British actor Peter O'Toole, the star of classic film Lawrence of Arabia, died at 81 following prolonged illness.
The film and theater actor died peacefully, Saturday, at a London hospital, said O'Toole's agent. The actor was born in Ireland in 1932 and raised in England. He started acting as a teenager on the English stage and later moved to television roles in the 1950s and also acted in films.
"His family are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time," said his daughter Kate O'Toole in a written statement. "Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts."
O'Toole had a deep interest in literature and he knew all 154 of Shakespeare's sonnets. In 1962, O'Toole played the role of T.E.Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, for which he received his first Academy Award nomination. His performance in the film was ranked number one in Premiere magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Performances of All Time.
In 1964, O'Toole performed as King Henry II in "Becket," opposite Richard Burton as who played as Thomas Becket. Both O'Toole and Burton were nominated in the Oscars under the best actor category but both of them lost.
In 1968, O'Toole played the role of King Henry II again in "The Lion in Winter" and was again nominated for the Oscars but did not win. In 1970's, O'Toole struggled with alcohol addiction, which also affected his career but he made a comeback in 1980 performing the leading role in "The Stunt Man." O'Toole was nominated for the Oscars for the sixth time but lost once again.
He received eight Oscar's nominations and holds the record for the most Academy Award acting nominations without a win. However, in 2003, the Academy honoured O'Toole with an Academy Honorary Award for his lifelong contribution to film.
Referring to the Oscars, O'Toole once said, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."
O'Toole said in 2012 that his acting career had ended and bid adieu to the industry.
