Trivia and Quotes
Quotes
 [on Katharine Hepburn] I worship that bloody woman. I`ve never enjoyed working with anyone so much in my whole life, not even Richard Burton. There were no problems, not a one. [on Sophia Loren] Sophia is gorgeous, a marvelously put together machine. But she`s a grievous card sharp; in Naples, they`re born with a pack of cards. Give her a nudge and she`s the funniest woman in the world. A helluva woman!
"Always a bridesmaid never a bride my foot!" (on receiving a lifetime achievment at the 75th Academy awards March 23, 2003.)
"Books have been written about that so-called renaissance at the Royal Court Theatre. Bollocks. I watched this appalling bunch of strange young men creeping around, talking pompously."
"For a young actor it was intimidating. But! You look into the eyes and you see actors know actors. It`s like playing jazz. You really have to go there with your trumpet and compete."
"For me, life has either been a wake or a wedding."
"I can`t stand light. I hate weather. My idea of heaven is moving from one smoke-filled room to another."
"I enjoyed it. The only thing that wasn`t enjoyable was in the green room. I said, `Can I have a drink?` `We have lemon juice, apple juice, still or sparkling.` I said, `No, I want a drink. No drink?` I said, `All right, I`m f**king off. I`ll be back.` A man with earphones said, `No! No!` Eventually this vodka was smuggled in." - On The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) (TV)
"The nicest buttocks in the world are in Ireland. Irish women are always carrying water on their heads, and always carrying their husbands home from pubs. Such things are the greatest posture-builders in the world."
"The only exercise I take is walking behind the coffins of friends who took exercise."
Noel Coward (to O`Toole): "If you`d been any prettier, it would have been Florence of Arabia".
[on Ursula Andress] I`ve had luck with my leading ladies. The real shocker was Ursula Andress, with whom I made "What`s New Pussycat?". She`s a bloody sex symbol and all that, and yet she`s one of the nicest people you`ll ever meet. A real mother hen, looking after everybody.
Trivia
His performance as "T.E. Lawrence" in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is the #1 ranked performance of all time in Premiere Magazine`s 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
In 1976 he underwent surgery to remove parts of his stomach and intestine due to his heavy drinking. In the following year he almost died from a blood disorder. These two serious illnesses greatly affected his ability to work at that time.
Nominated 8 times for best actor but has never won an Academy Award. He has more nominations without winning than any other actor.
Was a close friend of late actress Katharine Hepburn. His daughter, Kate O`Toole is named after her.
Was originally approached by director `Billy Wilder` to play Sherlock Holmes in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), opposite `Peter Sellers` as Dr. Watson. Wilder later decided to go with lesser known stars instead.
When he was named the recipient of a Special Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2003, he originally intended to turn it down feeling that the lifetime award signaled the end of his career. He wrote the Academy a letter stating that he was "still in the game" and would like more time to "win the lovely bugger outright." It was only after the Academy informed him that they were bestowing the award on him whether he came to collect it or not that he relented.
Became an Associate Member of RADA.
Both he and his fellow Irish actor (and close friend), the late Richard Harris appeared in versions of `Gulliver`s Travels`: Harris played the 1977 film version Gulliver`s Travels (1977) and O`Toole played the Emperor of Lilliput in the 1996 TV-film version Gulliver`s Travels (1996) (TV), where Ted Danson played Gulliver.
Coaching cricket professionally in London. [1997]
From 1952 to 1954 he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art as a scholarship student.
Has the played two kings (King Henry II in Becket (1964) and Sir/King Cedric Willingham in King Ralph (1991)), two emperors (Emperor Tiberius Caesar in Caligola (1979) and the Emperor of Lilliput in Gulliver`s Travels (1996) (TV), a prince (Prince Meleagre in The Rainbow Thief (1990)), a president (President Paul von Hindenburg in Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) (TV)) and several lords.
He attended a Catholic school where the nuns beat him to correct his left-handedness.
He is only one of four actors to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. He was nominated as Best Actor for Henry II in Becket (1964) and for Henry II in The Lion in Winter (1968). The others are Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986), Bing Crosby as Father O`Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary`s (1945), Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974)and Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Furthermore, O`Toole is the only one of these four who was nominated for playing the same character (at two different stages in his life) in two totally different films, neither of which was a sequel or prequel to the other.
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2000 (1999 season) for Outstanding Achievement Award for his theatrical career.
The title character in the comic strip "Alan Ford", widely popular in Italy, is styled after the physical features of Peter O`Toole
Was friends with fellow Irish actor Richard Harris. After Harris died, his family hoped that O`Toole would replace him as Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).
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