Peter O'Toole: 1932-2013

Peter O'Toole was probably one of my favorite actors with quite possibly the most remarkable career. What makes it all the more remarkable is the fact that he lived to be 81. Considering the fact that he battled stomach cancer in the 1976 which resulted in the removal of part of his stomach due to his heavy drinking. And then nearly died again in 1978 due to a rare blood disorder.

While most of his contemporaries such as Peter Finch, Oliver Reed, Richard Harris and Richard Burton all died at relatively young ages due to "hard living" in their youth, it just makes O'Toole's life all the more remarkable.

But above all this, Peter O' Toole was a talented actor. Although everyone points to LAWRENCE OF ARABIA as the best movie he ever made, I have to disagree. I think THE RULING CLASS is quite possibly the best work he has ever done. His performance as Jack Gurney, the 14th Earl who in the first half of the movie belives himself to be Jesus Christ and later when "cured" belives himself to be Jack the Ripper.

What makes the performance so remarkable (this word will pop up a lot in this blog post) is the way he flipped the switch from funny to frightening. The way despite a very he made such a satirical and unbelieveable character so believeable.

My second favorite is THE LION IN WINTER. The scenes and dialogue between O'Toole's Henry II and the great Katherine Hepburns Eleanor of Aquitaine were so wonderfully acted that you forget there was a 25 year age difference between the two actors.

Looking at many of the actors in my age group and younger, I'm not sure if any of them stack up to the caliber of talent Peter O'Toole possessed in his career. And I'm less sure if any of them will age with the roles they choose as well as O'Toole did later in his career.

Even after youth had long faded, O'Toole acting chops did not fade with them. Parts in movies like VENUS and the television mini-series CASANOVA saw him a very interesting role. One as an older actor and one as an older playboy. Both seemed to mirror O'Toole's life a little bit.

Although, O'Toole didn't meet his end nearly as violently as he did in the movie VENUS.

However, I'm not sure if there are many (if any) of the actors out there who are my age and younger who will age with their roles nearly as well as Peter O'Toole did.

However, we live in a time where marketability comes first and talent comes last. Famous at 15 and a has-been at 25.

I suppose for some it's difficult to say "I can't believe he's gone" at age 81. And the fact that he lived as long as he did with the life he lived, just the fact that he lived to be 81 us all the more amazing.

A great number of the actors out there choose to live the lifestyle Peter O'Toole did but have little to nothing to offer as far as their talents are concerned.

Peter O'Toole was so much more than "just another pretty face". He put his money where his mouth is and had a career most people would give their eye-teeth to have.

To quote his line from THE LION IN WINTER: "My life, when it is written, will read better than it lived".

Farewell, Peter O'Toole.

The Lion in Winter (1968 film)

The Lion in Winter starring Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn has to be THE BEST anti-Christmas movie that was ever produced. Now don't get your pantaloons in a knot when I say anti-Christmas. I don't mean anti in the sense that it is opposed to the Christmas season. I mean that it is not like the normal "warm and fuzzy" holiday movies.

Apart from Peter O'Toole's beard, there is nothing "warm and fuzzy" about this movie. Here is possibly the most dysfunctional family in the history of dysfunctional families. Hell, they make the Kardashians look like the Waltons.

Okay, that's stretching it perhaps but you get the idea.

The story is set in Christmastide 1183. Henry Plantagenet's (or Henry II) sons all want to kill him and the feeling is mutal. He has locked his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine Salisbury Tower at Windsor Castle and only brings her out at the Holiday Season.

Eleanor wants her eldest son Richard to succeed Henry on the throne but Henry wishes his youngest son John on the throne because he has arranged for John to marry his own mistress Alais.

Yes you read that right. Prince John was going to marry Henry II's mistress.

Although the movie itself is historically inaccurate. The first Christmas tree wasn't used till 1441 (this movie takes place in 1183) and gift giving was not re-instated till a later date. Christmas gift giving was banned by the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages due to its suspected pagan origins. And none of the dialogue and actions in the film were not historical.

But that doesn't make it a bad film. Both a stellar starring cast and some really great lines make this a great film.

Peter O'Toole as Henry II and Katherine Heburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine shine in this film. The barbs the two throw at one another just keep you glued to your seat. They work so well together that you forget there was a huge age difference existed between the two.

You also get the opportunity to see a very young Sir Anthony Hopkins as Richard (future king of England) and Timothy Dalton as King Philip II of France. Both in their motion picture debuts.

That's what a good film should. The performances are so good that you immediately forget about some of the films technical shortcomings.

If you're sick of the usual Christmas type movies and want to see something different this year. Why not pop A Lion in Winter into the old DVD player. Perhaps it doesn't have the happy ending of the normal Christmas films. However, the ending should leave you amused.