Brilliant Character Actor Pete Postlethwaite Dead at 64

Rest in peace, sir.

You may have known him as “that guy,” or “Kobayashi,” or “Father Laurence,” but you almost certainly recognize his face. Pete Postlethwaite, whose rugged features and bright, preternaturally piercing eyes made his face unforgettable, has died at 64 after a long battle with cancer. The prolific actor made three films last year (including potential Oscar nominees The Town and Inception) and will have one postmortem release in 2011.

Postlethwaite in Romeo + Juliet.

Postlethwaite had many memorable roles, not least among them as the dangerous lawyer Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects, and the poison-shilling priest in Baz Luhrmann’s hypnotic William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. He gave depth to what could have been a cookie-cutter mob boss in 2010’s The Town, life to a dying father in Inception. The man played some incredible roles, and those close to him have nothing but good things to say.

The actor in yet another role obsessed with flowers: Fergie Colm in The Town.

Postlethwaite will be missed by all who knew him, and by all who have loved British and American movies in the last thirty-five years.

There are so many to choose from: What is your favorite Postlethwaite role?

Yahoo! News: Oscar-nominated star Pete Postlethwaite dies at 64.

Julia Rhodes

Julia Rhodes graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Communication and Culture. She’s always been passionate about movies and media, and is particularly fond of horror and feminist film theory, but has a soft spot for teen romances and black comedies. She also loves animals and vegetarian cooking; who says horror geeks aren’t compassionate and gentle? Bank Routing Numbers