Editing Peter O'Toole (section)

=== 1954–1961: Early work and rise to prominence ===
O'Toole began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a [[Shakespearean]] actor at the [[Bristol Old Vic]] and with the [[English Stage Company]], before making his television debut in 1954. He played a soldier in an episode of ''[[The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel|The Scarlet Pimpernel]]'' in 1954. He was based at the Bristol Old Vic from 1956 to 1958, appearing in productions of ''[[King Lear]]'', ''[[The Recruiting Officer]]'', ''[[Major Barbara]]'', ''[[Othello]]'', and ''The Slave of Truth'' (all 1956). He was Henry Higgins in ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]'', Lysander in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', Uncle Gustave in ''Oh! My Papa!'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Oh! My Papa! Cast and crew |url=https://theatricalia.com/play/45c/oh-my-papa/production/91x |publisher=Theatricalia |access-date=6 June 2024}}</ref> and Jimmy Porter in ''[[Look Back in Anger]]'' (all 1957). O'Toole was Tanner in Shaw's ''[[Man and Superman]]'' (1958), a performance he reprised often during his career.{{citation needed|date= June 2024}} He was also in ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''The Holiday'', ''Amphitryon '38'', and ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' (as Vladimir; all 1958). He hoped ''The Holiday'' would take him to the West End but it ultimately folded in the provinces; during that show he met [[Siân Phillips]] who became his first wife.<ref name="holiday">{{cite news |last=Flatley |first=Guy |title=Peter O'Toole, From 'Lawrence' To 'La Mancha' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/09/17/archives/peter-otoole-from-lawrence-to-la-mancha-peter-otoole-from-lawrence.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 September 1972 |page=D1}}</ref>

O'Toole continued to appear on television, being in episodes of ''[[Armchair Theatre]]'' ("The Pier", 1957), and ''[[BBC Sunday-Night Theatre]]'' ("The Laughing Woman", 1958) and was in the TV adaptation of ''[[The Castiglioni Brothers]]'' (1958). He made his London debut in a musical, ''Oh, My Papa''.<ref name="oh">{{cite news |last=Archer |first=Eugene |title=INTRODUCTION TO AN IRISH INDIVIDUALIST |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 September 1962 |page=X7}}</ref> He gained fame on the [[West End theatre|West End]] in the play ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (play)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]'', performed at the Royal Court beginning in January 1959. His co-stars included [[Robert Shaw (actor)|Robert Shaw]] and [[Edward Judd]], and it was directed by [[Lindsay Anderson]]. O'Toole reprised his performance for television on ''Theatre Night'' in 1959 (although he did not appear in the [[The Long and the Short and the Tall (film)|1961 film version]]). The show transferred to the West End in April and won O'Toole Best Actor of the Year in 1959.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Willis |title=Writing regional plays for a national audience |work=The Manchester Guardian |date=2 April 1959 |page=6}}</ref>

O'Toole was in much demand. He reportedly received five offers of long-term contracts but turned them down.<ref name="oh" /> His first role was a small role in Disney's version of ''[[Kidnapped (1960 film)|Kidnapped]]'' (1960), playing the bagpipes opposite [[Peter Finch]].<ref name="star">{{cite news |last=Watts |first=Stephen |title=REPORTS ON BRITAIN'S VARIED MOVIE FRONTS |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 January 1960 |id={{ProQuest|115236724}}}}</ref> His second feature was ''[[The Savage Innocents]]'' (1960) with [[Anthony Quinn]] for director [[Nicholas Ray]]. With his then wife Sian Phillips he did ''Siwan: The King's Daughter'' (1960) for TV. In 1960 he had a nine-month season at the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in Stratford, appearing in ''[[The Taming of the Shrew]]'' (as Petruchio), ''[[The Merchant of Venice]]'' (as Shylock) and ''[[Troilus and Cressida]]'' (as Thersites). He could have made more money in films but said "You've got to go to Stratford when you've got the chance."<ref name="notes">{{cite news|title=NOTED ON BRITAIN'S FILM FRONT|first=Stephen |last=Watts|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=5 February 1961|page=X7. M}}</ref>

O'Toole had been seen in ''The Long and the Short and the Tall'' by [[Jules Buck]] who later established a company with the actor.<ref name="star" /><ref name="news.independent.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article35435.ece|title=Jules Buck|work=The Independent on Sunday|location=London|access-date=23 September 2007|date=23 July 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080107095627/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article35435.ece|archive-date=7 January 2008}}</ref> Buck cast O'Toole in ''[[The Day They Robbed the Bank of England]]'' (1960), a heist thriller from director [[John Guillermin]]. O'Toole was billed third, beneath [[Aldo Ray]] and [[Elizabeth Sellars]].<ref name="ink">{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=John Guillermin: Action Man|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/john-guillermin-action-man/|date=17 November 2020}}</ref> The following year he appeared in several episodes of the TV series ''[[Rendezvous (TV series)|Rendezvous]]'' ("End of a Good Man", "Once a Horseplayer", "London-New York").<ref name="tg041029">{{cite news|first=Dan|last=Glaister|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=After 42 years, Sharif and O'Toole decide the time is right to get their epic act together again|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/oct/30/film.filmnews|date=29 October 2004|access-date=3 May 2012|location=London, UK}}</ref> He lost the role in the film adaptation of ''Long and the Short and the Tall'' to [[Laurence Harvey]].<ref name="star" /> "It broke my heart", he said later.<ref name="notes" />