Frank Finlay

DOB: 1926-08-06

DOD: 2016-01-30

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.

Starred In

2002
Movie

The Pianist

1973
Movie

Shaft in Africa

1979
Movie

Ring of Darkness

1982
Movie

Enigma

1968
Movie

Inspector Clouseau

1978
Movie

The Wild Geese

1985
Movie

Lifeforce

1970
Movie

Cromwell

2007
Movie

The Waiting Room

1979
Movie

Murder by Decree

1971
Movie

Gumshoe

1983
Movie

The Key

1992
Movie

Cthulhu Mansion

2003
Movie

The Statement

1970
Movie

The Molly Maguires

1981
Movie

Dear Brutus

1965
Movie

The Wild Affair

1965
Movie

Othello

1994
Movie

Sparrow

1969
Movie

Blood of the Lamb

1982
Movie

Mona

1966
Movie

The Deadly Bees

1972
Movie

Sitting Target

1967
Movie

Robbery

1968
Movie

Twisted Nerve

1967
Movie

The Jokers

1971
Movie

Assault

1998
Movie

Stiff Upper Lips

1984
Movie

Arch of Triumph

1997
Movie

Limited Edition

1995
Movie

A Mind to Murder

1990
Movie

King of the Wind

2000
Movie

For My Baby

1977
Movie

Count Dracula

2004
Movie

Lighthouse Hill

1984
Movie

Sakharov

1992
Movie

The Other Side

1962
Movie

The Longest Day

1966
Movie

The Sandwich Man

1970
Movie

The Lie

1987
Movie

Casanova

1962
Movie

The Hard Knock

1984
Movie

A Christmas Carol

1963
Movie

Doctor in Distress

1969
Movie

The Piano Tuner

2003
Movie

Eroica

1972
Movie

Danny Jones

1969
Movie

Julius Caesar

1994
Movie

The Voyeur

1978
Movie

Betzi

2001
Movie

Station Jim

1967
Movie

The Spare Tyres

1970
Movie

The Body

1985
Movie

Nineteen Nineteen

1992
Movie

Stalin

2001
Movie

The Martins

1995
Movie

Virgin Mary

1964
Movie

The Comedy Man

1962
Movie

Life for Ruth

1962
Movie

Private Potter

1965
Movie

A Study in Terror

1963
Movie

The Informers

2004
Tv

Life Begins

1962
Tv

Z-Cars

1991
Tv

Prime Suspect

1992
Tv

Heartbeat

1986
Tv

Lovejoy

1983
Tv

Blackadder

1982
Tv

Wogan

1977
Tv

Count Dracula

1962
Tv

Studio Four

2000
Tv

Sins

1971
Tv

Casanova

2008
Tv

Merlin

1960
Tv

Target Luna

2000
Tv

Longitude