A Spectacle of Dust: The Autobiography

 

Steven Spielberg called him "the best actor in the world," about which Postlethwaite said: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'the thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'" This is the story of a diverse and multi-talented actor's eventful life, told in his own vibrant words as he was at the end of it. He covers his early years, when after training as a teacher, he started his acting career at the Liverpool Everyman Theatre with colleagues including Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, Antony Sher, and Julie Walters. After routine early appearances in small parts for television, his first success came with the acclaimed British film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He then received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Name of the Father in 1993. His performance as the mysterious lawyer "Kobayashi" in The Usual Suspects is well known, and he appeared in many successful films including Alien 3, Brassed Off, The Constant Gardener, The Shipping News, Romeo + Juliet, and Inception. A beloved and widely admired character actor tells his own story here.