Pete Postlethwaite

Peter William Postlethwaite, OBE, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an illustrious English actor renowned for his charismatic performances as a character actor. His career took off with television appearances which culminated in his first major success with the British autobiographical film 'Distant Voices, Still Lives' released in 1988. He had a breakthrough in Hollywood in his portrayal of David in Alien 3 (1992) and his international reputation was further solidified when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for In the Name of the Father. He also starred in the film 'The Usual Suspects' as a mysterious lawyer Mr. Kobayashi, and continued to have a successful career, featuring in a wide variety of films.

A man of many talents, Postlethwaite originally trained to be a Catholic priest before deciding to train as an actor. His early acting career took off at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. He was a noted veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and his career included a wide array of roles including Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in ITV's Sharpe series. Notably, Postlethwaite was called 'the best actor in the world' by esteemed director Steven Spielberg. Despite living with terminal illness, Postlethwaite continued to act in Hollywood trios: Clash of the Titans, Inception, and 'The Town', for his role in the latter, he received a posthumous nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.