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Frank Finlay

Acting 89 (deceased) years old Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK ★ 0.8
Born: August 6, 1926
Died: January 30, 2016

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.

External Links

🌐 Official Website 🎬 IMDb

Known For

Play for Today
Play for Today 1970
Heartbeat
Heartbeat Howard Franklin 1992
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Marcus Brutus 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Shylock 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Sancho Panza 1965

Filmography

Acting Credits (141)

Nothing Like a Dame
Nothing Like a Dame Self (archive footage) 2018
Fifty Shades of Erotica
Fifty Shades of Erotica (archive footage) 2015
Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons
Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons Alexander 'Alex' Combe 2008
Merlin
Merlin Anhora 2008
The Waiting Room
The Waiting Room Roger 2007
Johnny and the Bomb
Johnny and the Bomb Tom Maxwell 2006
Lighthouse Hill
Lighthouse Hill Alfred 2004
Life Begins
Life Begins Eric Thornhill 2004
The Statement
The Statement Commissaire Vionnet 2003
Eroica
Eroica Josef Haydn 2003
The Lost Prince
The Lost Prince Asquith 2003
The Pianist
The Pianist Father 2002
Station Jim
Station Jim Riorden Snr 2001
The Martins
The Martins Mr Heath 2001
The Sins
The Sins Uncle Irwin Green 2000
For My Baby
For My Baby Rudi Wittfogel 2000
Longitude
Longitude Admiral Wagner 2000
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns General Bulstrode 1999
Dreaming of Joseph Lees
Dreaming of Joseph Lees Father 1999
Stiff Upper Lips
Stiff Upper Lips Hudson Junior 1998
How Do You Want Me?
How Do You Want Me? 1998
Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)
Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?) Mike's Dad 1997
The Grand
The Grand Edward Lawrence 1997
Limited Edition
Limited Edition John Rathbone 1997
Virgin Mary
Virgin Mary Monsignor 1995
A Mind to Murder
A Mind to Murder Professor Etherege 1995
Charlemagne, le prince à cheval
Charlemagne, le prince à cheval Alcuin 1994
Sparrow
Sparrow Father Nunzio 1994
The Voyeur
The Voyeur Nino Rolfe 1994
An Exchange of Fire
An Exchange of Fire Pavel Rhele 1993
Stalin
Stalin Sergei 1992
The Other Side
The Other Side Arthur Conan Doyle 1992
Heartbeat
Heartbeat Howard Franklin 1992
Cthulhu Mansion
Cthulhu Mansion Chandu 1992
Mountain of Diamonds
Mountain of Diamonds Garrick 1991
Mountain of Diamonds
Mountain of Diamonds Garrick 1991
Prime Suspect
Prime Suspect Arnold Tennison 1991
The Burning Shore
The Burning Shore Garrick 1991
King of the Wind
King of the Wind Edward Coke 1990
The Return of the Musketeers
The Return of the Musketeers Porthos 1989
Erebus: The Aftermath
Erebus: The Aftermath Justice Peter Mahon 1987
Casanova
Casanova Razetta 1987
Lovejoy
Lovejoy Harold Plumb 1986
Nineteen Nineteen
Nineteen Nineteen Sigmund Freud (voice) 1985
Lifeforce
Lifeforce Dr. Hans Fallada 1985
In the Secret State
In the Secret State Frank Strange 1985
The Making Of Lifeforce
The Making Of Lifeforce Self 1985
Arch of Triumph
Arch of Triumph Col. Boris Morosov 1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984 1984
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol Jacob Marley 1984
Sakharov
Sakharov Kravtsov 1984
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Professor Coram / Sergius 1984
The Key
The Key Nino Rolfe 1983
Blackadder
Blackadder The Witchsmeller Pursuivant 1983
The Ploughman's Lunch
The Ploughman's Lunch Matthew Fox 1983
The Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War Self - Narrator 1983
The Return of the Soldier
The Return of the Soldier William Grey 1983
Enigma
Enigma Canarsky 1982
Mona
Mona Captain Manson 1982
Wogan
Wogan Self 1982
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights Shahriar 1981
Dear Brutus
Dear Brutus Dearth 1981
Ring of Darkness
Ring of Darkness Paul 1979
Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected Arthur Pearson 1979
Murder by Decree
Murder by Decree Inspector Lestrade 1979
Betzi
Betzi Napoleon 1978
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese Fr. Geoghagen 1978
The Thief of Baghdad
The Thief of Baghdad Abu Bakar 1978
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Saturday, Sunday, Monday Peppino 1978
Count Dracula
Count Dracula Abraham van Helsing 1977
Count Dracula
Count Dracula Professor Van Helsing 1977
Another Bouquet
Another Bouquet 1977
Laurence Olivier Presents
Laurence Olivier Presents Peppino 1976
Bouquet of Barbed Wire
Bouquet of Barbed Wire Peter Manson 1976
84 Charing Cross Road
84 Charing Cross Road Frank Doel 1975
Van der Valk and the Scapegoat
Van der Valk and the Scapegoat Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk 1975
Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter
Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk 1974
The Four Musketeers
The Four Musketeers Porthos 1974
Van der Valk and the Rich
Van der Valk and the Rich Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk 1973
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers Porthos / O'Reilly 1973
Shaft in Africa
Shaft in Africa Vincent Amafi 1973
The Death of Adolf Hitler
The Death of Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler 1973
The Adventures Of Don Quixote
The Adventures Of Don Quixote Sancho Panza 1973
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand George Dabernon 1972
Sitting Target
Sitting Target Marty Gold 1972
Danny Jones
Danny Jones 1972
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice Shylock 1972
Gumshoe
Gumshoe William Ginley 1971
Casanova
Casanova Giovanni Jacopo Casanova 1971
Assault
Assault Det. Chief Supt. Velyan 1971
The Lie
The Lie Andrew Firth 1970
Play for Today
Play for Today 1970
Play for Today
Play for Today Dearth 1970
The Body
The Body Narrator 1970
Cromwell
Cromwell John Carter 1970
The Molly Maguires
The Molly Maguires Davies 1970
Blood of the Lamb
Blood of the Lamb Albert 1969
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar Brutus 1969
The Piano Tuner
The Piano Tuner Wilfred Tilley 1969
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
ITV Saturday Night Theatre Wilfred Tilley 1969
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
ITV Saturday Night Theatre Adolf Hitler 1969
Twisted Nerve
Twisted Nerve Henry Durnley 1968
The Shoes of the Fisherman
The Shoes of the Fisherman Igor Bounin 1968
Inspector Clouseau
Inspector Clouseau Supt. Weaver 1968
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
I'll Never Forget What's'isname Chaplain 1967
Les Misérables
Les Misérables Jean Valjean 1967
Robbery
Robbery Robinson 1967
The Jokers
The Jokers Harrassed Man 1967
Much Ado About Nothing
Much Ado About Nothing Dogberry 1967
The Spare Tyres
The Spare Tyres Council foreman 1967
The Deadly Bees
The Deadly Bees H.W. Manfred 1966
The Sandwich Man
The Sandwich Man Second Fish Porter 1966
Othello
Othello Iago 1965
The Wild Affair
The Wild Affair Drunk 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Marcus Brutus 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Shylock 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Sancho Panza 1965
BBC Play of the Month
BBC Play of the Month Voltaire 1965
A Study in Terror
A Study in Terror Inspector Lestrade 1965
Olivier Talks About Othello
Olivier Talks About Othello (archive footage) 1965
The Comedy Man
The Comedy Man Prout 1964
Theatre 625
Theatre 625 Dr Dee 1964
Hot Enough for June
Hot Enough for June British Embassy Porter 1964
The Informers
The Informers Leon Sale 1963
Doctor in Distress
Doctor in Distress Corsetiere 1963
The Longest Day
The Longest Day Pvt. Coke (uncredited) 1962
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Booking Office Clerk (uncredited) 1962
Life for Ruth
Life for Ruth Teddy's Father 1962
The Hard Knock
The Hard Knock Franco Angelo 1962
Studio 4
Studio 4 Fernand Destayac 1962
Z-Cars
Z-Cars 1962
Private Potter
Private Potter Capt. Patterson 1962
The Younger Generation
The Younger Generation Ross Mayer 1961
The Younger Generation
The Younger Generation George Tremaine 1961
Drama 61-67
Drama 61-67 Albert Hope 1961
Target Luna
Target Luna Conway Henderson 1960
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre Franco Angelo 1956
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre Bosun 1956
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre Patrick Kelly 1956
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre David Field 1956
Sunday Night Theatre
Sunday Night Theatre Louis 1950

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