HUDDERSFIELD writer Deric Longden last night led tributes to actor Pete Postlethwaite, who died suddenly.
The pair had met and worked together in 1998, when Postlethwaite famously played Longden in the award-winning Lost For Words.
The drama was written by Longden about his eccentric mother, who was played by Thora Hird, and won TV awards.
Mr Postlethwaite, 64, died after a long fight with cancer, passing away in hospital in Shropshire. He was 64.
Mr Postlethwaite, who was made an OBE in 2004, was once described by director Steven Spielberg as “probably the best actor in the world today”.
In response, Mr Postlethwaite, who worked with him on The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad, joked: “I’m sure what Spielberg actually said was, ‘the thing about Pete is that he thinks he’s the best actor in the world’.”
Mr Postlethwaite’s films included In The Name Of The Father, Brassed Off, The Usual Suspects, The Shipping News, Inception and Romeo & Juliet.
Mr Longden said: “It’s a sad business. I have a poster from Lost for Words in my home, with both Pete and Thora on it, and now both have gone.
“We spent a lot of time together working on Lost for Words and afterwards, we would speak on the phone regularly.
“He was a lovely man as well as a talented actor. He got on with everybody – the cast, the crew and the caterers. I think he captured my character perfectly.
“He was a good, good man”.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqui, his son Will, 21, and daughter, Lily, 14.
