Although he never came home with the top-industry award for a specific role, he received an honorary Oscar from his peers for his outstanding contribution to film in 2003.
O’Toole has also starred in Becket (1964), The Lion in Winter (1968), Goodbye Mr Chips (1969), The Ruling Class (1972), My Favourite Year (1982) and most recently, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for the 2006 film, Venus.
Tributes have been made from around the world. Irish president Michael D Higgins, who was also a personal friend of the actor, said in a statement: “I have heard with great sadness of the passing of Peter O’Toole this weekend. Ireland, and the world, has lost one of the giants of film and theatre.”
His daughter Kate O’Toole said their family are “very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection”. She added: “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.” The family are organising a memorial service which his daughter has said “will be filled with song and good cheer as he would have wished.”
Peter O’Toole was born in 1932 but no living person knows whether he was bought up in Connemara, Dublin or Leeds. He was married to the actress Sian Philips for 20 years and they had two children, Kate and Patricia. He later had a son with Karen Brown.
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