At 74, a 145;Globe146; trotter still

Lawrence of Arabia to pretty Venus, Peter O8217;Toole8217;s got plenty to play yet

Peter O8217;Toole8217;s recent Golden Globe nomination for best actor in Venus caps a brilliant acting career and strongly suggests an eighth Oscar nomination. But his re-emergence as a leading man 8212; at 74 8212; also sends a defiant message: there8217;s plenty of life in the old boy yet.

O8217;Toole legendarily caroused in the 1960s and 1970s with Omar Sharif his co-star in Lawrence of Arabia and the two naughty Richards 8212; Burton and Harris. That era of boozing when, as O8217;Toole once described it, 8220;one went for a beer in Paris and woke up in Corsica8221;, exacted its payment in 1974. Was it hard drinking or stomach cancer, or both, that led to surgery to remove parts of O8217;Toole8217;s stomach and intestines? Accounts differ. But the ravages of alcohol were clear in that haggard, if still lively, face forever more.

I watched his 8220;comeback8221; role in The Stunt Man 1980. O8217;Toole was terrific, and received the sixth of his seven Oscar nominations. I caught him on television the following year, when he played a Roman general in the mini-series Masada. And he was back again for 19828217;s My Favorite Year garnering his seventh nomination.

His best small turn came as the British tutor in 19878217;s The Last Emperor, in which he seemed to be a variation of Arthur Chipping, the schoolteacher he played in 19698217;s Goodbye, Mr Chipps.

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences contacted O8217;Toole about awarding him a lifetime Oscar, he asked if they would defer the prize until he was 80, since he was 8220;still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright8221;. They apparently talked him out of it. He gamely accepted the trophy in 2003.

His best performances to date: Lawrence of Arabia. Here, he8217;s the embodiment of beauty. In this epic drama, they portend military genius, moral ferment, and quite possibly madness.

Becket. As a feverishly exasperated King Henry II, O8217;Toole8217;s the one who yells the famous question: 8220;Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?8221; He8217;s talking about the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket, of course, played by his pubmate Richard Burton.

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How to Steal a Million. Enjoy two of the prettiest screen stars of all-time playing kissy-face: O8217;Toole and Audrey Hepburn.

The Night of the Generals. In this murder mystery set in World War II, O8217;Toole8217;s role as a deranged Nazi officer gives the actor full licence to twitch, stammer and reel.

The Lion in Winter. O8217;Toole is Henry II again 8212; scheming and squabbling with his headstrong wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, played by Katharine Hepburn.

The Ruling Class. O8217;Toole8217;s the 14th Earl of Gurney, a demented Englishman who believes he8217;s Jesus. How does he know, one woman asks. 8220;Simple,8221; replies the Earl. 8220;When I pray to Him, I find I am talking to myself.8221;

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So to Venus. Watch O8217;Toole play an over-the-hill stage actor who falls in love with a teenage girl, and see why he will give Oscar front-runner Forest Whitaker Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland a run for his money. And you8217;ll also see why this fan has learned to give up the death watch and simply enjoy a great performer and survivor.

8212;Desson Thomson / LATWP