Monday, December 16, 2013

Another giant passes: RIP, Peter O'Toole


When I was growing up, a handful of actors made me yearn to grow up to be cool and sophisticated--a goal I've never achieved.  Top among them were Omar Sharif, Cary Grant, and Peter O'Toole, who died yesterday at 81.   

Lawrence of Arabia was the first epic I remember seeing, and parts of it still have the power to give me chills. 

Eighteen years later, O'Toole starred in The Stunt Man, a movie I still love. 

Two years after that, he starred in this comic gem, a film that is deeply underrated and that should be on everyone's must-see list.



Seriously, if you have never watched My Favorite Year, buy a copy and treat yourself to an absolutely wonderful 92 minutes.

No matter how good or bad the film, Peter O'Toole made it better with his presence.

We shall not soon see his like again.



4 comments:

Michelle said...

What makes this movie even better is that it loosely depicts another Hollywood legend, Errol Flynn. Ever since I saw those unbelievable blue eyes squinting out onto the sand in Lawrence of Arabia, I knew that this was an actor I would always admire. Throwing in Omar Sharif and Alec Guinness in that movie only made it better. Then, of course, we all fell in love with Omar Sharif in Funny Lady and Dr. Zhivago. This was an error of leading men that truly captured your attention. Peter O'Toole, thank you for your gift.

Mark said...

A great era of leading men, indeed.

Michelle said...

I meant Funny Girl, although Omar Sharif did appear in Funny Lady. Just wanted to clear that up.

Mark said...

No problem.

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