Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite was born Feb. 7, 1946, in Warrington, England, with a roughly hewn face that few would predict would find success on the stage. But those wide, prominent cheekbones, ponderous ears, and Durante-worthy probiscus—combined with sharp glistening eyes and a sinewy, breathy voice—helped him become one of the most recognizable and popular English screen actors of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

He won an Oscar nomination for his work in the 1993 Daniel Day-Lewis film "In the Name of the Father," was Friar Lawrence in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," and played the critical, enigmatic role of Kobayashi in "The Usual Suspects." Steven Spielberg, who called him "probably the best actor in the world," used him in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Amistad."

In 1984, he performed on Broadway in Cyrano de Bergerac as Ragueneau.

Source: Playbill.com