Pete Postlethwaite, a renowned English stage, film, and television actor, was born on February 7, 1946, in Warrington, England. Before his rise to fame, Postlethwaite made minor television appearances, including in the popular series The Professionals.
His breakthrough role came in 1988 with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives, marking the beginning of a successful career in the industry. He then went on to play a mysterious lawyer, Mr. Kobayashi, in the critically acclaimed film The Usual Suspects, and appeared in a wide range of films, including Alien 3, In the Name of the Father, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener, The Age of Stupid, Inception, The Town, Romeo + Juliet, and Æon Flux.
In television, Postlethwaite's most notable performance was as the villainous Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in the Sharpe television series and television movies, opposite actor Sean Bean's character Richard Sharpe.
Before becoming an actor, Postlethwaite trained as a teacher and taught drama, before pursuing a career in acting. His exceptional talent did not go unnoticed, as he received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In the Name of the Father in 1993, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year's Honours List.
Steven Spielberg, who worked with Postlethwaite on The Lost World: Jurassic Park, referred to him as "the best actor in the world." Tragically, Postlethwaite passed away on January 2, 2011, due to complications from pancreatic cancer.
