Tom Courtenay — British Actor born on February 25, 1937,

Sir Thomas Daniel "Tom" Courtenay is an English actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films, including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, and Doctor Zhivago. Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre, although he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in the film adaptation of The Dresser, which he had performed on the West End and on Broadway. Courtenay received a knighthood in February 2001 for forty years' service to cinema and theatre... (wikipedia)

I don't want to peak too early. The worry is that you never know until it's all over whether you peaked at all - and then you're finished and it's too late.
I never did anything about my stardom, it never meant anything to me.
The film business is absurd. Stars don't last very long. It's much more interesting to be a proper actor.
There just doesn't seem to be a market for something with aspiration anymore.