Frank Finlay
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- August 6, 1926
- Died
- January 30, 2016
- Birthplace
- Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK
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.
Filmography
Nothing Like a Dame 2018
as Self (archive footage)
Fifty Shades of Erotica 2015
as (archive footage)
The Waiting Room 2007
as Roger
Lighthouse Hill 2004
as Alfred
The Statement 2003
as Commissaire Vionnet
Eroica 2003
as Josef Haydn
The Pianist 2002
as Father
Station Jim 2001
as Riorden Snr
The Martins 2001
as Mr Heath
For My Baby 2000
as Rudi Wittfogel
Dreaming of Joseph Lees 1999
as Father
Stiff Upper Lips 1998
as Hudson Junior
- Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)
Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?) 1997
as Mike's Dad
Limited Edition 1997
as John Rathbone
The Miracle of Medjugorje 1995
as Monsignor
A Mind to Murder 1995
as Professor Etherege
Sparrow 1994
as Father Nunzio
The Voyeur 1994
as Nino Rolfe
Stalin 1992
as Sergei
- The Other Side
The Other Side 1992
as Arthur Conan Doyle
Cthulhu Mansion 1992
as Chandu
Mountain of Diamonds 1991
as Garrick
King of the Wind 1990
as Edward Coke
The Return of the Musketeers 1989
as Porthos
Casanova 1987
as Razetta
Nineteen Nineteen 1985
as Sigmund Freud (voice)
Lifeforce 1985
as Dr. Hans Fallada
In the Secret State 1985
as Frank Strange
- The Making Of Lifeforce
The Making Of Lifeforce 1985
as Self
Arch of Triumph 1984
as Col. Boris Morosov
Royal Variety Performance 1984 1984
Actor
A Christmas Carol 1984
as Jacob Marley
Sakharov 1984
as Kravtsov
The Key 1983
as Nino Rolfe
The Ploughman's Lunch 1983
as Matthew Fox
The Return of the Soldier 1983
as William Grey
Enigma 1982
as Canarsky
Mona 1982
as Captain Manson
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights 1981
as Shahriar
Dear Brutus 1981
as Dearth
Ring of Darkness 1979
as Paul
Murder by Decree 1979
as Inspector Lestrade
- Betzi
Betzi 1978
as Napoleon
The Wild Geese 1978
as Fr. Geoghagen
The Thief of Baghdad 1978
as Abu Bakar
Saturday, Sunday, Monday 1978
as Peppino
Count Dracula 1977
as Abraham van Helsing
84 Charing Cross Road 1975
as Frank Doel
Van der Valk and the Scapegoat 1975
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter 1974
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
The Four Musketeers 1974
as Porthos
Van der Valk and the Rich 1973
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
The Three Musketeers 1973
as Porthos / O'Reilly
Shaft in Africa 1973
as Vincent Amafi
The Adventures Of Don Quixote 1973
as Sancho Panza
The Death of Adolf Hitler 1973
as Adolf Hitler
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand 1972
as George Dabernon
- Danny Jones
Danny Jones 1972
Actor
Sitting Target 1972
as Marty Gold
The Merchant of Venice 1972
as Shylock
Gumshoe 1971
as William Ginley
Assault 1971
as Det. Chief Supt. Velyan
The Lie 1970
as Andrew Firth
The Body 1970
as Narrator
Cromwell 1970
as John Carter
The Molly Maguires 1970
as Davies
- Blood of the Lamb
Blood of the Lamb 1969
as Albert
Julius Caesar 1969
as Marcus Brutus
- The Piano Tuner
The Piano Tuner 1969
as Wilfred Tilley
- This Happy Breed
This Happy Breed 1969
as Frank Gibbons
Twisted Nerve 1968
as Henry Durnley
The Shoes of the Fisherman 1968
as Igor Bounin
Inspector Clouseau 1968
as Supt. Weaver
I'll Never Forget What's'isname 1967
as Chaplain
Robbery 1967
as Robinson
The Jokers 1967
as Harrassed Man
Much Ado About Nothing 1967
as Dogberry
- The Spare Tyres
The Spare Tyres 1967
as Council foreman
The Deadly Bees 1966
as H.W. Manfred
The Sandwich Man 1966
as Second Fish Porter
Othello 1965
as Iago
The Wild Affair 1965
as Drunk
A Study in Terror 1965
as Inspector Lestrade
The Comedy Man 1964
as Prout
Hot Enough for June 1964
as British Embassy Porter
The Informers 1963
as Leon Sale
Doctor in Distress 1963
as Corsetiere
The Longest Day 1962
as Pvt. Coke (uncredited)
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner 1962
as Booking Office Clerk (uncredited)
Life for Ruth 1962
as Teddy's Father
- The Hard Knock
The Hard Knock 1962
as Franco Angelo
Private Potter 1962
as Capt. Patterson
Credits from TMDB.