Peter O'Toole dies after legendary acting career

One of the most charismatic actors of the 20th and early 21st centuries, Peter O'Toole, has died at the age of 81 in a London hospital.

He's best known for his leading role in Lawrence of Arabia in 1962,

Over the course of his career, the blue-eyed thespian was nominated eight times for an Academy Award, but never won for an individual performance.

However, he did receive an honourary Oscar in 2003.

O'Toole, a legendary drinker in his younger days, was reportedly born in Ireland and raised in Leeds, England.

After swearing off booze and undergoing treatment, he came back with one of his most memorable roles in The Stunt Man in 1980.

According to his IMDb profile, he had 94 credits as an actor.

In 2004, the then-72-year-old O'Toole expressed to the Georgia Straight how joyful he felt about working with young people.

"For me, it's my huge, big turn-on," he revealed. "I grab energy from them. I grab their freshness; I grab what's going on in the world. They spark me and then I spark them."

It came during an interview about the film Troy, in which he costarred with Brad Pitt, who offered his own praise in return.

"I can't even begin to describe what a lovely, lovely, hilarious man he is," Pitt said at the time. "Very eloquent. I went to meet him at four in the afternoon. We were just going to hang out for a couple of hours. And I had to leave at 4 a.m. I was too tired. He was still going."