Pete Postlethwaite

Peter William Postlethwaite, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English actor best known for his work as a character actor. After minor television appearances including The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the British autobiographical film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988). 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 In the Name of the Father. 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. On television, Postlethwaite played Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in Sharpe. Director Steven Spielberg 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 Fergie Colm in The Town (2010). Early life Peter William Postlethwaite was born into a working-class Catholic family in Warrington on 7 February 1946, the son of Mary Geraldine (née Lawless; 1913–2000) and cooper, wood machinist, and school caretaker William Postlethwaite (1913–1988). He had an older brother named Michael (1944–2006) and two older sisters named Patricia and Anne. He would later portray Irish characters on multiple occasions, leading some to mistakenly believe that he was of Irish descent.