---
name: "Pete Postlethwaite"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/pete-postlethwaite"
fi1m_id: "pete-postlethwaite"
imdb_id: "nm0000592"
tmdb_id: 4935
wikidata_id: "Q217137"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "7 February 1946"
died: "2 January 2011"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 15
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 15
updated: "2026-10-07T14:54:37.289556+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Pete Postlethwaite

## Identity

Pete Postlethwaite

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/pete-postlethwaite
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** pete-postlethwaite
- **IMDb ID:** nm0000592
- **TMDB ID:** 4935
- **Wikidata ID:** Q217137
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Postlethwaite, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q217137, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000592/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4935

Actor. Born 7 February 1946 in Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK. Died 2 January 2011.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 7 February 1946, Warrington, Cheshire, England, UK
- **Died:** 2 January 2011
- **Active:** 1988–2010
- **Also known as:** Peter William Postlethwaite, Peter Postlethwaite
- **Frequently works with:** [Basil Iwanyk](https://film.one/person/basil-iwanyk.md), [Colin Wilson](https://film.one/person/colin-wilson.md), [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://film.one/person/daniel-day-lewis.md), [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://film.one/person/leonardo-dicaprio.md), [Steven Spielberg](https://film.one/person/steven-spielberg.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 15 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 90 (1), 1990s 75 (9), 2000s 84 (2), 2010s 67 (3)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 74 to 68 across 14 titles
- **Score spread:** 8 at 80+, 6 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 13 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 11, Action 4, Adventure 3, Crime 3, History 3, Science Fiction 3
- **Screen time:** 28 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,727m across 14 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Postlethwaite, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q217137, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000592/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/4935

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Distant Voices, Still Lives*](https://film.one/film/distant-voices-still-lives.md) (90), [*Inception*](https://film.one/film/inception.md) (80)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Usual Suspects*](https://film.one/film/the-usual-suspects.md) (82), [*The Town*](https://film.one/film/the-town.md) (77)
- **Tubi:** [*Criminal Justice*](https://film.one/tv/criminal-justice.md) (85)
- **Disney+:** [*Romeo + Juliet*](https://film.one/film/romeo-juliet.md) (82)
- **AMC+:** [*The Lost World: Jurassic Park*](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Pete Postlethwaite

> Pete Postlethwaite made stubborn men worth listening to, even when they were asking too much. We value the precision that keeps his bandleader difficult and makes Shakespeare clear without stopping the film to explain it.

In *Brassed Off* (1996), Danny keeps insisting that the band matters while the players face losing their livelihoods. Pete Postlethwaite lets him be unreasonable rather than softening him into a lovable enthusiast. We were moved by his insistence that the music deserved attention when there was so much else to fear. He makes us understand why Danny needs the band to survive without asking us to agree with his priorities, and the performance allows us to feel affection for someone who can be difficult company.

That difficult authority had already been central to his breakthrough in Terence Davies’s *Distant Voices, Still Lives* (1988), where he played a father capable of tenderness as well as intimidation. The move into Hollywood came with *Alien³* (1992), followed by Giuseppe Conlon in *In the Name of the Father* (1993). Supporting parts in British and international films became the main screen pattern, extending to Maurice Fischer in Christopher Nolan’s *Inception* (2010).

His Father Laurence in Baz Luhrmann’s *Romeo + Juliet* (1996) makes Shakespeare clear without sounding as though he has stopped to teach it. Luhrmann’s romance is moving, but its noisy interruptions and hurried delivery make Postlethwaite’s clarity especially welcome. Leonardo DiCaprio can communicate a feeling more securely than the full thought inside a speech, and Postlethwaite makes that limitation easier to hear. The language needs time to register, but he never makes attending to it feel like a delay.

*The Usual Suspects* (1995), with Postlethwaite as Kobayashi, is another film we recommend, though its people can feel thinner than its mystery. It is worth resisting the temptation to credit a dependable supporting actor with everything that works around him. Nor can he fix the awkward changes of tone in Mark Herman’s *Brassed Off*, or its script’s habit of telling us how to feel. Start with that film, and allow Danny to irritate you before deciding how much you like him.

## Biography

Pete Postlethwaite was an English character actor. Born Peter William Postlethwaite in Warrington in 1946, he trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and began his career on stage, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His first major film role came in *Distant Voices, Still Lives* (1988).

He gained international recognition for his performance as Giuseppe Conlon in *In the Name of the Father* (1993), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other notable film roles include Captain Beams in *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Mr Kobayashi in *The Usual Suspects* (1995), and appearances in *Alien 3* (1992), *Romeo + Juliet* (1996), *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997) and *Inception* (2010). On television he played Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill in the *Sharpe* series.

Postlethwaite was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004. He died in Shrewsbury in 2011.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (15)

- *Clash of the Titans* (2010), Fi1m 43, as Spyros — [page](https://film.one/film/clash-of-the-titans-2010.md)
- *Inception* (2010), Fi1m 80, as Maurice Fischer — [page](https://film.one/film/inception.md)
- *The Town* (2010), Fi1m 77, as Fergus "Fergie" Colm — [page](https://film.one/film/the-town.md)
- *Criminal Justice* (2008), Fi1m 85, as Hooch — [page](https://film.one/tv/criminal-justice.md)
- *The Constant Gardener* (2005), Fi1m 82, as Lorbeer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-constant-gardener.md)
- *Amistad* (1997), Fi1m 63, as Holabird — [page](https://film.one/film/amistad.md)
- *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997), Fi1m 64, as Roland Tembo — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md)
- *Brassed Off* (1996), Fi1m 79, as Danny — [page](https://film.one/film/brassed-off.md)
- *Romeo + Juliet* (1996), Fi1m 82, as Father Laurence — [page](https://film.one/film/romeo-juliet.md)
- *The Usual Suspects* (1995), Fi1m 82, as Kobayashi — [page](https://film.one/film/the-usual-suspects.md)
- *In the Name of the Father* (1993), Fi1m 83, as Giuseppe Conlon — [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-name-of-the-father.md)
- *Alien³* (1992), Fi1m 62, as David — [page](https://film.one/film/alien3.md)
- *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), Fi1m 84, as Captain Beams — [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md)
- *Hamlet* (1990), Fi1m 72, as Player King — [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet-1990.md)
- *Distant Voices, Still Lives* (1988), Fi1m 90, as Father — [page](https://film.one/film/distant-voices-still-lives.md)

## Complete filmography (107)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Killing Bono* (2011), as Karl
- *The Town* (2010), as Fergus "Fergie" Colm — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/the-town.md)
- *Inception* (2010), as Maurice Fischer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/inception.md)
- *Clash of the Titans* (2010), as Spyros — Fi1m 43, [page](https://film.one/film/clash-of-the-titans-2010.md)
- *Solomon Kane* (2009), as William Crowthorn
- *The Age of Stupid* (2009), as The Archivist
- *Clough: The Brian Clough Story* (2009), as Narrator
- *Waving at Trains* (2009), as Douglas Warren
- *Player* (2008), as Colin
- *Criminal Justice* (2008), series, as Hooch — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/tv/criminal-justice.md)
- *Closing the Ring* (2007), as Quinlan
- *Ghost Son* (2007), as Doc
- *The Omen* (2006), as Father Brennan
- *Valley of the Heart's Delight* (2006), as Albion Munson
- *Æon Flux* (2005), as Keeper
- *The Constant Gardener* (2005), as Lorbeer — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-constant-gardener.md)
- *Dark Water* (2005), as Veeck
- *Red Mercury* (2005), as Gold Commander
- *The Limit* (2004), as Gale
- *Strange Bedfellows* (2004), as Russell McKenzie (taxman)
- *Wilde Stories: The Nightingale and the Rose* (2003), as Arthur (voice)
- *Thora Hird Tribute* (2003), as Deric Longden (archive footage, uncredited)
- *Cowboy Up* (2002), as Reid Braxton
- *Between Strangers* (2002), as John
- *Triggermen* (2002), as Ben Cutler
- *The Shipping News* (2001), as Tert Card
- *Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings* (2000), as Various Characters
- *The Sins* (2000), series, as Len Green
- *Rat* (2000), as Hubert Flynn
- *When the Sky Falls* (2000), as Martin Shaughnessy
- *Animal Farm* (1999), as Benjamin (voice) / Farmer Jones
- *Wayward Son* (1999), as Ben Alexander
- *Butterfly Collectors* (1999), series, as DI John McKeown
- *Alice in Wonderland* (1999), as Carpenter
- *Lost for Words* (1999), as Deric Longden
- *The Divine Ryans* (1999), as Uncle Reg Ryan
- *Among Giants* (1998), as Ray
- *Amistad* (1997), as Holabird — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/film/amistad.md)
- *Brute* (1997), as Sincai
- *Sharpe: The Legend* (1997), as Hakeswill
- *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997), as Roland Tembo — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-lost-world-jurassic-park.md)
- *The Serpent's Kiss* (1997), as Thomas Smith
- *Romeo + Juliet* (1996), as Father Laurence — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/romeo-juliet.md)
- *Brassed Off* (1996), as Danny — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/brassed-off.md)
- *Crimetime* (1996), as Sidney
- *DragonHeart* (1996), as Gilbert
- *James and the Giant Peach* (1996), as The Magic Man
- *When Saturday Comes* (1996), as Ken Jackson
- *TFI Friday* (1996), series, Actor
- *The Usual Suspects* (1995), as Kobayashi — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/the-usual-suspects.md)
- *Suite 16* (1994), as Glover
- *Martin Chuzzlewit* (1994), series, as Montague Tigg
- *Sharpe's Enemy* (1994), as Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill
- *Sharpe's Company* (1994), as Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill
- *Sin Bin* (1994), as Mitch
- *Pie in the Sky* (1994), series, as Kevin Tasker
- *In the Name of the Father* (1993), as Giuseppe Conlon — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/in-the-name-of-the-father.md)
- *Anchoress* (1993), as William Carpenter
- *Sharpe* (1993), series, as Obadiah Hakeswill
- *Shakespeare: The Animated Tales* (1992), series, as Quince (voice)
- *Between the Lines* (1992), series, as Ch. Supt. Jameson
- *The Last of the Mohicans* (1992), as Captain Beams — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/the-last-of-the-mohicans.md)
- *Waterland* (1992), as Henry Crick
- *Alien³* (1992), as David — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/alien3.md)
- *Split Second* (1992), as Paulsen
- *A Midsummer Night's Dream* (1992), as Quince (voice)
- *The Grass Arena* (1992), as The Dipper
- *They Never Slept* (1991), as Panter
- *Hamlet* (1990), as Player King — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/hamlet-1990.md)
- *A Box of Swan* (1990), as Tony
- *Kingdom Come* (1990), as Keef
- *Needle* (1990), as Paula's Father
- *Debut on Two* (1990), series, as Keef, Tony
- *Treasure Island* (1990), as George Merry
- *El C.I.D.* (1990), series, as Vince
- *Zorro* (1990), series, as Bandit
- *Tales of Sherwood Forest* (1989), series, as Eric
- *The Dressmaker* (1988), as Jack
- *Distant Voices, Still Lives* (1988), as Father — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/film/distant-voices-still-lives.md)
- *Number 27* (1988), as Becket
- *To Kill a Priest* (1988), as Josef
- *Tumbledown* (1988), as Major (Rehabilitation Centre)
- *Coast to Coast* (1987), as Kecks McGuinness
- *Casualty* (1986), series, as Ralph Peters, Hank — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/casualty.md)
- *ScreenPlay* (1986), series, as Paula's Father
- *Lovejoy* (1986), series, as Terence Sullivan
- *A Crack in the Ice* (1985), as Painter
- *Cyrano de Bergerac* (1985), as Ragueneau
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, as Panter, Kecks McGuinness, The Dipper, Mitch
- *A Private Function* (1984), as Nuttol
- *Mitch* (1984), series, as Jack Frost
- *Fords on Water* (1983), as Winston's Boss
- *Strike: The Birth of Solidarity* (1981), as Ireneusz Lesniak
- *The Muscle Market* (1981), as Danny Duggan
- *Minder* (1979), series, as Jack Wragg, Logie — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/minder.md)
- *Afternoon Off* (1979), as Attendant in Art Gallery
- *Doris and Doreen* (1978), as Mr. Lomax
- *Going Straight* (1978), series, as Thomas Clifford Crowther
- *The Duellists* (1977), as Orderly shaving Gen. Treillard
- *Plays for Britain* (1976), series, as Soldier
- *The Paradise Run* (1976), as Soldier
- *Occupy!* (1976), as Player in Everyman Theatre Company, Liverpool
- *Thwum* (1975), as Duffy
- *The Racer* (1975), as Ecco
- *Second City Firsts* (1973), series, as Duffy
- *Last of the Summer Wine* (1973), series, as Man in Cafe
- *Play for Today* (1970), series, as Danny Duggan

## Gallery

- ![Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe Conlon in In the Name of the Father (1993)](https://film.one/media/title/4190/still-414b6f5de2d8.jpg) Pete Postlethwaite as Giuseppe Conlon in *In the Name of the Father* (1993) — Image via TMDB
- ![Pete Postlethwaite as Danny in Brassed Off (1996)](https://film.one/media/title/1798/still-6eea2495ded2.jpg) Pete Postlethwaite as Danny in *Brassed Off* (1996) — Image via TMDB
- ![British actor Pete Postlethwaite, speaking at the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, opposing the G8 summit (2004)](https://film.one/media/person/81613/gallery-753e21e8eda7.jpg) British actor Pete Postlethwaite, speaking at the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, opposing the G8 summit (2004) — Dave Morris, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Pete_Postlethwaite_%28uncropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Pete Postlethwaite](https://film.one/media/person/81613/gallery-05eec6676fc2.jpg) Pete Postlethwaite — Dave Morris from Edinburgh, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Pete_Postlethwaite.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Pete Postlethwaite](https://film.one/media/person/81613/gallery-976b01a2c077.jpg) Pete Postlethwaite — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1994: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *In the Name of the Father*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Officer of the Order of the British Empire 2004: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/pete-postlethwaite