British actor Pete Postlethwaite died last week at the age of 64 after a lengthy battle with cancer, but unless you're a die-hard movie buff, the name may not have registered with you.

 The truth is, his name wasn't a household word like many of the mega stars in today's film universe but, in fact, he did have a noteworthy connection to Nova Scotia and the South Shore.

 I first had the pleasure of meeting the distinguished, Academy Award-nominated actor in the fall of 1999 when he was in Halifax to promote "The Divine Ryans," a movie set in Newfoundland but produced by the Nova Scotia company IMX Communications. The film was part of the Atlantic Film Festival's lineup that year and was a huge success.

 He would return to Nova Scotia twice more. In 2001, he was in the province to film scenes for "The Shipping News," another Newfoundland-based story partly shot in our region. In 2003, he happily came back for the television miniseries "Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion" with many scenes being filmed in Lunenburg and he told me he loved working here.

 "What's not to like?" he once quipped during an informal chat. "It's beautiful here and the local people are among the most friendliest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with. I'd love to come back here as many times as possible. Next to home, it's the best place in the world."

 But even though Pete, as he insisted he be called, may not be as well-known as other high-profile actors who command multi-million-dollar paycheques, he was once described by legendary director Steven Spielberg as "being the best actor in the world." You can't get much better praise than that.

 In response, the self-deprecating actor reportedly joked, "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'The thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'"

 I'm sure he was humbled by such praise. The rather small-featured man with the distinguished, rugged-looking face and broad grin didn't strike me as someone who lived to receive accolades but instead worked as an actor because he loved it. Pete starred for Spielberg in two films - "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "Amistad."

 During our earlier interview, I remember Pete saying that, despite Spielberg's power and clout as one of the top directors in the movie business, he found him to be one of the most easygoing filmmakers he had ever had the pleasure of working with.

 "I found him very accommodating as a director," he said. "Kind and understanding. He was not at all as domineering as one would think a filmmaker of his reputation would be like. ... He was very friendly and easygoing. He didn't get in the way of the actors or the story."

 Just last year, Pete was seen, albeit briefly, in the mega-blockbuster, mind-bending "Inception," and the critically acclaimed "The Town," for which his performance has earned some Oscar buzz, especially following his recent death. He was also in the box-office hit but critically panned "Clash of the Titans," making him a busy man, but he said during one of our chats that he liked being busy.

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 "I don't choose my projects because I think they're going to be a big hit. I choose a project because it sounds intriguing and because there's an interesting part in it for me. If an actor isn't working, then what's he going to do?" he joked in our 1999 interview.

 It was that kind of unpretentious humour that I appreciated and respected about Pete and I always looked forward to seeing him on the screen. I had many opportunities to do that over the years because, as a great character actor, Pete was in high demand by casting directors and producers. He had remained busy appearing in a long list of movie and television projects including the films "The Omen," "Dark Water," "The Constant Gardener," "Brassed Off," "Dragonheart," "The Usual Suspects" and "Alien 3," his first major Hollywood project.

 These are just a few of Pete's credits but I'm sure many of them are familiar titles to anyone who appreciates and enjoys movies.

 He had a powerful presence and authenticity on screen and on stage. It was a subtle talent, hard to define, marked by an ability to completely inhabit a role, to convey a deep sense of burden with a glance or a shrug, but he was not at all the typical star.

 Unlike many of his contemporaries who remain aloof and guarded, as the movie business sometimes dictates, Pete took the time to chat and ask questions and even exchange letters, which was actually kind of neat, but I think that simple act alone conveys his true character. Perhaps it was because he never really considered himself to be a star that allowed him to remain in touch with his human side, but whatever it was he certainly was a likeable gentleman, one of those characters I've been blessed to meet over the years.

 E-mail me: editorial@southshorenow.ca

posted on 01/11/11