Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

‘One of the giants of film and theatre’ Irish president leads tributes to Peter O’Toole

Politicians and actors have been paying tribute to Peter O'Toole.
Politicians and actors have been paying tribute to Peter O'Toole.

Politicians and actors have paid tribute to renowned actor Peter O’Toole, describing him as wild, generous, and an acting legend.

Ireland’s president has led the condolences for the Lawrence of Arabia star, who died on Saturday, aged 81, following a long illness.

Michael D Higgins said he “heard with great sadness” about his friend O’Toole’s death.

“Ireland and the world has lost one of the giants of film and theatre,” he said.

“In a long list of leading roles on stage and in film, Peter brought an extraordinary standard to bear as an actor. He had a deep interest in literature and a love of Shakespearean sonnets in particular.”

Mr Higgins offered his condolences to O’Toole’s family and said he would miss his “warm humour and generous friendship”.

“He was unsurpassed for the grace he brought to every performance on and off the stage,” Mr Higgins said.

Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “My thoughts are with Peter O’Toole’s family and friends. His performance in my favourite film, Lawrence of Arabia, was stunning.”

Tributes also poured in from Hollywood and the acting community.

Golden Globe-winning American actor Michael Chiklis posted: “RIP Peter O’Toole.

“Original, hard drinking, classic, actor’s actor. The piercing blue eyes of Lawrence Of Arabia will never fade.”

British actor Stephen Fry added: “Oh what terrible news. Farewell Peter O’Toole. I had the honour of directing him in a scene. Monster, scholar, lover of life, genius…”

American director Paul Feig, of Bridesmaids fame, wrote on Twitter: “Just heard that Peter O’Toole has died.

“RIP, sir. You were a hilarious, talented, wild and exciting class act. We need more like him.”

TV personality Piers Morgan remembered spending a day at the cricket with him.

“RIP Peter O’Toole,” he posted on Twitter.

“Spent one of the funniest days of my life with him at Lord’s a few years ago. A brilliant actor & crazy, hilarious man.”

Actress Sheridan Smith tweeted: “So sad about the death of the incredible Peter O Toole 🙁 He saw a play I did last year & sent me & all the cast presents after. A true gent!”

Prime Minister David Cameron said his thoughts were with O’Toole’s family and friends.

“His performance in my favourite film, Lawrence of Arabia, was stunning,” he said.

Irish actor Jason O’Mara described O’Toole as “an acting legend and a hell raiser”.

“His last act of defiance was living to see 81, but the work will live on forever. RIP Peter O’Toole,” he said.

Comedian David Walliams recalled when he and acting partner Matt Lucas had drinks with O’Toole in Los Angeles.

“He was hugely entertaining,” he said.

“The greatest company. A legend on screen and off.”