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Born in Warrington, Cheshire, England. Stage-trained English actor of film and TV who once taught at a Catholic girls' convent school and made his most indelible cinematic impression as the brutal father in DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (1988), Terence Davies' powerful slice of post-war working-class life in Liverpool, England. Though a small, gaunt, and rather frail man, he terrorizes his family with his unpredictable rages and surprises them with occasional tenderness. This performance garnered Postlethwaite acclaim from an international audience and boosted his film career. He was already a veteran of the English theater, having acted in repertory at the Manchester Royal Exchange, the Bristol Old Vic and the Liverpool Everyman. He was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company until 1987. Postlethwaite's previous roles included a part as the butcher in the comedy A PRIVATE FUNCTION (1985). He also appeared in a number of British TV productions for BBC, Thames, and Granada TV. In the US he appeared in a made-for-cable production of TREASURE ISLAND (1990) (TNT). He followed up DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES (1988) with a role in TO KILL A PRIEST (1988), an international co-production helmed by Agnieszka Holland. This was followed by an appearance as The Player King in Franco Zeffirelli's HAMLET (1990). This accomplished character player shone in the powerful supporting role of Guiseppe Conlon in IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER (1993). As the father of Daniel Day-Lewis' Gerry Conlon -- falsely accused of being the ringleader of a group of supposed IRA terrorists -- Postlethwaite brought a quiet sense of strength to a peaceful man who stands in dignified counterpoint to an IRA leader. The portrayal gained him an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was part of the shoadowy mix in THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995) in the role Mr. Kobayashi, the mysterious representative of Keyser Soze. Other notable credits include ALIEN3 and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (both 1992), JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH, ROMEO + JULIET and DRAGONHEART (all 1996), THE SERPENT'S KISS, THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK and AMISTAD (all 1997), AMONG GIANTS (1998), WAYWARD SON and THE DIVINE RYANS (both 1999), WHEN THE SKY FALLS and RAT (both 2000), COWBOY UP and THE SHIPPING NEWS (both 2001), TRIGGERMEN and BETWEEN STRANGERS (both 2002), THE LIMIT (2003), STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (2004), RED MERCURY, DARK WATER, THE CONSTANT GARDENER and ÆON FLUX (all 2005), GHOST SON, VALLEY OF THE HEART'S DELIGHT and THE OMEN (all 2006), CLOSING THE RING (2007), and SOLOMON KANE and THE BONNY BOYS (both scheduled for 2007). Postlethwaite was appointed an Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) in the 2004 New Year's Honours List by Queen Elizabeth II. He lives on a farm in Minton, near Church Stretton in Shropshire, England.  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role 1993: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER 1 nomination