Esteemed character actor Pete Postlethwaite passed away in a hospital in Shropshire, England, late yesterday, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 64.
The extremely distinctive actor was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in “In the Name of the Father,” and made a number of memorable appearances through the 90’s and 00’s, often bringing a splash of reliably hard-working craft to material waaay below his talent level (such a Brit), like “Alien 3,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Amistad” and “Clash of the Titans.” Other mays remember him fondly for his turn as the mysterious lawyer Kobayashi in “The Usual Suspects,” or the mysterious Dr. Lorbeer in “The Constant Gardener” (he made something of a career of being a vaguely threatening enigma). He also made recent appearances this year in both “Inception” and “The Town.”
He was a sort of latter-day Karl Malden, with instantly recognizable (read: odd) looks and a heap of talent that may never have reached its full potential on film. I’ll miss him.
