horse racing agent. After all, in the first five years of his age, he will go around several towns in the north of England, following his father who hunted horses and bets. He went to a Catholic school, where he was forced to become right-handed after a lot of teasing from the nuns, and when he flunked the lessons, he began working as an apprentice journalist and photographer for the Yorkshire Evening Post until he was called up for conscription of the British Royal Navy.

From poetry to theater

His dream was to become a poet, but a random incident will send him to the stage. Just before the opening of the play “Fathers and Sons” the protagonist fell down the stairs and was replaced by the then young Peter O’Toole, to stick with acting. So he would find himself attending classes at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, from 1952 to 1954, having earlier been rejected from the Abbey Theatre’s drama school, by the director Ernest Blyth, because he couldn’t speak Irish! His fellow students at the Academy were Albert Finney and Alan Bates, later holy monsters of acting and notorious drinkers. Together with them, and later with his close friends Richard Burton and Oliver Reed, they will compose the famous alcoholic five of the “rat pack”.

Blue tortured look

Peter O’Toole, possessing a delicate beauty, a unique charm, based largely on his penetrating gaze, which could pierce through steel walls, with his tortured blue eyes and an airy lean figure, will have a great career in the theatre, which he never gave up, even when he became a major movie star.

He will make his theatrical debut with the Bristol Old Vic troupe and will soon win the hearts and warm applause of theatre-goers. As “Hamlet”, his favorite hero, he will leave time, while he loved to play, this unruly character, who was always against the British crown, roles of kings. “Kings are the best roles. Both in life and in the theater. They ask for what they want and they get it,” he used to say. “There’s an old saying in the theater, as old as the theater itself: To find a leading man or leading lady, see if he has the guts to wear a crown. In my career I have played several kings,” he added meaningfully.

Lawrence in the skies

In 1958, it will enter the movie sets, without much enthusiasm. By 1962 he would act in five indifferent films, until David Lean came to offer him the role of Colonel Lawrence in the classic masterpiece, which would send his fame sky high, but also give him his first nomination for Oscar. An Oscar, which he will lose to Gregory Peck, which will be considered, not unjustly, one of the most resounding scandals in the history of the institution.

Lost nominations

For the record, seven more film nominations followed: “Beckett” (1964), “The Lion in Winter” (1968), “Goodbye Mr. Chips” (1969), “The Ruling Class” (1972), “Stadman, The Risky Runaway’ (1980), ‘My Lucky Year’ (1982) and ‘Venus’ (2007). One would say that the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not want among its awardees, a guy who did not go with the flow and retained the anarchist spirit of an Irishman.

“Debauchery”

Peter O’Toole in the 1950s, will actively participate in the protests against the Korean War and in the 1960s will be on the front lines against the Vietnam War. In addition, he will be on the radar of the ultra-conservative Academy for his “debaucheries” in the 60s. By drinking himself to death in public and using marijuana, he was ruining the image of a living legend, according to the dictates of Hollywood.

Among the films that deserve to be remembered for his performance, in addition to those nominated for an Oscar, are the dramatic “Lord Jim”, by Richard Brooks, the adventure “The Giant of the North”, by Nicholas Ray, the war film mystery “The Night of the Generals” by Anatol Litvak, the comic “The Wings of Publicity” by Otakar Votoček, but also his short and shocking passage from “The Last Emperor” by Bernardo Bertolucci.

One wedding – a thousand women

His adventures with women were inexhaustible, as he was an unparalleled heartthrob. Although he was married only once, in 1959, to the actress Sean Phillips, with whom he divorced after 20 years of difficult marriage due to drinking, he revealed in one of his biographies that he had affairs with more than a thousand women.

Gratitude

The abuses will take a toll on his health and from the 70s he will begin to have serious problems, as he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. After a difficult and successful operation, he will return to work, but not with the same momentum, and in 2003 he will be awarded the Oscar for his overall contribution to the cinema. An award, which he initially refused to accept, but was eventually persuaded to attend, quipping to those in attendance that “the Academy could wait until I’m 80”. At the age he announced his retirement from active action “with a deep gratitude” to the public, while a year later he will take his last breath. Forever having our boundless gratitude..