Pete Postlethwaite, one of Britain's best-loved actors, has died at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer.
The star of The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off had continued to work until recent months while receiving treatment.
Journalist and friend Andrew Richardson said the Oscar-nominated actor passed away peacefully in hospital in Shropshire on Sunday.
Mr Postlethwaite, who was made an OBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours List, starred in some of the most popular films of the 1990s and was once described by director Steven Spielberg as "the best actor in the world".
English actor and comedian David Schneider described him as a "national treasure" and a "wonderful bloke".
Mr Postlethwaite received his Oscar nomination for his performance as Guiseppe Conlon in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father, about the wrongful convictions of the so-called Guildford Four for an IRA bomb attack.
The Warrington-born actor, who lived in rural Shropshire near the Welsh border, starred in the film alongside his friend and fellow actor Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson.
His performance as Kobayashi in 1995 hit The Usual Suspects was widely lauded by critics.
Other films included The Shipping News, Romeo & Juliet, The Omen and The Town, and he worked with Spielberg on The Lost World: Jurassic Park and slave trade epic Amistad.
One of his more recent appearences was in Inception, the hit science-fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan.
Mr Postlethwaite originally wanted to be a priest but then became a teacher. He began his acting career at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Jonathan Pryce.
In 2008 he returned to the Everyman to play the lead in King Lear, a role that he had always wanted.
Mr Postlethwaite was also a political activist who marched against the war in Iraq and starred in the 2009 film about global warming, The Age of Stupid.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqui, son Will and daughter, Lily.
Stars of the stage and screen have paid tribute on Twitter, with Stephen Fry writing: "The loss of the great Pete Postlethwaite is a very sad way to begin a year."
Gavin and Stacey star James Corden said: "Such sad news about Pete Postlethwaite. What an actor and gentleman he was
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The star of The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off had continued to work until recent months while receiving treatment.
Journalist and friend Andrew Richardson said the Oscar-nominated actor passed away peacefully in hospital in Shropshire on Sunday.
Mr Postlethwaite, who was made an OBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours List, starred in some of the most popular films of the 1990s and was once described by director Steven Spielberg as "the best actor in the world".
English actor and comedian David Schneider described him as a "national treasure" and a "wonderful bloke".
Mr Postlethwaite received his Oscar nomination for his performance as Guiseppe Conlon in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father, about the wrongful convictions of the so-called Guildford Four for an IRA bomb attack.
The Warrington-born actor, who lived in rural Shropshire near the Welsh border, starred in the film alongside his friend and fellow actor Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson.
His performance as Kobayashi in 1995 hit The Usual Suspects was widely lauded by critics.
Other films included The Shipping News, Romeo & Juliet, The Omen and The Town, and he worked with Spielberg on The Lost World: Jurassic Park and slave trade epic Amistad.
One of his more recent appearences was in Inception, the hit science-fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan.
Mr Postlethwaite originally wanted to be a priest but then became a teacher. He began his acting career at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Jonathan Pryce.
In 2008 he returned to the Everyman to play the lead in King Lear, a role that he had always wanted.
Mr Postlethwaite was also a political activist who marched against the war in Iraq and starred in the 2009 film about global warming, The Age of Stupid.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqui, son Will and daughter, Lily.
Stars of the stage and screen have paid tribute on Twitter, with Stephen Fry writing: "The loss of the great Pete Postlethwaite is a very sad way to begin a year."
Gavin and Stacey star James Corden said: "Such sad news about Pete Postlethwaite. What an actor and gentleman he was
Source
