You would have thought eight Academy Award nominations without a victory - the most in history without a success - would encourage you to accept any honour offered to you, but that was not the case for Irish actor Peter O'Toole. Best-known for his lead role in Lawrence of Arabia, as well as his appearances in Becket and The Stunt Man, Sunderland fan O'Toole rejected the chance to become a "sir" in 1987. Although never confirmed, it is believed O'Toole - who campaigned heavily against the British involvement in the Korean War and then against the Vietnam War - cited both personal and political reasons for his decision to decline a knighthood.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
