Frank Finlay

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

128

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

  • Wogan

    Wogan

  • Heartbeat

    Heartbeat

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Play for Today

    Play for Today

  • Merlin

    Merlin

  • Tales of the Unexpected

    Tales of the Unexpected

  • Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

  • 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

  • Z-Cars

    Z-Cars

  • Prime Suspect

    Prime Suspect

  • The Voyeur

    The Voyeur

  • Blackadder

    Blackadder

  • The Key

    The Key

  • Lovejoy

    Lovejoy

  • The Pianist

    The Pianist

  • The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

    The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

  • Fifty Shades of Erotica

    Fifty Shades of Erotica

  • Lifeforce

    Lifeforce

  • A Christmas Carol

    A Christmas Carol

  • Cthulhu Mansion

    Cthulhu Mansion

  • Life Begins

    Life Begins

  • The Return of the Soldier

    The Return of the Soldier

  • King of the Wind

    King of the Wind

  • Murder by Decree

    Murder by Decree

  • Neither the Sea Nor the Sand

    Neither the Sea Nor the Sand

  • The Deadly Bees

    The Deadly Bees

  • Doctor in Distress

    Doctor in Distress

  • Enigma

    Enigma

  • The Three Musketeers

    The Three Musketeers

  • The Statement

    The Statement

  • The Longest Day

    The Longest Day

  • The Sandwich Man

    The Sandwich Man

  • The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

    The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

  • Robbery

    Robbery

  • The Death of Adolf Hitler

    The Death of Adolf Hitler

  • The Ploughman's Lunch

    The Ploughman's Lunch

  • The Piano Tuner

    The Piano Tuner

  • Inspector Clouseau

    Inspector Clouseau

  • The Informers

    The Informers

  • Cromwell

    Cromwell

  • The Shoes of the Fisherman

    The Shoes of the Fisherman

  • Much Ado About Nothing

    Much Ado About Nothing

  • Assault

    Assault

  • The Lie

    The Lie

  • The Jokers

    The Jokers

  • Dreaming of Joseph Lees

    Dreaming of Joseph Lees

  • Danny Jones

    Danny Jones

  • Life for Ruth

    Life for Ruth

  • Longitude

    Longitude

  • Nothing Like a Dame

    Nothing Like a Dame

  • Virgin Mary

    Virgin Mary

  • The Four Musketeers

    The Four Musketeers

  • 84 Charing Cross Road

    84 Charing Cross Road

  • The Martins

    The Martins

  • Stalin

    Stalin

  • Lighthouse Hill

    Lighthouse Hill

  • The Wild Geese

    The Wild Geese

  • Mountain of Diamonds

    Mountain of Diamonds

  • The Molly Maguires

    The Molly Maguires

  • Dear Brutus

    Dear Brutus

  • Sins

    Sins

  • The Hard Knock

    The Hard Knock

  • The Lost Prince

    The Lost Prince

  • Laurence Olivier Presents

    Laurence Olivier Presents

  • Eroica

    Eroica

  • Sitting Target

    Sitting Target

  • Private Potter

    Private Potter

  • The Thief of Baghdad

    The Thief of Baghdad

  • How Do You Want Me?

    How Do You Want Me?

  • Studio Four

    Studio Four

  • Betzi

    Betzi

  • The Merchant of Venice

    The Merchant of Venice

  • Blood of the Lamb

    Blood of the Lamb

  • Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons

    Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons

  • A Study in Terror

    A Study in Terror

  • The Waiting Room

    The Waiting Room

  • For My Baby

    For My Baby

  • The Body

    The Body

  • Johnny and the Bomb

    Johnny and the Bomb

  • Saturday, Sunday, Monday

    Saturday, Sunday, Monday

  • A Mind to Murder

    A Mind to Murder

  • The Wild Affair

    The Wild Affair

  • Charlemagne, le prince à cheval

    Charlemagne, le prince à cheval

  • Hot Enough for June

    Hot Enough for June

  • Sakharov

    Sakharov

  • Count Dracula

    Count Dracula

  • Limited Edition

    Limited Edition

  • Bouquet of Barbed Wire

    Bouquet of Barbed Wire

  • Othello

    Othello

  • The Younger Generation

    The Younger Generation

  • Ring of Darkness

    Ring of Darkness

  • The Burning Shore

    The Burning Shore

  • Casanova

    Casanova

  • Shaft in Africa

    Shaft in Africa

  • Target Luna

    Target Luna

  • The Comedy Man

    The Comedy Man

  • Count Dracula

    Count Dracula

  • Casanova

    Casanova

  • Station Jim

    Station Jim

  • Gumshoe

    Gumshoe

  • The Adventures Of Don Quixote

    The Adventures Of Don Quixote

  • The Return of the Musketeers

    The Return of the Musketeers

  • Another Bouquet

    Another Bouquet

  • Erebus: The Aftermath

    Erebus: The Aftermath

  • The Other Side

    The Other Side

  • Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

    Tales from the Thousand and One Nights

  • I'll Never Forget What's'isname

    I'll Never Forget What's'isname

  • Arch of Triumph

    Arch of Triumph

  • An Exchange of Fire

    An Exchange of Fire

  • Les Misérables

    Les Misérables

  • Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)

    Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)

  • Sparrow

    Sparrow

  • Twisted Nerve

    Twisted Nerve

  • In the Secret State

    In the Secret State

  • Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter

    Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter

  • Royal Variety Performance 1984

    Royal Variety Performance 1984

  • Stiff Upper Lips

    Stiff Upper Lips

  • Van der Valk and the Scapegoat

    Van der Valk and the Scapegoat

  • Mona

    Mona

  • Julius Caesar

    Julius Caesar

  • The Spare Tyres

    The Spare Tyres

  • Van der Valk and the Rich

    Van der Valk and the Rich

  • Nineteen Nineteen

    Nineteen Nineteen

  • Olivier Talks About Othello

    Olivier Talks About Othello

  • The Spanish Civil War

    The Spanish Civil War