My Take
Pete Postlethwaite is the kind of actor who makes you forget you're watching a performance — and that's exactly what made him one of the most quietly extraordinary screen presences of his generation. Steven Spielberg famously called him "the best actor in the world," and honestly, it's hard to argue. Born in Warrington, England, he spent decades in the trenches of stage and television before films like In the Name of the Father earned him an Academy Award nomination in 1994, and his haunted, angular face became one of cinema's most recognizable assets. Whether he was playing a grieving father, a crime boss, or a shadowy manipulator, there was always this incredible weight behind his eyes. He passed away in January 2011 at just 64, and the loss is still felt — he never got his Oscar, but he got the OBE, and more importantly, he got the respect of everyone who ever watched him work.
Overview
Peter William Postlethwaite (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After various stage and minor television appearances, Postlethwaite's first major success arose through the film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), directed by Terence Davies.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Pete Postlethwaite
- Name (Japanese)
- ピート・ポスルスウェイト
- Reading
- ぴーと・ぽするすうぇいと
- Born
- February 7, 1946 – January 2, 2011
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Dog
- Origin
- Warrington, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / character actor / stage actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- St Mary's University, Twickenham
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.