Frank Finlay

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

130

Gender

Male

Birthday

1926-08-06

Day of death

2016-01-30 (89 years old)

Place of Birth

Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK

Frank Finlay

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.

Known For

  • Merlin

    Merlin

  • Wogan

    Wogan

  • Prime Suspect

    Prime Suspect

  • Heartbeat

    Heartbeat

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • BBC Play of the Month

    BBC Play of the Month

  • Tales of the Unexpected

    Tales of the Unexpected

  • The Voyeur

    The Voyeur

  • Blackadder

    Blackadder

  • A Christmas Carol

    A Christmas Carol

  • The Pianist

    The Pianist

  • The Key

    The Key

  • Z-Cars

    Z-Cars

  • Fifty Shades of Erotica

    Fifty Shades of Erotica

  • Lovejoy

    Lovejoy

  • Theatre 625

    Theatre 625

  • The Statement

    The Statement

  • Inspector Clouseau

    Inspector Clouseau

  • Sitting Target

    Sitting Target

  • Life Begins

    Life Begins

  • Lifeforce

    Lifeforce

  • The Longest Day

    The Longest Day

  • The Lie

    The Lie

  • Count Dracula

    Count Dracula

  • Private Potter

    Private Potter

  • Eroica

    Eroica

  • Assault

    Assault

  • The Jokers

    The Jokers

  • Othello

    Othello

  • The Body

    The Body

  • The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

    The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

  • Cromwell

    Cromwell

  • Danny Jones

    Danny Jones

  • Stalin

    Stalin

  • Van der Valk and the Scapegoat

    Van der Valk and the Scapegoat

  • The Wild Geese

    The Wild Geese

  • The Return of the Musketeers

    The Return of the Musketeers

  • Betzi

    Betzi

  • The Three Musketeers

    The Three Musketeers

  • Dear Brutus

    Dear Brutus

  • Lighthouse Hill

    Lighthouse Hill

  • Enigma

    Enigma

  • Sparrow

    Sparrow

  • The Shoes of the Fisherman

    The Shoes of the Fisherman

  • The Martins

    The Martins

  • Nothing Like a Dame

    Nothing Like a Dame

  • The Four Musketeers

    The Four Musketeers

  • Murder by Decree

    Murder by Decree

  • Sakharov

    Sakharov

  • The Molly Maguires

    The Molly Maguires

  • The Death of Adolf Hitler

    The Death of Adolf Hitler

  • The Ploughman's Lunch

    The Ploughman's Lunch

  • Casanova

    Casanova

  • Gumshoe

    Gumshoe

  • The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

    The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

  • Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter

    Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter

  • Virgin Mary

    Virgin Mary

  • Shaft in Africa

    Shaft in Africa

  • 84 Charing Cross Road

    84 Charing Cross Road

  • Station Jim

    Station Jim

  • Longitude

    Longitude

  • The Thief of Baghdad

    The Thief of Baghdad

  • A Mind to Murder

    A Mind to Murder

  • Doctor in Distress

    Doctor in Distress

  • Mountain of Diamonds

    Mountain of Diamonds

  • Dreaming of Joseph Lees

    Dreaming of Joseph Lees

  • Life for Ruth

    Life for Ruth

  • The Piano Tuner

    The Piano Tuner

  • The Return of the Soldier

    The Return of the Soldier

  • The Lost Prince

    The Lost Prince

  • A Study in Terror

    A Study in Terror

  • Laurence Olivier Presents

    Laurence Olivier Presents

  • King of the Wind

    King of the Wind

  • Much Ado About Nothing

    Much Ado About Nothing

  • The Hard Knock

    The Hard Knock

  • The Wild Affair

    The Wild Affair

  • How Do You Want Me?

    How Do You Want Me?

  • Ring of Darkness

    Ring of Darkness

  • Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons

    Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons

  • Saturday, Sunday, Monday

    Saturday, Sunday, Monday

  • Twisted Nerve

    Twisted Nerve

  • The Adventures Of Don Quixote

    The Adventures Of Don Quixote

  • The Deadly Bees

    The Deadly Bees

  • Neither the Sea Nor the Sand

    Neither the Sea Nor the Sand

  • The Burning Shore

    The Burning Shore

  • The Waiting Room

    The Waiting Room

  • Cthulhu Mansion

    Cthulhu Mansion

  • The Sandwich Man

    The Sandwich Man

  • Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

    Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

  • The Comedy Man

    The Comedy Man

  • For My Baby

    For My Baby

  • The Younger Generation

    The Younger Generation

  • The Younger Generation

    The Younger Generation

  • Bouquet of Barbed Wire

    Bouquet of Barbed Wire

  • In the Secret State

    In the Secret State

  • Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)

    Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)

  • Blood of the Lamb

    Blood of the Lamb

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • Robbery

    Robbery

  • Charlemagne, le prince à cheval

    Charlemagne, le prince à cheval

  • The Making Of Lifeforce

    The Making Of Lifeforce

  • Sins

    Sins

  • Van der Valk and the Rich

    Van der Valk and the Rich

  • I'll Never Forget What's'isname

    I'll Never Forget What's'isname

  • Limited Edition

    Limited Edition

  • Stiff Upper Lips

    Stiff Upper Lips

  • Johnny and the Bomb

    Johnny and the Bomb

  • Casanova

    Casanova

  • Erebus: The Aftermath

    Erebus: The Aftermath

  • Count Dracula

    Count Dracula

  • The Spanish Civil War

    The Spanish Civil War

  • Hot Enough for June

    Hot Enough for June

  • Arch of Triumph

    Arch of Triumph

  • Nineteen Nineteen

    Nineteen Nineteen

  • Target Luna

    Target Luna

  • The Other Side

    The Other Side

  • Les Misérables

    Les Misérables

  • Another Bouquet

    Another Bouquet

  • Olivier Talks About Othello

    Olivier Talks About Othello

  • Mona

    Mona

  • The Informers

    The Informers

  • The Spare Tyres

    The Spare Tyres

  • An Exchange of Fire

    An Exchange of Fire

  • Julius Caesar

    Julius Caesar

  • Royal Variety Performance 1984

    Royal Variety Performance 1984