In Memoriam: Peter O’Toole, who played King Henry II in Becket and T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, Dies at 81

Peter O’Toole passed away on December 14, 2013 at the age of 81. He starred in many films including Becket and Lawrence of Arabia. He was also known for being nominated eight times for an Academy Award but never won an Oscar until he received an Honorary Award in 2002. In 2012, he announced his retirement from acting.

Pioneering actor Peter O’Toole, who played King Henry II in Becket and T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, died Saturday at the age of 81 in a hospital in London, England. Born Peter Seamus O’Toole on Aug. 2, 1932 in Connemara, Ireland, O’Toole was a noted Shakespearean actor who made his film debut as T.E. Lawrence (played by his The Lion in Winter costar Anthony Hopkins in the 1984 David Lean film) and went on to star in over 50 films and TV productions.

The star was nominated for eight Academy Awards and received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2003 after receiving his seventh nomination for Best Actor that year. One of Hollywood’s most respected actors, he received his first Oscar nomination for his performance as King Henry II opposite Richard Burton as Thomas Becket in 1964’s Becket, directed by Peter Glenville and produced by Hal Wallis. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards that year including Best Picture; O’Toole lost to Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field.

Peter O’Toole, the actor best known for his role as King Henry II in Becket and T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, died today at a London hospital at the age of 81. His family has confirmed the news to ABC News, but did not provide further details on his cause of death.

“His family are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time,” the family said in a statement obtained by ABC News. “In due course there will be a memorial filled with song and good cheer, as he would have wished.”

In 1962, O’Toole starred as Lawrence in David Lean’s epic film Lawrence of Arabia. Although he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor seven times–for his roles in Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, The Stunt Man and My Favorite Year–he never took home the honor.

He was awarded an honorary Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards.

Peter Seamus O’Toole, known for his role as King Henry II in the critically acclaimed Becket and T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia, died Saturday at the age of 81.

The actor’s death was announced by his family on Monday: “Peter O’Toole’s family are very sad to announce that their beloved father, Peter, passed away peacefully on Saturday, 14th December at the Wellington Hospital, London after a long illness with his family at his bedside.”

O’Toole had been hospitalized several times in the past few months. In 2012, he announced that he would be retiring from acting because of ill health. He had been suffering from a stomach ulcer and pancreatitis for many years.

In a statement released by his agent Steve Kenis, O’Toole said: “It is time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from films and stage. The heart for it has gone out of me: it won’t come back.”

“My professional acting life, stage and screen, has brought me public support, emotional fulfillment and material comfort,” he added. “It has brought me together with fine people, good companions with whom I’ve shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and

Irish actor Peter O’Toole, who played T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia and King Henry II in Becket (for which he received his first Oscar nomination), died on Saturday at the age of 81.

O’Toole had been acting professionally since the 1950s, but it was his lead performance in David Lean’s 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia that made him a movie star. He received the first of his eight Oscar nominations for playing the titular role in a film that is still considered one of the greatest ever made.

“His work was beautiful, brilliant and irreplaceable,” his agent Steve Kenis said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“We will miss him enormously.”

Peter O’Toole, the dashing Oscar-nominated actor who appeared in such classics as Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter and My Favorite Year, has died. He was 81.

O’Toole’s daughter Kate confirmed that he died Saturday at the Wellington Hospital in London after a long illness, according to the Associated Press. “His family are very appreciative and completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of real love and affection being expressed towards him, and to us, during this unhappy time,” she said.

The Irish-born actor was nominated for eight Academy Awards — more than any other performer without a win — including two for his portrayal of T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) and Henry II (“Becket”). But he turned down an honorary Oscar in 2003 because he hoped to win one on his own. (He received an honorary Oscar in November.)

Peter O’Toole, the actor who first came to fame in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia and went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations for his performances in such films as The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr. Chips and My Favorite Year, has died. He was 81.

O’Toole died Saturday at the Wellington Hospital in London after a long illness, with his family by his side, according to a statement released by his agent Steve Kenis.

“He was one of a kind in the very best sense and a giant in his field,” said Kenis. “My family and I salute his extraordinary career, and all that he achieved and gave to so many.”

In July 2012, O’Toole announced that he would be retiring from acting because of ill health; Kenis said that O’Toole had been suffering from an undisclosed medical condition for some time. Last summer O’Toole — who had received an honorary Oscar in 2003 — told reporters that he was retiring “with infinite sadness.”

Among the stage roles played by O’Toole were Hamlet; Macbeth; Henry V; Richard II; Cyrano de Bergerac; Tamburlaine; Shylock; Uncle Vanya; Pygmalion