pete postlethwaite Longtime friend and journalist Andrew Richardson said Monday that Postlethwaite died in a hospital Sunday.A gritty and powerful actor, Postlethwaite was nominated for an Oscar for his role in the 1993 film "In The Name Of The Father."He had recently been seen in the critically acclaimed film "Inception" and had worked with Spielberg on "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Amistad.Postlethwaite initially planned to become a priest but was drawn to acting.He received an OBE in 2004 along with many other honors for his long career in movies, theater, and television.
What a depressing way to start 2011. Actor Pete Postlethwaite has passed away at age 64, losing a long fight with cancer. The British actor had his Hollywood breakout with an Oscar-nominated turn as Guiseppe Conlon, the working class Irish father who shared a prison cell with son Gerry in 1993's In The Name of the FatherAmerican audiences were first introduced to the quietly commanding performer in David Fincher's 'Alien 3' but he was perhaps a bit more memorable in Michael Mann's 'The Last of the Mohicans.' Then came more great work in Jim Sheridan's 'In the Name of the Father,' (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), Bryan Singer's 'The Usual Suspects,' and Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo.
In fact, Postlethwaite's 2010 was emblematic of the man's entire career. He appeared as a prestige player in a big-budget action movie ("Clash of the Titans," where he played Perseus' foster father), then delivered a key supporting role in an auteur piece (he was Cilian Murphy's dying father in "Inception") and finished up with a juicy, menacing part in an acting-heavy drama (he was the crime boss in Ben Affleck's "The Town"). Postlethwaite's final film will leave an imprint on the music world, as he will be featured in an Irish movie called "Killing Bono.
