UPDATE: 26 December 2013 - The world lost another great name -- Peter O'Toole who died on 14 December, 2013. He was treated in Wellington Hospital, London suffering a long illness.
His daughter Kate said they would scater his ashed in Connemara, Ireland where he was born. Although his birth was registered in Leeds, England. We are bringing him home. It's what he wanted. They scattered his ashed near O'Toole hilltop home which overlook Eyrephort peninsular.
May he rest in peace.
It is not a secret that Peter O'Toole was a great actor. He was greatly admired and adored by his fans. It was not known outside Hollywood, in those days, that he was a hell raiser and alcoholic. When he was chosen to be Lawrence of Arabia for the incredible look-a-like it got the film industry worried sick. The film was made in Jordan and with Omar Sharif.
May he rest in peace.
It is not a secret that Peter O'Toole was a great actor. He was greatly admired and adored by his fans. It was not known outside Hollywood, in those days, that he was a hell raiser and alcoholic. When he was chosen to be Lawrence of Arabia for the incredible look-a-like it got the film industry worried sick. The film was made in Jordan and with Omar Sharif.
He was warned about the strict rules
in Arabic countries on drinking alcohol. Peter O'Toole arrived there and
brought his hangover with him.
Another co-star Alec Guiness admired
Peter for his talent and charm but found his drinking got in the way of their
friendship. Later on Alec remembered at a dinner party O'Toole got blind drunk
and quarrelsome. Alec stated later: "Peter could have been killed or shot
and I'm beginning to think it's a pity he wasn't."
When Peter met his opposite actor in
the film he said: "Omar Sharif! No one in the world is called Omar Sharif.
Your name must be Fred.". Omar Sharif was at that time an unknown actor.
After that Omar was known as Cairo Fred. He was an Egyptian.
During the filming they were working
for three weeks and had four days off. Beirut was in those a sin city and both
were allowed to enjoy it. Omar admitted later on that they behaved appallingly.
He even stated: "Looking back the mind boggled." They just drank and
did not sleep to avoid missing out on it. They both took Dexedrine to stay
awake.
Another vice they had was gambling.
Peter O'Toole recalled that they gamble a nine months' wages in one night.
O'Toole was part of a formidable
acting generation producing the greatest films we ever saw. Lawrence of Arabia
won seven Oscars. Another episode was when O'Toole was learning how to ride a
camel. After the first lesson blood was running out of his jeans and he
remarked: "This is a very delicate Irish a***," He then thought of
having cut a foam rubber to shape and placing it on the saddle. It is
incredible but true that many Bedouins took it up. Peter said later: "one
of the most important contributions ever made to Arab culture."
The injuries he had during filming
were temporarily blinded by an effects gun loaded with pellets, being thrown in
front of several hundred charging Bedouins on horseback, third-degree burns,
sprained ankles, torn ligaments, a dislocated spine, broken thumb, sprained
neck and concussion. According to this list, filming was not that glamorous as
assumed by the public.
Peter O'Toole lost two stones. The
heat and sandstorms. Living in tents for months and hundred of miles from
civilisation. Even some of the crew couldn't take it and left. .An army officer
who was hired to give military advice walked out, one night, and started
shooting with live ammunition. He was sent back for medical treatment.
It was recorded that O'Toole was
close to a breakdown a number of times. He kept begging his wife Sian Phillips
to join him and wrote that he had to be mad to stay sane.
The film director David Lee recalled
that at the famous scene where Lawrence rides back to rescue a man stranded in
the desert. He noticed O'Toole and the famous Indian actor I.S.Johar riding
together on one animal had problems to stay upright. When they got closer a big
block of hashish was found. The actors were stoned out of their skulls. No more
shooting that day.
When the shooting of the film
Lawrence of Arabia was finally over Peter O'Toole said: "I woke up one
morning to find I was famous. I bought myself a white Rolls-Royce and drove
down Sunset Boulevard wearing dark specs and a white suit, waving like the
Queen Mum. Nobody took any f****** notice but I enjoyed it."
From LA he went to New York. Of
course, he hit the bars and didn't leave until they were dry.
Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole
remained life long friends. They chased women non-stop, drank until they
couldn't stand anymore and added to the mayhem in Hollywood.
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