Weeks before his eightieth birthday the acclaimed Irish actor of stage and screen, Peter O’Toole, has announced his retirement.

O’Toole’s most recent blockbuster credit was as Priam in Troy in 2004, but since then he has continued to use his talents on both the small screen and the stage, making the most of a highly respected and lengthy career.

In a statement O’Toole announced, “It’s time for me to chuck in the sponge, to retire from stage and screen. The heart for it has gone out of me; it won’t come back.”

His first film credit came in the 1960 Kidnapped, where he starred alongside the Australian actor Peter Finch. The two became great friends after discovering a mutual interest in drinking. O’Toole, despite being brought up in England, remains an Irish man at heart – notorious for his drunken escapades, only a serious health scare thirty years ago put a brake on his fondness for the sauce.

For an idea of the kind of trouble O’Toole has got himself into over the years, The Daily Mail compiled a piece that contains some memorable anecdotes.

These sorts of antics gave the actor a fond place in people’s hearts, but his outrageous behavior both on and off film sets has not overshadowed a stalwart career. Of course, there have been ups and downs – not to mention a few flops, but ultimately O’Toole’s thespian career has resiliently stood the test of time.

This success began early, and he was the youngest ever leading man at Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre. After this and a few parts on television he went on to breakthrough as the star of David Lean’s phenomenal hit Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, securing his place as one of the pioneering stars of modern cinema.

Since the early years, O’Toole has sustained a respectable and versatile career on both stage and screen. The 79 year old has received numerous awards and nominations, but the one that best acknowledges him is the Honorary Academy Award he was given in 2003 in appreciation of all the work he has done throughout his incredible career.

O’Toole may be retiring but stories about this natural eccentric and his incredible work on stage and screen mean he will be fondly remembered.

 

via The LA Times