ACTOR Peter O'Toole picked up his eighth Oscar nomination - and his first in 24 years - for his role a film starring a Huddersfield actress.

His nomination at the age of 74 has come for his performance as an ageing actor who falls for a young woman in the film Venus.

And reviews of the movie praise the performance of Huddersfield actress Jodie Whittaker, with one saying she is "scintillating".

O'Toole nearly did not accept his honorary Oscar in 2003 on the grounds that he was "still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright".

He had a change of heart and on the night declared himself "honoured and delighted".

But O'Toole is still hoping for a win - this is his eighth best actor nomination.

"To be considered is okay, but it's not enough: it's winning the bloody thing that matters.

"So if I win the bugger, great. If I don't, then I shall not lurch around in agony and despair."

His first nomination was for his most famous role, in the 1962 classic Lawrence of Arabia.

There followed nominations for Becket (1965), The Lion In Winter (1969), Goodbye, Mr Chips (1970), The Ruling Class (1973), The Stunt Man (1981) and My Favourite Year (1983).

Lawrence of Arabia was one of his first film roles and earned him worldwide acclaim.

O'Toole was known as a hellraiser until a bout of pancreatitis brought on by heavy drinking put him in hospital in 1975.

Jodie Whittaker loved her work with O'Toole.

The former Shelley College and Huddersfield Technical College student said: "He's an amazing man and he absolutely deserves all the praise he has been getting.

"He is just a genius and I learned so much from him."

DAME Helen Mirren leads a surprisingly strong British contingent for this year's Oscar nominations.

She is favourite to land the best actress award for her role in The Queen.

Britons dominate the category - there are also nominations for Dame Judi Dench in Notes On A Scandal and Kate Winslet in Little Children.

The Queen is a contender for best film alongside Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima and Little Miss Sunshine.

And there are two British nominees for best director - Stephen Frears for The Queen and Paul Greengrass for United 93.

Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen is nominated for best adapted screenplay.