Ten fun facts about Pete Postlethwaite

Fact 1
After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988.

Fact 2
In television, Postlethwaite's most notable performance was as the villain Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in the Sharpe television series and television films opposite actor Sean Bean's character of Richard Sharpe.

Fact 3
He was brought up in a working class Roman Catholic family.

Fact 4
He trained as a teacher at St Mary's College, Strawberry Hill and taught drama at Loreto College, Manchester, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Fact 5
Early in his career, Postlethwaite was advised to adopt a new surname for his acting work by his first agent and by peers.

Fact 6
He was a veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and other acting companies.

Fact 7
He trained as a teacher and taught drama before training as an actor.

Fact 8
Steven Spielberg called Postlethwaite “the best actor in the world” after working with him on The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Fact 9
He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in In the Name of the Father in 1993.

Fact 10
He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2004 New Year Honors list.