Peter O'Toole: A Biography

by Nicholas Wapshott

A biography of the Irish-born actor follows his career in films and the theater, and provides a glimpse of his personal life

239 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

Nicholas Wapshott is a journalist and the author of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage. A former senior editor at The Times of London and the New York Sun, he lives in New York.

Reviews

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

[These notes were made in 1985:]. This is very much not an "authorized" biography: Wapshott not only confesses but vaunts the fact that O'Toole asked him not to write it. The analyses of O'Toole's character and career may or may not be accurate; one could wish the language and general editing were a little more so. The occasional startling piece of illiteracy undermines the credibility of the rest of the biography, and Mr. Wapshott could have used a good editor. Now, as to the career itself, O'Toole's humble origins and self-made rise into stardom at the RSC make good reading; the account of the making of Lawrence of Arabia, a two-year emotional marathon, is fascinating; and the grim details of parts that went wrong, especially Macbeth, are salutary. Wapshott scatters comments about O'Toole's famous drinking, altho' he omits reference to any other kind of drug, but he doesn't dwell on it. The details are there, but I don't think Wapshott offers any kind of insight about the real reasons why so splendid an actor has had so difficult a time finding the right projects. We shall have to wait for the autobiography, I think.

[Sheena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another crush of mine