Pete Postlethwaite, a British actor whose career ranged from small U.K. films to big-budget Hollywood productions, as well as numerous stage and television, died January 2, 2011, in Shrewsbury, England. He was 64.

According to news reports, the cause was pancreatic cancer.

Born February 7, 1946, in Warrington, England, Postlethwaite trained as a teacher and taught drama before studying at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

He performed at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool as well as the Royal Shakespeare Company. He also found work in British television, including such productions as The Muscle Market and The Professionals.

His first noteworthy film role came in the 1988 release Distant Voices, Still Lives. He earned an Academy Award nomination for the 1993 film In the Name of the Father and also appared in The Usual Suspects, Alien 3, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, The Shipping News and Romeo + Juliet.

Later television work included the Canadian production Zixx: Level One, the acclaimed British series Sharpe, in which he starred opposite Sean Bean, and the miniseries The Sins and Criminal Justice.

His final credits included the films The Town, Inception and Killing Bono.

In 2004 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and received an honorary degree from Liverpool University.

He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.