Actor Pete Postlethwaite dies at 64

Pete Postlethwaite dies aged 64 

British acting legend loses battle with cancer.

British acting legend Pete Postlethwaite has passed away in hospital. He was 64. The Warrington-born actor - who was nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for his turn in In The Name Of The Father - died yesterday (January 2) in Shropshire, reports the The Guardian

Postlethwaite had been undergoing treatment for cancer, despite continuing to work and appearing last year in bank heist hit The Town. His other career credits include The Constant Gardener, Brassed Off, Romeo + Juliet and The Usual Suspects.

He was once called "the best actor in the world" by Steven Spielberg, who Postlethwaite worked with in Jurassic Park: The Lost World. The actor also worked with the director on slave mutiny story Amistad in 2007.

In 2009 Postlethwaite starred in climate change film The Age Of Stupid, telling Total Film that he hoped the film would tackle passive attitudes to the film's subject matter. "Ignorance, lack of awareness of the situation is one of the biggest things," he said. "Evil is what happens when good people do nothing."

After the film's release Postlethwaite threatened to hand back the OBE he was awarded in 2004 in protest at the Government's decision to build a coal-fired power station in Kingsnorth, Kent.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott paid tribute to the late actor today, saying: "Pete will be missed but his art changed the lives of many for the better. I can't think of a better compliment than that."

Postlethwaite is survived by his wife, Jacqui, his son, Will, and daughter, Lily.

story via: NME.com