As Hollywood mourns the loss of one of it's greatest actors, Peter O'Toole, INSIDE EDITION is learning more about his hard partying past that took a toll on his health.
Cinematic legend Peter O'Toole reveled in his role as a drunkard, on and off-screen.
The hard-drinking O'Toole was a true party animal. In the 1970's he was diagnosed with an abdominal malignancy. He was told he didn't have long to live. But he beat the odds, undergoing surgery to remove his pancreas and part of his stomach. O'Toole gave up the bottle and lived to the age of 81.
Addiction specialist Dr. Charles Sophy told INSIDE EDITION, "I commend him for the hard work it takes to get to that place and to be sober."
The handsome blue-eyed actor became an overnight star when Lawrence of Arabia hit the silver screen in 1962. However, the ravages of his drunken excesses took a toll.
Dr. Sophy said, "Despite the fact that Peter O'Toole did stop, and I think it is a wonderful thing that he did, he still had the aftermath. The longer you use alcohol, the longer and more deadly that aftermath could be."
Many remember him best for his unforgettable role as a boozy actor in the 1982 classic, My Favorite Year, in which he famously declares: "I’m not an actor, I’m a movie star!"
In recent years his craggy face was a virtual road map of his youthful excesses.
