Peter O’Toole- The Definitive Biography by Robert Sellers
When people usually think of Peter O’Toole, they imagine a hard-drinking, hell-raising Irishman who starred in the title role of Lawrence of Arabia. O’Toole was both hard-drinking and a hell-raiser, as well as having been nominated for 8 Best Actor Oscars, winning none. However, he wasn’t Irish, contrary to what his surname might imply and to his own rather phony claims. O’Toole was a Yorkshire man, born and raised in Leeds, who obtained an Irish passport and maintained a great love of cricket.
This biography gives us a fascinating insight into one of Hollywood’s most mercurial stars. After the success of Lawrence of Arabia, O’Toole gained even greater confidence and became something of a diva by all accounts. Although generally admired by most of those interviewed for this book, apparently he still managed to alienate quite a few of his peers. The accounts of his on-set, on-stage behaviour paint a picture of an egocentric, insufferable drama queen who demanded to be centre of attention. He was positively aggressive to anyone who tried to upstage him during theatre performances.
He was known to have loathed Sophia Loren and actively targeted her with the poisoned barbs for which he was infamous. Yet there are other instances recounted when O’Toole displayed a generosity and sensitivity rarely seen among A-listers. He was a little like Churchill’s Russia in that he was a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
His first and only wife, Sian Phillips, appears to have a torrid time in their marriage, with O’Toole absent so often that one of his two daughters failed to recognize him when he did make an appearance. He was a philanderer of note, and did little to help his wife in her career, also as an actor. Their union didn’t last. His other romantic interests fared little better with the needy and unpredictable O’Toole. His emotional state reads as someone who was manic depressive. When he was on a high, he was said to have been one of the finest actors of all time. But when he hit a low, he was almost impossible to be around. His heavy drinking and drug abuse didn’t help.
O’Toole bought a house in Connemara, on the west coast of Ireland, to where he retreated when the limelight became too much. He was desperate to be seen to be Irish and did acquire a passport, but never managed to trace his ancestors. Instead, he consoled himself with spending a lot of time in the land of his lost antecedents, getting to know the locals and getting into trouble. He was once beaten up for singing God Save The Queen in the local pub, and appeared to be proud of the idea of it. It may be that the notion of the roguish Irishman appealed to him, and he was a fine actor after all. Perhaps, in terms of his national identity, he was the consummate method actor.
In accordance with his wishes, his ashes were scattered on a beach near Clifden in County Galway, a place where he was happiest and found great peace. Sadly, a German couple who were visiting the region were sunbathing naked when the ashes were thrown and got more colour than they bargained for. Even the knowledge that they were now closer to Peter O’Toole than anyone had ever been didn’t seem to appease them. Rebel Voice just made that bit up but likes the idea of it. Doubtless, O’Toole would have enjoyed such a scenario.
Any biography of Peter O’Toole is sure to throw up nuggets of entertainment gold in terms of his antics and those of the people around him. Whether it was Richard Harris, Richard Burton or Omar Sharif, O’Toole was sure to have been involved in hilarious shenanigans. But it was his previous heavy drinking that eventually took his life. Peter O’Toole died on 14th December, 2013. He was aged 81. Although he never won his desired Best Actor Oscar, he was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2013. In typical O’Toole fashion, he at first refused the award because the Academy had passed him by for the Best Actor prize. However, after the intervention of friends, he relented and accepted the award from Meryl Streep. O’Toole left behind two daughters and one son. His boy was named Lorcan, which is the Gaelic equivalent of Lawrence. Peter O’Toole had a good innings.
Sult scale rating: 7.5 out of 10. Stuffed full of amusing and intriguing anecdotes, this biography provides some gripping insight into how the Hollywood elite interact in their fights, laughs and loves.
Rebel Voice 