# Pete Postlethwaite dies aged 64 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2011, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217 "2011-01-03T10:15:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/1 "2011-01-03T10:15:13Z")
Character actor [Pete Postlethwaite](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/8237109/Actor-Pete-Postlethwaite-dies-aged-64.html) has died! What the hell!? Aged 64? Noooooooooooooo! I love him, seen him in tons of things. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/2 "2011-01-03T10:18:39Z")
Well, damn. Bad news to start the year. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/3 "2011-01-03T10:28:58Z")
He was always memorable. I looked at IMDB and was surprised to find that I have only seen him in 12 things even including Man shaving Gen. Treillard, in The Duellists (1977). I would have thought way more than that. Great in two very different roles last year. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/4 "2011-01-03T10:33:17Z")
This is terrible. I first noticed him in The Usual Suspects and I thought he was magnificent. He’s been in a few clunkers, but I’ve never seen him phone in a role. A class act, all around. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/5 "2011-01-03T10:37:55Z")
Only saw him live once. He played [Scaramouche Jones](http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/03/1057179089267.html) in Sydney in 2003. Scaramouche is a 90 minute monologue of a mime clown telling the story of his 100 year life that coincides with the 20th century. Truely awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/6 "2011-01-03T11:28:28Z")
His surprise (and well-deserved) nomination for _In the Name of the Father_ really put him on the map, and Kobayashi was soon after that. He had a very distinguished final one-two with _The Town_ and _Inception_ last year, and while he was obviously deteriorating physically, he still had amazing menace and gravity in those flicks. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/7 "2011-01-03T11:29:27Z")
Dammit, that’s way too young. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/8 "2011-01-03T11:42:47Z")
Wow. That _is_ way too young. Bummer of a way to kick off the year. Farewell, Mr. Postlethwaite. ---
**Author:** ![ColinZeal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@ColinZeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColinZeal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/9 "2011-01-03T13:06:54Z")
Uhhh, so sad. I will always remember him as Mr Kobayashi. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/10 "2011-01-03T13:49:57Z")
For awhile, he seemed to be showing up in every movie released. I especially liked him as Danny in **[Brassed Off](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115744/)**. Sorry and surprised to hear he’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/11 "2011-01-03T15:08:47Z")
Damn indeed. He was one of those actors who elevated any movie he was in. His performance in _Brassed Off_ was Oscar-worthy. See _ **The Town** _ if you haven’t. He got in a good parting performance there. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/12 "2011-01-03T16:27:03Z")
What a cool actor he was! Here’s a mention of his passing on a [BBC website](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12107023). As an American, what strikes me most about the BBC piece, sad to say, is that the public comments are so civilized (and readable). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/13 "2011-01-03T17:31:39Z")
I just saw _The Town_. Unless he was heavily made up, he looked at least a decade older than 64. He looked near death, in fact. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was dying back then during the filming. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/14 "2011-01-03T17:42:58Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I just saw _The Town_. Unless he was heavily made up, he looked at least a decade older than 64. He looked near death, in fact. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was dying back then during the filming. That was my thought as well. He looked frail and hunched. He’ll be missed, a very talented, distinctive actor. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/15 "2011-01-03T18:10:34Z")
Fans of Chumbawamba are sad to day as well. (“I thought that music mattered!”) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/16 "2011-01-03T19:24:19Z")
They tried to hang 'im, once. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/17 "2011-01-03T20:00:02Z")
Sigh- He would have been my choice for Sam Vimes if they ever did a Watch centric live action Discworld. Brilliant actor, very sad. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/18 "2011-01-03T20:04:02Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > They tried to hang 'im, once. Ouch, testicular cancer. I must say I really dread that one. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/19 "2011-01-03T21:27:25Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Sigh- He would have been my choice for Sam Vimes if they ever did a Watch centric live action Discworld. > > Brilliant actor, very sad. I believe Sir Pterry had him in mind as the depiction of Sam Vimes. If you look at the illustrated _Where’s My Cow ?_ you’ll see a distinct resemblance. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217/20 "2011-01-03T21:29:04Z")
May he rest in peace. He had a wonderful small role in _James and the Giant Peach_ - definitely cast against type there. Worth a look, if you haven’t seen it already. I’ve already PM’d **Mr. Kobayashi**. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pete-postlethwaite-dies-aged-64/566217.md?page=2)