Peter O'Toole: 1932 - 2013
Actor Peter O'Toole has died in London at the age of 81. His was a long and tumultuous career with spasms of theatrical and cinematic greatness interspersed with moments of comedic—if not at times pathetic—personal and professional farce fuelled by an inherently self-destructive nature and an awful lot of alcohol.
Most famous for taking the leading role in the film Lawrence of Arabia, O'Toole's real life persona is/was easily and frequently confused with the character he played making it at times difficult to know where one begins and the other ends. And although he was not motorcyclist, classic or otherwise, the association between O'Toole and Brough Superior is now an indelible part of popular culture.
▲ Peter O'Toole in a scene from the 1962 movie, Lawrence of Arabia, recreating the Brough Superior accident that killed Lord Lawrence. It's said that O'Toole himself suffered a near miss when a towing link broke sending him into a ditch. Some might call that spooky. And some might simply say that the movie publicity department was simply looking for a headline...
Born Peter Lorcan Seamus O'Toole, he was a noted "hellraiser", an alcoholic, an anti-war activist, a "retired Christian", a rugby union supporter, an ex-Royal Navy radio officer, an actor, a husband, and a father.
Frequently referred to as a "beautiful man", and widely regarded as one of the greats of British stage and cinema, it seems that O'Toole was never quite great enough to win an Oscar. In fact, he boasted the dubious accolade of being the actor most nominated who failed to win an Academy Award. Nevertheless, he was nominated eight times (and received an honorary Oscar in 2003), and he also received four Golden Globes, a Bafta and an Emmy.
▲ O'Toole as Lord Lawrence. Brooding, bold, brave and "beautiful". Interestingly, almost everyone remembers the movie, but almost no one knows what it was about.
Born either in Leeds, Yorkshire, or in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland (he was never sure, and had two birth certificates), O'Toole was married twice and fathered three children (two by the first marriage, and one by the second).
He starred in numerous films and stage productions including:
Hamlet (1963)
Becket (1964)
Lord Jim (1965)
The Bible (1966)
How to Steal a Million [1966)
The Lion in Winter (1968)
Goodbye, Mr Chips [musical remake] (1969)
Man of La Mancha (1972)
The Ruling Class (1972)
But it's unquestionably David Lean's 1962 production of Lawrence of Arabia for which O'Toole will be best remembered. Indeed, it's hard to imagine how anyone can ever step into O'Toole's shoes and now make that role his own.
Interestingly, for a man who actually had no connection with the motorcycle community, the biking forums are currently gently buzzing with news of O'Toole's demise, which means that we've unquestionably made him one of our own, both in life and death—not least with this small obituary.
This, of course, is how legends are made.
— Dexxion
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