[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peter_otoole_photo.jpeg]]

->''"I hitched to London on a lorry, looking for adventure. I was dropped at Euston Station and was trying to find a hostel. I passed the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and walked in just to case the joint."''

Peter Seamus O'Toole (2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British-Irish actor.

His StarMakingRole was ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' in 1962. Regarded as one of the best actors of all time, he received a record of eight UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominations [[AwardSnub without ever winning one]]. However, in 2003 the Academy gave him an [[ConsolationAward Honorary Oscar]] for his entire body of work and his lifelong contribution to film. On July 10, 2012, Mr. O'Toole announced his retirement from acting. He passed away on December 14, 2013 at age 81 after a long illness.

Though he preferred to be called Irish all his life, claimed he was born in Connemara, and had an Irish and an English birth certificate, records verify O'Toole was really born in Leeds, and he grew up in Yorkshire. His parents were Irish and Scottish. Nevertheless, Ireland happily claims him as one of her own. His ashes even resided temporarily in Áras an Uachtaráin, as he was a personal friend of President Michael D Higgins.

He was married to Welsh actress Creator/SianPhillips from 1959 to 1979.
----
!!Notable Roles:
!!!'''Film:'''
* ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' (1962) as Thomas Edward Lawrence
* ''Film/{{Becket}}'' (1964) as King Henry II of England
* ''Literature/LordJim'' (1965) as Lord Jim
* ''Film/WhatsNewPussycat'' (1965) as Michael James
* ''Film/{{The Bible|1966}}'' (1966) as The Three Angels
* ''Film/HowToStealAMillion'' (1966) as Simon Dermott
* ''Film/TheNightOfTheGenerals'' (1967) as General Wilhelm Tanz
* ''Film/TheLionInWinter'' (1968) as Henry II of England
* ''Film/GoodbyeMrChips'' (1969) as Arthur Chipping
* ''Film/MurphysWar'' (1971) as Murphy
* ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' (1972) as Don Quixote de La Mancha / Miguel de Cervantes / Alonso Quijano
* ''Film/TheRulingClass'' (1972) as Jack Gurney, 14th Earl of Gurney
* ''Film/{{Caligula}}'' (1979) as Tiberius
* ''Zulu Dawn'' (1979) as Lord Chelmsford
* ''Film/TheStuntMan'' (1980) as Eli Cross
* ''Film/MyFavoriteYear'' (1982) as Alan Swann
* ''Film/{{Supergirl|1984}}'' (1984) as Zaltar
* ''Creator'' (1985) as Dr. Harry Wolper
* ''Film/ClubParadise'' (1986) as Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes
* ''Film/TheLastEmperor'' (1987) as Reginald Johnston
* ''Film/HighSpirits'' (1988) as Peter Plunkett
* ''Film/KingRalph'' (1991) as Sir Cedric Charles Willingham
* ''Film/FairyTale'' (1997) as Arthur Conan Doyle
* ''Literature/{{Phantoms}}'' (1998) as Dr. Timothy Flyte
* ''Film/{{Molokai}}'' (1999) as William Williamson
* ''Film/GlobalHeresy'' (2002) as Lord Charles Foxley
* ''Film/ImperiumAugustus'' (2003) as UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}
* ''Film/{{Troy}}'' (2004) as King Priam
* ''Franchise/{{Lassie}}'' (2005) as The Duke
* ''Venus'' (2006) as Maurice Russell
* ''Film/{{Stardust}}'' (2007) as the King of Stormhold
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' (2007), voice of Anton Ego
* ''Decline of an Empire'' (2013) as Gallus, his last role

!!!'''Live Action Television:'''
* ''Series/{{Masada}}'' (1981) as General Cornelius Flavius Silva
* ''Series/GulliversTravels1996'' (1996) as the Emperor of Lilliput
* ''Series/JoanOfArc'' (1999) as Bishop Pierre Cauchon
* ''Series/HitlerTheRiseOfEvil'' (2003) as Paul von Hindenburg
* ''Imperium: Augustus'' (2003) as Emperor Augustus Caesar
* ''{{Series/Casanova}}'' (2005) as old Giacomo Casanova
* ''Series/TheTudors'' (2007) as Pope Paul III

!!Tropes in his works:

* DoingItForTheArt: He wanted to star in ''Film/TheRulingClass'' so much that he waived his salary, appearing in the film for nothing.
* DyeingForYourArt: O'Toole had naturally curly brown hair, but dyed it blond and straightened it to play ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia''. He apparently liked this style, or else felt it suited certain characters of his better than his natural colour, as he switched repeatedly throughout his career.
* HostilityOnTheSet: He said in an interview that the experience of making ''Film/{{Troy}}'' was the worst of his career, due to an acrimonious relationship between himself and the director. He never watched the film as a result.
* LargeHam: His tendency to overact was legendary. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools And awesome]].
* NoHitWonder: As mentioned above, he held a record of eight Oscar nominations without ever winning one. When he was given an [[invoked]][[ConsolationAward honorary one]] in 2001, he said he'd seriously considered turning it down, as he was still working and "wanted to win the lovely bugger outright."
* TheQueensLatin: Got to play quite a few characters in ancient world (mainly Roman) settings, such as Tiberius in ''Caligula'', Flavius Silva in ''Series/{{Masada}}'', king Priam in ''Film/{{Troy}}'', emperor Augustus in ''Imperium: Augustus'' and, finally, Gallus in ''Katherine of Alexandria''.
* StarMakingRole: ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: After the passing of Creator/RichardHarris, his family wanted O'Toole to take up the role of [[Film/HarryPotter Albus Dumbledore]] due to the close friendship between the two actors. The studio decided against it, worried that he too would die before the series concluded. Ironically O'Toole would pass away two years ''after'' the release of the final film.
----