Peter William Postlethwaite (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), directed by Terence Davies. He… Peter William Postlethwaite (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), directed by Terence Davies. He had a breakthrough in Hollywood when he portrayed 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 his role as Giuseppe Conlon, father of Gerry Conlon, in In the Name of the Father (1993).
Following this role, he portrayed the mysterious lawyer Mr. Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects and went on to appear in a wide variety of films, including James and the Giant Peach, Dragonheart, Romeo + Juliet, Brassed Off, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, The Shipping News, Dark Water, The Constant Gardener, and Inception. On television, Postlethwaite played Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill on Sharpe. On stage, he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1981 to 1987.
Director Steven Spielberg once called him "the best actor in the world". He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honours list. Less than one month after his death, he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as gangster Fergie Colm in The Town (2010).
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