Pete Postlethwaite - In Memoriam

[Rockox]

Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite, a craggy-faced British character actor described by director Steven Spielberg as "the best actor in the world," has died at age 64 after a long battle with cancer.

Friend and journalist Andrew Richardson said Monday that Postlethwaite died in a hospital Sunday.

His extended battle against cancer was well documented in the local newspapers where he lived in rural Shropshire, 170 miles northwest of London. He had recently thanked the staff at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for their kind treatment and care.

"They have been wonderful and I am grateful to them," he told the Shropshire Star newspaper. "I cannot thank them enough for everything that they have done for me."

Like many English actors, he started his career on stage, performing at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool and working with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

He branched out into movies and television work in the 1980s, most often taking roles as an occasionally menacing working-class figure.

He reached what some viewed as his professional peak when he received a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in "In the Name of the Father", a film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson. Postlethwaite played Day-Lewis' father in the drama about the complex ramifications of Day-Lewis' forced confession to an IRA bombing he didn't commit.

He had recently been seen in the critically acclaimed film "Inception" and had worked with Spielberg on "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Amistad" in performances that sparked the extravagant compliment from Spielberg, a longtime admirer.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/britains-pr...20801-643.html

I'm gonna miss this guy. I loved him in everything he's been in, especially The Usual Suspects. RIP

[RockBandRocker]

Yeah, this sucks. He was one of those actors who popped up in EVERYTHING!.

Didn't know he was fighting cancer. But it does make sense why the roles he'd appeared in lately were smaller (ex: "Clash Of The Titans" [2010], "The Town", etc.)


Truly a big loss. I think I might watch some movies today. The great thing about him was that he appeared in serious dramas as well as family films.

[Lawdog1521]

A great actor who improved anything he was in. RIP.

[bermuddy]

i just saw him in the town last night.

[hmxhenry]

I've been a big fan since Alien 3. He's a very visually striking actor, easily recognizable even in bit parts and his acting was always top notch. RIP.

[Rockox]

The first movie I noticed him in was The Usual Suspects as Kobayashi and thought he was fantastic. Since then, any time he would pop up in a movie I was watching, I knew the scene would be better for having him in it.

When my wife heard the news, she had to let me know because he's one of those actors I always have to point out if we see him in something (usually to the tune of "Hey! It's Pete Postlethwaite! AWESOME!").

[sillystou]

I saw him in Romeo and Juliet

[Roseroar]

Loved him in Rat

RIP