I’m sure Richard Burton, fellow Irishman Richard Harris and classmate Alan Bates greeted their Shakespearean equal with wide grins, glasses in hand and a bottle to share. Fans around the world aware that we’ve lost another icon and are running out of the best.
Upon hearing the news of O’Toole’s death as with all the greats who leave us, a deep sadness set in. Flashes of all the movies, masterpieces, performances he blessed us with went flying through my mind. As a child I remember the raves of what seemed everybody on Lawrence of Arabia, adults and teens alike were flocking to the theaters to see not one but two handsome men with Omar Sharif. Though it would be O’Toole that would captivate the audience.
Me when a teen loved Becket, but it would be Richard Burton that I found myself drooling over until the day he died. I thought strange two of the best actors nominated so many times but never chosen to win the main prize, Oscar. In Becket both were nominated.
Between O’Toole, Harris and Burton combined 17 Oscar nominations, none of them won and God knows both Burton & O’Toole should have at least won one. Makes you wonder what in the hell more the Academy wanted out of them.
But in 1964 four out of the five actors nominated were Brits. Rex Harrison who won, along with O’Toole, Burton, Peter sellers & Anthony Quinn. Again in 69′ O’Toole & Burton would leave empty-handed. The plays & countless movies these men would light up, how can one not blame O’Toole for not wanting the Honorary award.
Though I am glad he changed his mind for he had deserved many for the works he created. I believe had Burton lived he also would have been granted the same, but to me it was the ultimate insult when you look over the receipts that those movies took in at the box office for their day.
In reality my favorite Peter O’Toole movie would end up being “How To Steal A Million” with Audrey Hepburn. It seemed anything that Hepburn was in made it delightful to watch. I don’t think it quite matched the chemistry she had with Cary Grant in Charade three years previously, but her and O’Toole did click in this film making it fun.
I don’t know guess I liked Goodbye Mr. Chips as well with Petula Clark who thankfully is still with us also born in 1932.
How can one really choose? The movies of days past. Yes my parents era had their stars who drank, popped some pills and raised hell off the screen but always managed to retain their Class.
Something very well long gone.
So today we’ve lost another extraordinary beloved actor or as Peter O’Toole would put it in character of another legendary film, My Favorite Year.
“I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star!
Yes sir you were and you will most certainly be missed.
What a Charismatic Era.
Longshot's Blog 
This is a beautiful tribute to an amazing actor. I was so sad to hear that he is no longer with us.
Reblogged this on emmasrandomthoughts and commented:
There is no need for me to write about Peter O’Toole, since this blog post perfectly describes the loss of a wonderful actor.
Thank You my friend, we have truly lost a Gem.
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson Second Line View of the News.
On another sad note a day after the death of Peter O’Toole:
Academy award winning actress Joan Fontaine died at the age of 96.
http://www.npr.org/2013/12/16/251447297/joan-fontaine-oscar-winner-for-suspicion-dies
Out of all the movies I watched her in, it would be the movie from which she won the Oscar for best actress “Suspicion” with Cary Grant I’ll best remember her for as I must have seen this film a hundred times.
Her life long feud with actress sister Olivia de Havilland lasted to her dying day.
It must have killed their mother also an actress later on (Lillian Fontaine) who favored Olivia so much so she demanded Joan choose her step-fathers last name, when it would be Joan who would capture the Oscar first.
It was this monster that would set the stage for her daughters to hate one another for life.
In a PEOPLE magazine interview, Fontaine spoke of how she wanted to die.
“At age 108,” she said, “flying around the stage in Peter Pan, as a result of my sister cutting the wires. Olivia has always said I was first at everything – I got married first, got an Academy Award first, had a child first. If I die, she’ll be furious, because again I’ll have got there first!”
de Havilland indeed survived her, she is 97 years old.
Turner Classic Movies is paying homage to both O’Toole & Fontaine on Dec. 29th all day & night. http://www.tcm.com/