Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William Postlethwaite, OBE (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English actor best known for his work as a character actor.[1]
Pete Postlethwaite | |
|---|---|
Postlethwaite in July 2004 | |
| Born | Peter William Postlethwaite 7 February 1946 Warrington, England |
| Died | 2 January 2011 (aged 64) Shrewsbury, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–2011 |
| Spouse | Jacqueline Morrish (m. 2003) |
| Children | 2, including Billy |
After minor television appearances including The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the British autobiographical film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988). He had a breakthrough in Hollywood when he portrayed David in Alien 3 (1992) and his international reputation was further solidified when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for In the Name of the Father. Following this role, he portrayed the mysterious lawyer Mr. Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects and went on to appear in a wide variety of films.
On television, Postlethwaite played Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in Sharpe. Director Steven Spielberg called him "the best actor in the world" after working with him on Amistad (1997).[2] He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honours list. Less than one month after his death, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in The Town (2010).
Early life
Peter William Postlethwaite was born into a working-class Catholic family in Warrington on 7 February 1946,[3][4] the son of Mary Geraldine (née Lawless; 1913–2000) and cooper, wood machinist, and school caretaker William Postlethwaite (1913–1988).[5][6] He had an older brother named Michael (1944–2006) and two older sisters named Patricia and Anne. He would later portray Irish characters on multiple occasions, leading some to mistakenly believe he was of Irish descent.[7]
Postlethwaite attended St Benedict's RC Junior School and a seminary, then joined West Park Grammar School in St Helens, where he enjoyed sports including rugby league. He spent an extra year re-sitting some of his O-levels, and then took four A-levels in English, history, geography, and French.[8] Before his acting career, he trained as a teacher and became the first male drama teacher at Loreto College in Manchester. He initially trained to be a Catholic priest,[9] but later settled on a career in acting. He trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1970.[10]
Career
Early in his career, Postlethwaite was advised to adopt a new surname for his acting work by his first agent and by peers who quipped that his name "would never be put up in lights outside theatres because they couldn't afford the electricity". He rejected the advice.[11] He started his career at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, where his colleagues included Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher, Matthew Kelly, and Julie Walters, having an intimate relationship with the latter during the mid-to-late 1970s.[12]
In 2003, he toured Australia and New Zealand in a 90-minute one-man play, Scaramouche Jones, in which he played a clown trying to find out why he is who he is before he dies at midnight, receiving a nomination for the TMA Award for Best Actor and winning the Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Solo Performance.[13] This was directed by Rupert Goold, who would also direct his Lear in 2008, in which Postlethwaite played every character. As well as Australia, the play toured Canada, New Zealand and the UK to great acclaim.[12]
In The Art of Discworld (2004), Terry Pratchett wrote that he had always imagined Sam Vimes as 'a younger, slightly bulkier version of Pete Postlethwaite'.[14]
Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite "the best actor in the world" after working with him on The Lost World: Jurassic Park,[15] to which Postlethwaite quipped: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'The thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'"[16] Postlethwaite next starred in a Liverpool stage production of King Lear in 2008 at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, and at the Young Vic, London. He appeared in the climate change-themed film The Age of Stupid, which premiered in March 2009.
Terminally ill, Postlethwaite made a return to Hollywood in three 2010 films, first as Spyros in Clash of the Titans. He next appeared in the blockbuster hit Inception as Maurice Fischer, an industrialist who is slowly dying. Lastly, his performance in The Town as florist and crime boss Fergus "Fergie" Colm was well received by critics, making several publications' lists of Oscar predictions for Best Supporting Actor.[17][18][19] His final appearance on screen was in Nick Hamm's film Killing Bono, based on the memoir of Neil McCormick. The role was written specially for Postlethwaite to accommodate his illness.[20] The film was released on 1 April 2011. He was scheduled to be in the BBC series Exile, but had to pull out because of ill health and was replaced by Jim Broadbent.[21]
Activism
Postlethwaite appeared as a taxi driver in a political broadcast for the Labour Party during the 1997 general election,[22] and marched in London against the Iraq War in 2003.[23]
Postlethwaite was active in calling for action on climate change, and installed a wind turbine in his garden; he wrote in The Sun, "The stakes [of climate change] are very, very high. They're through the roof. How could we willingly know that we're going into extinction ... and let it happen?"[24][25] At the UK premiere of The Age of Stupid in 2009, he told then-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband that he would return his OBE and vote for any party other than Labour if the Kingsnorth coal-fired power station was given the go-ahead by the Labour government.[26]
Personal life
Postlethwaite lived in West Itchenor before moving near Bishop's Castle. He was a lifelong supporter of Liverpool FC.[27] He began a relationship with former BBC producer Jacqueline Morrish in 1987, and they were married in 2003 at St Nicholas' Church in West Itchenor. They had a son, actor Billy Postlethwaite (born 1989),[12] and a daughter, Lily Postlethwaite (born 1996).
Health issues and death
Postlethwaite was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1990, and had his right testicle removed.[28][29] A smoker from the age of 10 until his death,[30] he said during a 2009 interview with Scotland on Sunday, "We've got to hope the next generation will do things differently. I'm sure that in 20 years' time the kids will say: 'Can you believe that people actually used to smoke – put these funny little things in their mouths, lit them and sucked all that crap into their lungs?"[31]
Postlethwaite was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2009,[32] and continued acting for the next year and a half, showing clear signs of weight loss during his last performances.[33] On 2 January 2011, at the age of 64, he died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shrewsbury.[34][35][36][37] In his final two years, he worked on his memoir A Spectacle of Dust with writer Andy Richardson, which was published in June 2011.[8][38]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | The Racer | Ecco | Short film |
| 1977 | The Duellists | Man Shaving General Treillard | Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1978 | Doris and Doreen | Mr. Lomax | Television film |
| 1983 | Fords on Water | Winston's Boss | Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Douglas J. Nuttal | |
| 1985 | King David | Isai | |
| 1985 | Cyrano de Bergerac | Ragueneau | Television film |
| 1987 | Coast to Coast | Kecks McGuinness | Television film |
| 1988 | Distant Voices, Still Lives | Father | |
| 1988 | Tumbledown | Major at Rehabilitation Centre | Television film |
| 1988 | To Kill a Priest | Josef | Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1988 | The Dressmaker | Jack | Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1988 | Number 27 | Becket | |
| 1990 | Hamlet | Player King | |
| 1990 | Treasure Island | George Merry | Television film Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1991 | The Grass Arena | The Dipper | Television film |
| 1991 | A Child from the South | Harry | Television film |
| 1991 | They Never Slept | Panter | Television film |
| 1992 | Split Second | Paulsen | |
| 1992 | Alien 3 | David | |
| 1992 | Waterland | Henry Crick | Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Captain Beams | |
| 1993 | Anchoress | William Carpenter | |
| 1993 | In the Name of the Father | Giuseppe Conlon | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1994 | Suite 16 | Glover | |
| 1994 | Sin Bin | Mitch | Television film |
| 1994 | Sharpe's Company | Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill | Television film |
| 1994 | Sharpe's Enemy | Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill | Television film |
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Mr. Kobayashi | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast |
| 1996 | When Saturday Comes | Ken Jackson | |
| 1996 | James and the Giant Peach | Magic Man Narrator | |
| 1996 | Dragonheart | Brother Gilbert of Glockenspur | |
| 1996 | Crimetime | Sidney | |
| 1996 | Romeo + Juliet | Friar Lawrence | |
| 1996 | Brassed Off | Danny | |
| 1997 | The Serpent's Kiss | Thomas Smithers | |
| 1997 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Roland Tembo | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1997 | Bastard | Sincai | |
| 1997 | Amistad | William S. Holabird | |
| 1998 | Among Giants | Ray | |
| 1999 | Lost for Words | Deric Longden | Television film Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 1999 | Alice in Wonderland | The Carpenter | Television film |
| 1999 | Butterfly Collectors | John McKeown | Television film |
| 1999 | Wayward Son | Ben Alexander | |
| 1999 | The Divine Ryans | Uncle Reg Ryan | |
| 1999 | Animal Farm | Farmer Jones Benjamin | Television film |
| 2000 | When the Sky Falls | Martin Shaughnessy | |
| 2000 | Rat | Hubert Flynn | |
| 2001 | Cowboy Up | Reid Braxton | |
| 2001 | The Shipping News | Tert Card | |
| 2002 | Triggermen | Ben Cutler | |
| 2002 | Between Strangers | John | |
| 2003 | The Selfish Giant | Arthur | Short film |
| 2004 | The Limit | Gale | |
| 2004 | Strange Bedfellows | Russell McKenzie | |
| 2005 | Dark Water | Veeck | |
| 2005 | The Constant Gardener | Dr. Lorbeer / Dr. Brandt | |
| 2005 | Red Mercury | Gold Commander | |
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Keeper | |
| 2006 | Valley of the Heart's Delight | Albion Munson | |
| 2006 | The Omen | Father Brennan | |
| 2007 | Ghost Son | Doc | |
| 2007 | Closing the Ring | Quinlan | |
| 2007 | Liyarn Ngarn | Narrator[39] | Documentary |
| 2008 | Player | Colin | Short film |
| 2009 | The Age of Stupid | The Archivist | Documentary |
| 2009 | Solomon Kane | William Crowthorn | |
| 2009 | Waving at Trains | Douglas | Short film |
| 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Spyros | |
| 2010 | Inception | Maurice Fischer | Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics' Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated – Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble |
| 2010 | The Town | Fergus "Fergie" Colm | National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (posthumous) Nominated – Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast |
| 2011 | Killing Bono | Karl | Posthumous release |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Second City Firsts | Episode: "Thwum" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite | |
| 1976 | Plays for Britain | Soldier | Episode: "The Paradise Run" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1978 | Last of the Summer Wine | Customer in Sid's Cafe | Episode: "A Merry Heatwave" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1978 | Going Straight | Thomas Clifford Crowther | Episode: "Going Going Gone" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1979 | Afternoon Off | Gallery Attendant | |
| 1979 | Horse in the House | Uncle Doug | 6 episodes |
| 1981 | Play for Today | Danny Duggan | Episode: "The Muscle Market" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1981 | Coronation Street | Detective Sergeant Cross | Episode 2061 |
| 1981 | Crown Court | Episode: "The Merry Widow: Part 1" | |
| 1982–1993 | Minder | Jack "Oily" Wragg Eric "Logie" Lawson | 2 episodes Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1984 | Mitch | Jack Frost | Episode: "Squealer" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1985 | Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV | Barry | Episode 1.6 Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1985 | Summer Season | Episode: "A Crack in the Ice" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite | |
| 1987–1994 | Screen Two | ||
| 1989 | Tales of Sherwood Forest | Eric | 7 episodes |
| 1990 | Screenplay | Paula's Father | Episode: "Needle" |
| 1990 | Debut on Two | Tony Keef | 2 episodes |
| 1990 | Boon | Steve McLaughlin | Episode: "Undercover" |
| 1990 | Zorro | Episode: "The Marked Man" | |
| 1990–1993 | Casualty | Ralph Peters Hank | 2 episodes |
| 1992 | El C.I.D. | Vince | Episode 3.1: "Making Amends" |
| 1992 | Between the Lines | Chief Superintendent Jameson | Episode: "Out of the Game" |
| 1992 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales | Quince | Episode: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Credited as Peter Postlethwaite |
| 1992 | The Bill | Ray Goller | Episode: "Principled Negotiation" |
| 1993 | Lovejoy | Terence Sullivan | Episode: "Goose Bumps" |
| 1994 | Pie in the Sky | Kevin Tasker | Episode 1.8: "A Matter of Taste" |
| 1994 | Martin Chuzzlewit | Montague Tigg/Tigg Montague | 5 episodes Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 2000 | The Sins | Len Green | Miniseries Nominated – British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 2003 | Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion | Charles Burchell | Miniseries |
| 2008 | Criminal Justice | Hooch | Miniseries |
References
- ^ Shapiro, T. Rees (4 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite, brilliant character actor of 'Usual Suspects,' 'Name of the Father'". The Washington Post.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite: A face we won't forget". The Guardian.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (3 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite, British Actor, Dies at 64". The New York Times.
- ^ "Pete Postlethwaite Biography".
- ^ "Pete Postlethwaite". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ Tim O'Sullivan (January 2015). "Postlethwaite, Peter William [Pete] (1946–2011)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/103537. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ "Review: Autobiography Pete Postlethwaite: A Spectacle of Dust". Irish Independent. 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b Postlethwaite, Pete; Richardson, Andy (1 June 2011). A Spectacle of Dust: The Autobiography (Hardcover ed.). Orion Publishing. ISBN 978-0297864936.
- ^ "Australia's soul singer". The Guardian. 20 June 2008.
- ^ "Famous alumni from Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School". ITV. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ McLellan, Dennis (4 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite dies at 64; actor was nominated for an Oscar for 'In the Name of the Father'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
- ^ a b c Wheatley, Jane (27 October 2008). "The Coronation of Pete Postlethwaite". The Times. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ . Australia: ABC. 2 June 2003. Archived from the original on 7 January 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ Pratchett, Terry and Kidby, Paul. The Art of Discworld, Victor Gollancz Ltd, 2004; ISBN 0-575-07511-2
- ^ "Pete's progress". The Observer. London. 1 October 2000. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic (25 April 2007). . The Telegraph. London, UK. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
- ^ Knegt, Peter (24 January 2011). "For Your Consideration: Final 2011 Oscar Predictions".
- ^ "Oscar predictions: Final pre-nomination rankings". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ . 24 January 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
- ^ "Killing Bono premier – meg".
- ^ "Jim Broadbent takes Pete Postlethwaite part in drama", BBC.co.uk; accessed 24 January 2014.
- ^ Walker, Michael (3 January 2011). "Country Standard: Pete Postlethwaite – 1997 PPB Taxicab Angel". Country-standard.blogspot.com. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Weaver, Matthew (3 January 2011). "Actor Pete Postlethwaite dies". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Reactions: Spanner Films". Ageofstupid.net. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ "Press: Stupid on Channel 4 News". Ageofstupid.net. 16 February 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ Siegle, Lucy (16 March 2009). "The night Miliband said 'I'm with Stupid, but...'". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Lusher, Tim (3 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite remembered". The Guardian.
- ^ "Sean Martella's Testicular Cancer Update Blog: Cancer Survivors Part 1 – Pete Postlethwaite". Seanmartella.blogspot.com. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ "Pete's progress". The Observer. London. 1 October 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Pete Postlethwaite". The Telegraph. London. 16 February 1945. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ Smith, Aidan (8 March 2009). "Pete Postlethwaite interview: For the love of Pete". Scotland on Sunday. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
- ^ "Film of the Day: 2 January – the Usual Suspects (1995)".
- ^ "Five years on: Celebrating Pete Postlethwaite's legacy". 7 January 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ Lesnik, Tim (17 February 2011). . Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ "Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite dies aged 64". BBC. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ Actor Pete Postlethwaite dies age 64 The Independent (London) 3 January 2011
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (1 January 2011). "Pete Postlethwaite: A face we won't forget". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
- ^ "Pete Postlethwaite's book serialised in the Shropshire Star". Shropshire Star. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
External links
- Pete Postlethwaite at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database
- Pete Postlethwaite at AllMovie
- Pete Postlethwaite at the BFI's Screenonline
- Daily Telegraph Obituary
- Pete Postlethwaite at Find a Grave