Peter O’Toole very nearly didn’t play Lawrence of Arabia. Originally, Marlon Brando was wanted by director Sir David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel, with the latter having won Oscars alongside the star for 1954’s On the Waterfront. However, the Hollywood legend turned it down for the shooting in Tahiti with better pay on Mutiny on the Bounty, saying: “I’ll be damned if I’ll spend two years of my life on some f***ing camel!”

The second choice for TE Lawrence, the World War 1 hero renowned…