R.I.P. Pete Postlethwaite

Pete Postlethwaite, the prolific British actor who appeared in Romeo and Juliet, The Usual Suspects, and most recently, Inception, has died of cancer at the Royal Shewsbury Hospital. He was 64 years old.

Postlethwaite was first diagnosed with cancer in 1990, yet he appeared in more than 45 films from that point until his death.

Having trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the Liverpool Everyman Theatre alongside the likes of Bill Nighy and Julie Walters, Postlethwaite had an impressive career. From memorable roles such as Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects and Father Lawrence in Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet to his role as Danny in hit comedy romance Brassed Off, the nineties was undoubtedly his greatest onscreen decade.

Appearing as recently as last year in US blockbusters Inception, The Town and Clash of the Titans, Postlethwaite was far from professionally retired. Having reinstated his reputation as a serious and accomplished actor following the film he’d probably rather we didn’t mention (The Age of Stupid), it is a great shame that Postlethwaite will no longer grace the silver screen.

Postlethwaite received an Academy Award nomination in 1994 for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for In the Name of the Father and was also nominated for three BAFTA TV awards.

He is survived by his wife Jacqui, and two children William and Lily.

R.I.P.