Meticulously directed by David Lean at a then-record studio cost of $13 million, the Sam Spiegel production earned seven Oscars including Best Picture, Director and Actor, and has become one of the most revered movies of all time. Peter O'Toole became an instant star in his first leading role as the dashing, slightly mad T.E. Lawrence, the British army officer who identifies with the people of Saudi Arabia and joins them in their fight against oppression. Supporting O'Toole were such outstanding actors as Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Claude Rains, Arthur Kennedy (as the only American character, a journalist based on Lowell Thomas), Jose Ferrer, Anthony Quayle and Jack Hawkins.
