Sitting right in front of me, Peter O'Toole pulls out a snazzy cigarette holder. I wonder if he's really going to smoke inside the theater. Yep. My eyes start watering, and I cover my mouth to hide a cough. Despite my allergies, I don't dare leave. I'm spellbound by the stories O'Toole relates during his tribute at the 2002 Telluride Film Festival.

From top to toe, he’s every inch the old-fashioned movie star in his light beige suit, pink and green tie, olive green socks, and tan loafers. A brown silk handkerchief peeks out of his coat pocket. Slender as ever, 70-year-old O’Toole looks like he could be blown away by even the slightest Lawrence of Arabia-type sandstorm. Leonard Maltin asks how he’s enjoying Telluride. "It’s wonderful – when I’m not fainting," quips this acclaimed actor who never won an Oscar but has been nominated seven times (Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Ruling Class, Stunt Man, My Favorite Year).

Reminiscing about his experience filming Lawrence of Arabia, O’Toole talks about being in a desert location for over sixteen months. "I had no idea this movie would take so long," he says. "And because I find acting very difficult, sitting on a camel when it’s 130 degrees in the shade doesn’t help. But we all knew the movie was special. It’s a beautiful film, a masterpiece."

O’Toole admits feeling in awe of the people he worked with in Lawrence of Arabia. "Alec Guinness, Claude Rains, Anthony Quinn – I felt like a young matador taking on these amazing bulls. But they were all helpful. I relied on Jack Hawkins a lot. He helped me relax. And Omar Sharif and I are still very close friends."

During his illustrious career, O’Toole has worked with many legendary stars and directors. Fortunately, he’s not shy about telling anecdotes or sharing his thoughts concerning some of his favorites. He playfully hints that Katharine Hepburn, his co-star in The Lion in Winter, is 107 years old now. "Kate is America’s greatest woman," he insists. "And she goes wobbling on."

About William Wyler, who directed him in How To Steal a Million, O’Toole recalls, "When one actor asked him how he should play a scene, Wyler replied, ‘How should I know? I’m a director, not an actor. Would you ask me how to play a trombone? You’re the actor, now act!’"

Audrey Hepburn, his co-star in the same film, was "delightful but troubled," O’Toole reports. "She had very little confidence in her own talent. I’m surprised at how many beautiful actresses seem to have such a low opinion of their abilities and appearance."

O’Toole claims Otto Preminger, afraid of being called a Nazi, was so depressed while directing Rosebud in Berlin that he refused to get out of his car. "He would roll down his window and yell ‘Action’ and ‘Cut.’"

How did O’Toole get the coveted role of filmmaker Eli Cross in Stunt Man? He confesses to giving the director an important message. "If I don’t play Eli, I’ll kill you. He believed me – and he was probably right."

When offered the part of legendary movie star (and boozer) Alan Swann in My Favorite Year, O’Toole declares he took it "just like that," snapping his fingers as if to prove a point. "It fit like a glove. I love physical comedy – but it’s very difficult to do," he says. "I remember the young man playing Benji had never been on a horse, and we had to film a scene on horseback. My advice to him was ‘If you’re falling off the horse, let go of me.’"

During his 50-year acting career, O’Toole has appeared in many stage productions in addition to his work in films. Irish-born but raised in Leeds, England, he made his stage debut at age 17. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and performed in several plays at the Old Vic. Regarding the difference between acting in film and in live theatre, O’Toole says, "I find no difference -- only I have to be louder on stage."

(This article is dedicated to my son, Peter O'Toole's number one fan.)