British actor Pete Postlethwaite died 2 January 2011 of cancer. Born Peter William Postlethwaite on 7 February 1946 in Warrington, Cheshire, England, he was nominated for an Oscar in 1994 as best supporting actor in In the Name of the Father, and for a Saturn Award in 1998 as best supporting actor in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He was awarded OBE in the 2004 New Year’s Honors List for his services to drama.
As a child, he was expected to grow up to be either a priest or teacher, and studied in a seminary for two years. He did teach drama and physical education when he was young, according to the New York Times, “gave it up to pursue acting, a decision that, according to family lore, his mother chided him for until the 1980s, when he had his picture taken with Queen Elizabeth II after appearing in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Taming of the Shrew.” He was a well-known stage and television actor in England before starting his film career in the 1980s; his first significant role was in A Private Function in 1984.
His genre roles include: Inception (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010), Solomon Kane (2009), Ghost Son (2007), The Omen (2006), Aeon Flux (2005), Dark Water (2005), Alice in Wonderland (1999), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), DragonHeart (1996), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Crimetime (1996), Alien3 (1992), and Split Second (1992).
He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Jacqueline Morrish, and their two children.