Editing Peter O'Toole (section)

== Personal life ==
[[File:Becket 1964 still 2.jpg|thumb|right|O'Toole (left) with [[Richard Burton]] in ''Becket'' (1964). The two actors along with [[Richard Harris]] and [[Oliver Reed]] were among a close group of friends who excelled on both stage and screen, and were known as "hellraisers" in their personal lives.<ref name="hellraiser">{{cite news |title=Four 'Hellraisers,' Living It Up In The Public Eye |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125227649&t=1584984700036 |access-date=22 March 2020 |publisher=NPR}}</ref> ]]

=== Personal views ===

While studying at RADA in the early 1950s, O'Toole opposed the [[Korean War]], and later became a supporter of the [[Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament]]. During the 1960s, he was involved in the [[opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War]]. He played a role in the creation of the current form of the well-known Irish folk song "[[Carrickfergus (song)|Carrickfergus]]" which he related to [[Dominic Behan]], who put it in print and made a recording in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/DF0qr4q0mnM|work=[[NME]]|access-date=15 December 2013|title=Harris & O'Toole – Carrickfergus video|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215222105/http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/DF0qr4q0mnM|archive-date=15 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Although he lost faith in [[organised religion]] as a teenager, O'Toole expressed positive sentiments regarding the life of Jesus Christ. In an interview for ''[[The New York Times]]'', he said "No one can take Jesus away from me... there's no doubt there was a historical figure of tremendous importance, with enormous notions. Such as peace." He called himself "a retired Christian" who prefers "an education and reading and facts" to faith.<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/arts/television/26tudo.html|title=Papal Robes, and Deference, Fit O'Toole Snugly|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=26 July 2007|first=Anita|last=Gates}}</ref>

British Pakistani playwright [[Hanif Kureishi]] states in his memoir that O'Toole told him "The only Paki I ever liked was Omar Sharif."<ref name='shattered'>{{cite book |last=Kureishi |first=Hanif |date=19 November 2024 |title=Shattered |url=https://www.penguin.com.au/books/shattered-9780241667958 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9780241667958 |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref>

=== Ireland ===
The son of an Irishman, O’Toole had a strong affinity with Ireland and on occasion referred to himself as Irish:  “I consider myself to be an Irishman but I have lived most of my life in England so I am fairly bogus Irish actor as such”.<ref>{{cite news |title=Irish Man Bogus Irish Actor 1963 |url=https://www.rte.ie/archives/2013/1216/493136-peter-otoole/ |work=[[RTÉ]]}}</ref> In an interview with [[Charlie Rose]] in 1992 he said Irishness was “almost the centre of my very being” and that “Everything I think of is coloured by its history, by its literature, by its people, by its geography”. He recalls that he was “a bit of a misfit, a bit of an odd man out” but that when he went to [[County Kerry]], Ireland in 1946 he realized “I wasn’t different at all”.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guidera |first1=Anita |title=Peter the Great |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/peter-the-great/29855638.html |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=22 December 2013}}</ref>

He possessed an Irish passport and believed he may have been born in [[Connemara]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meagher |first1=John |title=President leads tributes to Peter O'Toole, a legend fiercely proud of his Irish heritage |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/president-leads-tributes-to-peter-otoole-a-legend-fiercely-proud-of-his-irish-heritage/29840800.html |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=16 December 2013}}</ref> He owned a house in Ireland located in [[Clifden]], [[County Galway]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wapshott |first1=Nicholas |title=Peter O'Toole: A Biography |date=1984 |publisher=Beaufort Books |page=198}}</ref> In 1969 he met future Irish president [[Michael D. Higgins]] and the two developed a friendship.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Higgins pays tribute to 'genius' of late Peter O'Toole |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/president-higgins-pays-tribute-to-genius-of-late-peter-o-toole-1.1800246 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=18 May 2014}}</ref>

His son Lorcan was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. He told his friends that he wanted him to be "raised as an Irishman".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sellars |first1=Robert |title=Peter O'Toole: The Definitive Biography |date=2015 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |page=272}}</ref>

=== Relationships ===
O'Toole married Welsh actress Siân Phillips in 1959, with whom he had two daughters: actress [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate]] and Patricia. They were divorced in 1979. Phillips later said in two autobiographies that O'Toole had subjected her to mental cruelty, largely fuelled by drinking, and was subject to bouts of extreme jealousy when she finally left him for a younger lover.<ref name="msn">{{cite web|first=Nathan |last=Southern|title=Peter O'Toole profile|url=http://movies.msn.com/celebs/celeb.aspx?c=330239|work=AllRovi|publisher=MSN Movies|year=2008|access-date=4 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310100845/http://movies.msn.com/celebs/celeb.aspx?c=330239|archive-date=10 March 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

O'Toole and his girlfriend, model Karen Brown, had a son, Lorcan O'Toole (born 17 March 1983), when O'Toole was 50 years old. Lorcan, now an actor, was a pupil at [[Harrow School]], boarding at West Acre from 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2013-06/11/peter-otoole-the-final-interview-film/viewall|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215213213/http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2013-06/11/peter-otoole-the-final-interview-film/viewall|url-status=live|archive-date=15 December 2013|work=[[GQ]]|access-date=15 December 2013|date=15 December 2013|first=Sarah|last=Standing|title=Remembering Peter O'Toole}}</ref>

=== Sports ===
O'Toole played [[rugby league]] as a child in Leeds<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/12/17/otoole-joins-the-rugby-league-actors-xiii|work=The Roar|access-date=19 December 2013|title=O'Toole joins the rugby league actors XIII}}</ref> and was also a [[rugby union]] fan, attending [[Six Nations Championship|Five Nations]] matches with friends and fellow rugby fans [[Richard Harris]], [[Kenneth Griffith]], [[Peter Finch]] and [[Richard Burton]]. He was also a lifelong player, coach and enthusiast of cricket<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/otoole-bowled-them-over-in-galway-29859197.html|work=[[Irish Independent]]|access-date=23 December 2013|title=O'Toole bowled them over in Galway}}</ref> and a fan of [[Sunderland A.F.C.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://salutsunderland.com/2011/12/peter-otoole-a-hell-raising-dad-and-a-lost-sunderland-passion-2|work=Salut Sunderland|access-date=19 December 2013|title=Peter O'Toole, a hell-raising dad and a lost Sunderland passion|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215192216/http://salutsunderland.com/2011/12/peter-otoole-a-hell-raising-dad-and-a-lost-sunderland-passion-2/|archive-date=15 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> His support of Sunderland was passed on to him through his father, who was a labourer in [[Sunderland]] for many years.<ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=https://salutsunderland.com/2010/09/peter-otoole-and-a-lost-sunderland-passion/ |title=Peter O'Toole and a lost Sunderland passion|access-date=13 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326060216/http://salutsunderland.com/2010/09/peter-otoole-and-a-lost-sunderland-passion/ |archive-date=26 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was named their most famous fan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wearsideonline.com/peter-otoole-dies/|title=Peter O'Toole Dies – Sunderland Most Famous Supporter Is Dead|first=Paper|last=Terry |date=23 December 2013|access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref> The actor in a later interview expressed that he no longer considered himself as much of a fan following the demolition of [[Roker Park]] and the subsequent move to the [[Stadium of Light]]. He described Roker Park as his last connection to the club and that everything "they meant to him was when they were at Roker Park".<ref name="Archived copy" />

=== Health ===
Severe illness almost ended O'Toole's life in the late 1970s. His stomach cancer was misdiagnosed as resulting from his alcoholic excess.<ref>{{cite book|title=Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era|year=2006|publisher=Chronicle Books (Turner Classic Movies Film Guide)|page=165}}</ref> O'Toole underwent surgery in 1976 to have his [[pancreas]] and a large portion of his stomach removed, which resulted in [[insulin]]-dependent [[diabetes]]. In 1978, he nearly died from a [[hematologic disease]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/12/peter-o-toole-dead-lawrence-of-arabia |title=Peter O'Toole, Dead at 81, Made an Indelible Mark with Lawrence of Arabia |last=Hogan |first=Mike |date=15 December 2013 |access-date=4 August 2018 |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]}}</ref> He eventually recovered and returned to work. He resided on the Sky Road, just outside [[Clifden]], [[Connemara]], County Galway, from 1963<!-- until when? -->, and at the height of his career maintained homes in Dublin, London, and Paris (at the [[Hôtel Ritz Paris|Ritz]], which was where his character supposedly lived in the film ''[[How to Steal a Million]]'').{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

=== Interests and influences ===
In an interview with [[NPR]] in December 2006, O'Toole revealed that he knew all 154 of [[Shakespeare's sonnets]]. A self-described romantic, O'Toole said of the sonnets that nothing in the English language compares with them, and that he read them daily. In ''[[Venus (2006 film)|Venus]]'' (2006), he recites [[Sonnet 18]] ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?").<ref>{{cite news |title=Peter O'Toole and a Young 'Venus' |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/6869925 |access-date=24 March 2020 |publisher=NPR}}</ref>

O'Toole wrote two memoirs. ''Loitering with Intent: The Child'' chronicles his childhood in the years leading up to the Second World War, and was a ''New York Times'' Notable Book of the Year in 1992. His second, ''Loitering With Intent: The Apprentice'', is about his years spent training with a cadre of friends at [[RADA]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

O'Toole was interviewed at least three times by [[Charlie Rose]] on his eponymous [[Charlie Rose (talk show)|talk show]]. In a 17 January 2007 interview, O'Toole stated that British actor [[Eric Porter]] had most influenced him, adding that the difference between actors of yesterday and today is that actors of his generation were trained for "theatre, theatre, theatre". He also believes that the challenge for the actor is "to use his imagination to link to his emotion" and that "good parts make good actors." However, in other venues (including the DVD commentary for ''[[Becket]]''), O'Toole credited [[Donald Wolfit]] as being his most important mentor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kabatchnik |first1=Amnon |title=Blood on the Stage, 1600 to 1800: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem |date=2017 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=209}}</ref>

=== Death and legacy ===
[[File:Peter O'Toole Memorial Plaque London.jpg|thumb|right|O'Toole's memorial plaque in [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's Church]] in [[Covent Garden]], London]]
O'Toole retired from acting in July 2012 owing to a recurrence of stomach cancer.<ref name="IrishInd">{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/president-leads-tributes-to-peter-otoole-a-legend-fiercely-proud-of-his-irish-heritage-29840800.html|title=President leads tributes to Peter O'Toole, a legend fiercely proud of his Irish heritage|work=Irish Independent|access-date=24 September 2019|date=16 December 2013}}</ref> He died on 14 December 2013 at the [[Wellington Hospital, London|Wellington Hospital]] in [[St John's Wood]], London, at the age of 81.<ref>{{cite news|last=Booth|first=Robert|date=15 December 2013|title=Peter O'Toole, star of Lawrence of Arabia, dies aged 81|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/15/peter-o-toole-dies-lawrence-arabia|access-date=10 February 2023|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> His funeral was held at [[Golders Green Crematorium]] in London on 21 December 2013, where his body was cremated in a wicker coffin.<ref>{{cite web|date=22 December 2013|title=Peter O'Toole's ex-wife makes an appearance at his funeral|url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/449985/Peter-O-Toole-s-ex-wife-makes-an-appearance-at-his-funeral|access-date=10 February 2023|website=Express.co.uk}}</ref> His family stated their intention to fulfil his wishes and take his ashes to the west of Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.u.tv/Entertainment/OTooles-ashes-heading-home-to-Ireland/45f962d2-7ea1-487c-ab57-060916e4a631|work=[[UTV (TV channel)|Ulster Television]]|title=O'Toole's ashes heading home to Ireland|access-date=4 January 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101062227/http://www.u.tv/entertainment/OTooles-ashes-heading-home-to-Ireland/45f962d2-7ea1-487c-ab57-060916e4a631|archive-date=1 January 2014}}</ref>

On 18 May 2014, a new prize was launched in memory of Peter O'Toole at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; this includes an annual award given to two young actors from the School, including a professional contract at Bristol Old Vic Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/peterotooleprize.html|title=The Peter O'Toole Prize|website=bristololdvic.org.uk|access-date=27 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428142548/http://www.bristololdvic.org.uk/peterotooleprize.html|archive-date=28 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has a memorial plaque in [[St Paul's, Covent Garden|St Paul's]], the Actors' Church in [[Covent Garden]], London.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

On 21 April 2017, the [[Harry Ransom Center]] at the [[University of Texas at Austin]] announced that [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]] had placed her father's archive at the Humanities Research Centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/press/releases/2017/otoole.html|title=Archive Acquired of Theatre and Film Actor Peter O'Toole|website=utexas.edu|access-date=27 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170428142535/http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/press/releases/2017/otoole.html|archive-date=28 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The collection includes O'Toole's scripts, extensive published and unpublished writings, props, photographs, letters, medical records, and more. It joins the archives of several of O'Toole's collaborators and friends, including [[Donald Wolfit]], [[Eli Wallach]], [[Peter Glenville]], Sir [[Tom Stoppard]], and Dame [[Edith Evans]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/21/peter-otoole-personal-archive-heads-to-university-of-texas|title=Peter O'Toole personal archive heads to University of Texas|last=Brown|first=Mark|date=21 April 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 April 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/news/peter-otoole-archive-university-of-texas-1202392237/|title=Peter O'Toole Archive Acquired by University of Texas|last=Nyren|first=Erin|work=Variety|access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref>