Actor Peter O’Toole died today at the age of 81.
He has been my favorite actor since I was in high school. Here are a few of the reasons why:
“I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star!” – My Favorite Year
“If God could do the tricks we do he’d be a happy man.” – The Stuntman
“My life, when it is ended, will read better than it lived.” – The Lion in Winter
But my all-time favorite Peter O’Toole line is from Lawrence of Arabia, the movie that made him a star. T.E. Lawrence (played by a very young O’Toole) does his trick of extinguishing a match with his fingers for his aide William Potter:
“Ooh! It damn well ‘urts!’
“Certainly it hurts.”
“Whats the trick then?”
“The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.” – Lawrence of Arabia
UPDATE: Full-length obit from the New York Times.
Also, here is his acceptance speech for his honorary Oscar: