“He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior. He was also the most shameless exhibitionist since Barnum & Bailey.”
Marlon Brando had signed for the role of Lawrence in 1960 but dropped out so he could play Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty. Anthony Perkins was briefly considered, but director David Lean next wanted Albert Finney and spent time with him preparing for the role until he also dropped out– to shoot Tom Jones. Getting top actors to commit to a two year production was difficult. Alec Guinness wanted to play Lawrence, but Lean thought he was too old. Laurence Olivier was his first choice for Prince Feisal, so after he turned it down Guinness was given that role. It was Katherine Hepburn who urged the film’s producer, Sam Spiegel to cast Peter O’Toole – a highly respected stage actor, but unknown in the movies. Cary Grant was Spiegel’s first choice for General Allenby, but Lean pushed to cast Jack Hawkins based on his work for him on The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The role of Sherif Ali (played by Omar Sharif ) was intended for Horst Buchholz, but he was commited to Billy Wilder’s film: One, Two, Three. Second choice, Alain Delon screen tested successfully but couldn’t wear the brown contact lenses required for the role. King Hussein of Jordan loaned an entire brigade of his Arab Legion as extras. The King frequently visited the sets where he met and fell in love with a young British secretary, Antoinette Gardiner, who became his second wife in 1962. Their oldest son, Abdullah II, became King of Jordan in 1999. Peter O’Toole claims he never viewed the completed film until nearly two decades after its release.
