Frank Finlay
Country: United Kingdom
Gender: M
Birthday: 1926-08-06
Died: 2016-01-30
Biography
Frank received Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his performance as William Shakespeare’s Iago in Stuart Burge’s 1965 film of Laurence Olivier’s staging of Othello. He also won the Best Actor Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
He later essayed the definitive screen portrayal of Alexandre Dumas’ musketeer Porthos in three movies for director Richard Lester: The Three Musketeers (1974), The Four Musketeers (1975) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989). Frank’s many other films include The Longest Day; Tony Richardson’s The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner; Martin Ritt’s The Molly Maguires; Bob Clark’s Murder by Decree; Alan Bridges’ The Return of the Soldier (for which he recieved a BAFTA Award nomination); Franco Zeffrelli’s Sparrow; and Eric Styles’ Dreaming of Joseph Lees; and most recently Roman Polanski’s multi-award winning The Pianist and Norma Jewison’s The Statement.
His similarly extensive television projects have earned him two BAFTA Awards, for his performances in The Death of Adolf Hitler (starring as Hitler, with Rex Firkin directing); The Adventures of Don Quixote (as Sancho Panza, opposite Rex Harrison, for director Alvin Rakoff); the ground breaking Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Another Bouquet; 84 Charing Cross Road; and recently the critically acclaimed series The Sins. Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Finlay had already begun performing on stage when he earned the Sir James Knott Scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Since then he has led theatre companies in London and on Broadway.
He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1984 New Year’s Honours List, and was presented with his CBE by the Queen in February1984.
Actor:
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1. Big Guns (1958), series...Roscoe
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...Booking Office Clerk
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3. The Informers (1963), film...Leon Sale
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4. Doctor in Distress (1963), film...Corsetiere
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5. The Comedy Man (1964), film...Prout
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6. A Study in Terror (1965), film...Inspector Lestrade
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7. Othello (1965), film...Iago
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8. The Wild Affair (1965), film...Drunk
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9. The Sandwich Man (1966), film...Second Fish Porter
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10. The Deadly Bees (1966), film
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11. Robbery (1967), film...Robinson
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12. The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), film...Igor Bounin
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13. Inspector Clouseau (1968), film...Supt. Weaver
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14. Cromwell (1970), film...John Carter
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15. The Molly Maguires (1970), film...Davies
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16. Gumshoe (1971), film...William
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17. Assault (1971), film...Det. Chief Supt. Velyan
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18. Sitting Target (1972), film...Marty Gold
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19. Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972), film
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20. Shaft in Africa (1973), film...Amafi
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21. The Three Musketeers (1973), film...Porthos / O'Reilly
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22. The Four Musketeers (1974), film...Porthos
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23. The Wild Geese (1978), film...Father Geoghagen
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24. The Thief of Baghdad (1978), film...Abu Bakar
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25. Murder by Decree (1979), film...Inspector Lestrade
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26. The Return of the Soldier (1982), film...William Grey
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27. Enigma (1982), film...Canarsky
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28. The Key (1983), film...Nino Rolfe
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29. The Ploughman's Lunch (1983), film...Matthew Fox
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30. A Christmas Carol (1984), film...Jacob Marley
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31. Arch of Triumph (1984), film...Boris
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32. Lifeforce (1985), film...Dr. Hans Fallada
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33. Casanova (1987), film...Razetta
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34. The Return of the Musketeers (1989), film...Porthos
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35. Mountain of Diamonds (1991), film...Garrick
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36. Stalin (1992), film...Sergei
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37. Sparrow (1993), film...Father Nunzio
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38. Charlemagne (1993), series...Alcuin de York
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39. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994), series...Professor Coram
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40. Gospa (1995), film...Monsignor
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41. Limited Edition (1996), film...John Rathbone
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42. Stiff Upper Lips (1997), film...Hudson Junior
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...General Bulstrode
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44. Dreaming of Joseph Lees (1999), film...Father
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45. The Martins (2001), film...Mr. Heath
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46. Station Jim (2001), film...Riorden Snr
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47. The Pianist (2002), film...Father
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48. Silent Cry (2002), film...Dr. Robert Barrum
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49. The Statement (2003), film...Commissaire Vionnet
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...Josef Haydn
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51. The Lost Prince (2003), film...Asquith
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52. The Waiting Room (2007), film...Roger
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53. Four Seasons (2008), series...Alexander 'Alex' Combe
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54. Nothing Like a Dame (2018), film...Iago (archive footage)