oscar for lifetime achievement. >> i suppose fighting for love makes more sense. >> reporter: o'toole returned to the desert sands where his career began with 2004's "troy." and in 2006's "venus" his portrayal of an out of work actor who becomes obsessed with a younger woman earned him his eighth best actor nominations and cemented his status as a length end dear performer. >> in terms of people who have gone, i've lost a few, and i mess them dreadfully but they're not here. >> reporter: we often talk about hollywood friendships. he said in an interview in 2007 the actor he most enjoyed working with, katherine hepburn and they became lifelong friends. >> imagine being at a cocktail party with those two, the stories they could tell. >> you made a point looking back at his career, the choices, the