Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (2)

Often played very devious characters



Distinctive gruff voice



Trivia (22)

Pete Postlethwaite was the youngest of four children born to working-class Roman Catholic parents, William and Mary Geraldine (née Lawless) Postlethwaite in Warrington (near Liverpool). He had two sisters, Anne and Patricia, and a brother, Michael (1944-2006). He attended St Benedict's RC Junior School and a seminary. He then joined the 4th form at West Park Grammar School, St Helens (Merseyside), and spent an extra year re-sitting some O-levels and then took four A-levels in English, history, geography and French. He trained as a teacher at St Mary's University College (Strawberry Hill, Twickenham), majoring in physical education and drama. He later taught drama at Loreto College, Manchester, a Catholic girls convent school.





He was awarded OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 New Year's Honors List for his services to drama. On 16 November 2009, when the Labour government, of which he had been a lifelong supporter, was contemplating commissioning a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, he threatened in a speech to Ed Miliband , then Climate Change Minister, to hand back his OBE if the Government went ahead with their plans. The proposal to build a new power station at Kingsnorth was shelved by the coalition government in October 2010.

He once let an agent go after the agent suggested Pete change his last name to something more marquee-friendly.





Steven Spielberg called him "The best actor in the world".



At the beginning of one hit wonder "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba , it's his voice that says these words from the movie Brassed Off (1996): "Truth is I thought it mattered, I thought that music mattered. But does it bollocks! Not compared to how people matter".



He was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. He was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Supporting Actor category for his performance in the film Æon Flux (2005). However he failed to receive a nomination.



His portrait by Christopher Thompson was acquired by The National Portrait Gallery.



He and his wife, a BBC drama assistant, had one child, Billy Postlethwaite (b. 1989). He was also the father of Lily Postlethwaite (b. 1996) by his relationship with Jacqueline Morrish ).



He is the only actor in Romeo + Juliet (1996) who speaks in iambic pentameter, the rhythm of speech William Shakespeare 's plays are written in.



Longtime friend of Sue Johnston

A political activist, he demonstrated in the streets to oppose the war in Iraq.



Last name is pronounced "POSS-ul-thwait".





Romantically involved with actress Julie Walters during his years at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool.



One of his biggest fans was Daniel Day-Lewis , who use to watch Postlethwaite perform on stage frequently during his impressionable years as a youngster. It was Day-Lewis who recommended him for the father role in In the Name of the Father (1993).

Postlethwaite's nose was broken when he played rugby as a child and was re-broken years later as an adult following several barroom brawls.



Started smoking when he was ten. He continued to smoke heavily until his death, despite admitting it was his "biggest regret".



Although he played Irish characters in several films he was not of Irish descent himself.



He was criticized for saying people should never burn coal, despite claiming that he supported striking miners.



Granted an honorary degree from The University of Liverpool in 2006, alongside British actress Alison Steadman and founders of the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, Terry Hands and Martin Jenkins.



Personal Quotes (6)

At the end of the day, acting is all about telling lies. We are professional imposters and the audience accept that. We've made this deal that we tell you a tale and a pack of lies, but there will be a truth in it. You may enjoy it, or it will disturb you.



It's all in the cheekbones, this career of mine. They are quite whopping, aren't they? Who was it that said, 'He looks like he's got a clavicle stuck in his mouth?'



I refuse to be typecast, and I'll have a go at anything so long as it's different, challenging, hard work and demands great versatility.



My first agent wanted me to change [my name]. So I changed him instead. When I made a breakthrough as an actor, people started to say, 'Who's that bloke with the funny name?' They advised me to change it, saying it would never be put up in lights outside theaters because they couldn't afford the electricity. But I would never contemplate changing it. It's who I am. It's my mother and father, my whole family. It's where everything I am comes from. I couldn't imagine living my life with another name.





[in a speech to Ed Miliband , then Climate Change Minister of the Labour government, on 16 March 2009] If you commission a new dirty coal power station at Kingsnorth, then you are clearly unfit to represent the people of Britain at the Copenhagen Climate Summit, and therefore I promise, very sadly, to return to Her Majesty The Queen the OBE that I was given in 2002, because I don't believe that I can be a real Officer of the British Empire if that's what is going to happen. Unfortunately I would *never* be able to vote for the Labour Party again. And I want you to tell that to the Party.

We've got to hope the next generation will do things differently. I'm sure that in 20 years' time the kids will say, 'Can you believe that people actually used to smoke - put these funny little things in their mouths, lit them and sucked all that crap into their lungs?'.

