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
Acting
2002
asFather
1973
asVincent Amafi
1979
asPaul
1973
asPorthos / O'Reilly
1982
asCanarsky
1968
asSupt. Weaver
1978
asFr. Geoghagen
1985
asDr. Hans Fallada
1970
asJohn Carter
2007
asRoger
1979
asInspector Lestrade
1971
asWilliam Ginley
1983
asNino Rolfe
1992
asChandu
2003
asCommissaire Vionnet
1970
asDavies
1989
asPorthos
1981
asDearth
1965
asDrunk
1972
asGeorge Dabernon
1965
asIago
1994
asFather Nunzio
1969
asAlbert
1985
asFrank Strange
1982
asCaptain Manson
1966
asH.W. Manfred
1972
asMarty Gold
1967
asRobinson
1999
asFather
1968
asHenry Durnley
1967
asHarrassed Man
1971
asDet. Chief Supt. Velyan
1998
asHudson Junior
1997
asMike's Dad
1984
asCol. Boris Morosov
1997
asJohn Rathbone
1995
asProfessor Etherege
1978
asAbu Bakar
1967
asChaplain
1990
asEdward Coke
1983
asMatthew Fox
2000
asRudi Wittfogel
1975
asFrank Doel
1977
asAbraham van Helsing
2004
asAlfred
1984
asKravtsov
1992
asArthur Conan Doyle
1983
asWilliam Grey
1967
asDogberry
1962
asPvt. Coke (uncredited)
1966
asSecond Fish Porter
1991
asGarrick
1970
asAndrew Firth
1973
asCommissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1987
asRazetta
1962
asFranco Angelo
1968
asIgor Bounin
1984
asJacob Marley
1973
asAdolf Hitler
1963
asCorsetiere
1969
asWilfred Tilley
2003
asJosef Haydn
1972
as
1972
asShylock
1969
asBrutus
1994
asNino Rolfe
1978
asNapoleon
1974
asPorthos
2001
asRiorden Snr
1967
asCouncil foreman
1970
asNarrator
1985
asSigmund Freud (voice)
1973
asSancho Panza
1992
asSergei
1978
asPeppino
2001
asMr Heath
1995
asMonsignor
1962
asBooking Office Clerk (uncredited)
1964
asBritish Embassy Porter
2015
as(archive footage)
1964
asProut
1962
asTeddy's Father
1962
asCapt. Patterson
1965
asInspector Lestrade
1965
as(archive footage)
2018
asSelf (archive footage)
1963
asLeon Sale
1974
asCommissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1975
asCommissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1981
asShahriar
1984
as1985
asSelf
as
asEric Thornhill
as
asArthur Pearson
asArnold Tennison
asHoward Franklin
asProfessor Coram / Sergius
asHarold Plumb
asThe Witchsmeller Pursuivant
as
asPeter Manson
asSelf
asMarcus Brutus
asProfessor Van Helsing
asFernand Destayac
asAlexander 'Alex' Combe
as
asUncle Irwin Green
asJean Valjean
asTom Maxwell
asCasanova
asPeppino
asAlcuin
asGeneral Bulstrode
asAsquith
asAnhora
asGarrick
asConway Henderson
asDearth
asJustice Peter Mahon
asShylock
asSancho Panza
asVoltaire
asPavel Rhele
asAdmiral Wagner
asDr Dee
asRoss Mayer
asGeorge Tremaine
asSelf - Narrator
Production
Crew
Directing
