I only just heard that the Lancashire-born actor Pete Postlethwaite died on the 2nd January, due to testicular cancer.
Every time we do one of these obituaries there's a sad feeling that someone really great has gone from the world. Postlethwaite was a very good actor - one of those who seemed to be content with bit parts in international movies like The Usual Suspects, Alien 3, Jurassic Park 2 and Inception (and he was great in Romeo + Juliet) because he had already starred in Brassed Off. And once you've starred in Brassed Off, that's pretty much it. You've got acting covered.
Here's a clip of the man in action.
