His odd but memorable features probably insured that he'd play his fare share of criminals. But despite his recent bloody role in The Town, Postlethwaite being the thorns in the rose bush, I personally associate him with more noble turns. I first became aware of Who He Was when he was Oscar nominated as the title character in the Daniel Day-Lewis drama In the Name of the Father (1993) though I then realized I had already enjoyed him in Alien3 and Hamlet (the one with Mel Gibson); it's hard to forget that face. I was so in love with Baz Luhrmann's dizzyingly erratic Romeo + Juliet (1996) that Father Laurence, who sets all the fake death in motion to unfortunately disastrous effect, is still my favorite of his roles.
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| Shakespearean drug pusher. |
Other key roles include: Amistad, The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off. What's your favorite Postlethwaite performance or movie?
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Definetely IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER. Unforgettable.
His IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER performance is truly cherished. And he also left quite an indeible mark in my childhood movie-going as one of the grizzly prisoners in ALIEN 3 and a t-rex hunter in THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. he also made a wonderful addition to THE TOWN’s ensemble last year. damn, he will be dearly missed...
as Gustavo, definetely in "the name of the father"
and add "usual suspect"
I would have thought his most famous role was in The Usual Suspects, but the brief obit on CBS radio didn't even mention it. To me, it was like he was everywhere; a perfect character actor whose distinctive face blended into every part as though he wasn't an actor at all, but some odd-looking guy who wandered onto the movie set.
He'll be missed.
If you can find it, check out "Lost for Words," a quiet made-for-TV movie where Postlethwaite stars as a man coping with his mother as her dementia increases. Fantastic -- it won a Peabody.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_for_Words_(1999_TV_film)
--JfA
My first and possibly favorite Postelthwaite performance was in that 1999 TV adaptation of Animal Farm when he played the drunken farmer Jones. Was I the only person that watched that?
DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES. That is all.
Oh god - this is one of those losses that I didn't even know would be upsetting until it happened. I've got to agree with Volvagia - he is so phenomenal in Distant Voices, Still Lives, managing to make you understand why his eldest daughter still feels something for violent father his other kids have written off as a monster. He's great in Brassed Off too.
He was so great in everything. One of those actors who I always hoped would get the appreciation he deserved eventually.
Not to highlight a critical blip on his career, but he did first come to my attention in The Lost World. I remember thinking: who is this guy who is the only one elevating this material? I wish the whole film was about him.
What a magnificent actor. RIP. I'm glad he was so well employed even into 2010 but geez, I got so disappointed during the 2010 releases when *Spoiler* I found out out limited his roles were. He gets killed off in two after 10 minutes of screentime and has to remain comatose in the other one. Unjust, I say. They probably didn't want him to outclass all the other actors too much.
I think he was best in In the Name of the Father. But when I'm thinking of that face (and it's quite a face) I'd normally think of The Usual Suspects or Romeo + Juliet.
Definitely his overlooked supporting role in distant voices still lives or his tv movie lost for words as the son of a woman with alzheimer's.
My favorites would definitely be The Usual Suspects and Romeo & Juliet. RIP Pete Postlethwaite
Very sad news. He's so great in all the titles mentioned. I would add "Among Giants" alongside Rachel Griffiths.
I'm glad "The Town" is receiving ensemble nominations now. He and Chris Cooper were great in it with such small parts.
We'll miss him.
I don't view him as a support in Distant Voices, Still Lives. Amazing...YES. Lead...ALSO YES. The whole story is focused through LOOKING AT HIM. The kids and mom are the supports.
So sad, a working great actor, had he lived, he would have continued to amaze us.
I heard that He was Daniel Day Lewis' Acting teacher, so when it came to casting IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, that DDL had a hand in getting him to be seen. Haven't confirmed if that was true yet. Does anyone know?
This really made me sad today. My brother and I still talk about his performance in Romeo + Juliet fairly regularly. I was also fortunate enough to see him in a love performance of Scaramouche Jones, in which he was mesmerizing.
This post reminds me that I really haven't seen enough of his work, and shame on me for that - because he's wonderful whenever I've seen him. He elevated Brassed Off tremendously, giving it gravitas and dignity that never, ever feels cliche or corny.
First time I ever saw him onscreen was when my 8th grade English class put on Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Will always remember him as the Friar, even though he's been in numerous other films.
Very shocked and sad to hear this. For me he's always been the guy from Romeo & Juliet as well.
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