A Spectacle of Dust: The Autobiography

Pete Postlethwaite

Jul 2011 · Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Philip Jackson

About this audiobook

After training as a teacher, Pete Postlethwaite started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre where his colleagues included Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher and Julie Walters. After routine early appearances in small parts for television programmes such as THE PROFESSIONALS, Postlethwaite's first success came with the acclaimed British film DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES in 1988. He then received an Academy Award nomination for his role in THE NAME OF THE FATHER in 1993. His performance as the mysterious lawyer "Kobayashi" in THE USUAL SUSPECTS is well-known, and he appeared in many successful films including ALIEN 3, BRASSED OFF, THE SHIPPING NEWS, THE CONSTANT GARDENER, as Friar Lawrence in Baz Luhrmann's ROMEO + JULIET, and in INCEPTION with Leonardo diCaprio.

Pete Postlethwaite was one of the best-loved and widely admired performers on stage, TV (SHARPE, THE SINS) and in cinema. In THE ART OF DISCWORLD, Terry Pratchett said that he had always imagined Sam Vimes as 'a younger, slightly bulkier version of Pete Postlethwaite', while Steven Spielberg called him 'the best actor in the world', about which Postlethwaite said: 'I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, "the thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world."' This is the story of a diverse and multi-talented actor's eventful life, told in his own candid and vibrant words.

Read by Philip Jackson (BRASSED OFF), with an introduction by Sean Bean.

(p) 2011 Orion Publishing Group

About the author

Pete Postlethwaite was born in Warrington in 1945. At the age of 24 he trained at the Bristol Old Vic, beginning a distinguished career on stage and screen. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance as Giuseppe Conlon in The Name of the Father (1993), and became one of Hollywood's A-list stars through his leading role in Jurassic Park: The Lost World. He was made an OBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours List, and was well known for his support of libertarian politics. He died in January 2011, aged 64.