Peter O'Toole, who has died aged 81, possessed a prodigious acting talent, heart-stopping good looks, and an enormous capacity for booze. Here, he is remembered by those who knew him.
Michael Caine, actor
Caine, his understudy for the 1959 play The Long and the Short and the Tall at the Royal Court Theatre went out to dinner with O'Toole and woke up in a strange flat days later. "There was a wild weekend that I don't remember ... 'What time is it?' I asked. 'Never mind what time it is,' said O'Toole, 'what f***ing day is it?"'
Toa Fraser, director
Fraser, a New Zealand film-maker, directed O'Toole in his 2008 film Dean Spanley. "We will be saying a karakia on the beach at Piha this morning to the incredible Peter O'Toole. What a life. RIP my friend."
Sam Neill, actor, Dean Spanley
"Very sad to hear the great Peter O'Toole has exited stage right. But honoured to have worked with the great man: brilliant, funny, dangerous."
Sir Michael Gambon, actor
Gambon appeared with O'Toole, playing Hamlet, in the National Theatre's first production in 1963. "He was a great actor. He was great fun to be with. He will be missed badly."