Frank Finlay
Born
August 6, 1926
Died
January 30, 2016 (89 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
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.
Nothing Like a Dame
Self (archive footage)
2018
Fifty Shades of Erotica
2015
Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons
Alexander 'Alex' Combe · (3 episodes)
2008
Merlin
Anhora · (1 episode)
2008
The Waiting Room
Roger
2007
Johnny and the Bomb
Tom Maxwell · (3 episodes)
2006
Lighthouse Hill
Alfred
2004
Life Begins
Eric Thornhill · (20 episodes)
2004
The Statement
Commissaire Vionnet
2003
Eroica
Josef Haydn
2003
The Lost Prince
Asquith · (2 episodes)
2003
The Pianist
Father
2002
Station Jim
Riorden Snr
2001
The Martins
Mr Heath
2001
Sins
Uncle Irwin Green · (7 episodes)
2000
For My Baby
Rudi Wittfogel
2000
Longitude
Admiral Wagner · (2 episodes)
2000
The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns
General Bulstrode · (2 episodes)
1999
Dreaming of Joseph Lees
Father
1999
Stiff Upper Lips
Hudson Junior
1998
How Do You Want Me?
(12 episodes)
1998
Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?)
Mike's Dad
1997
Limited Edition
John Rathbone
1997
Virgin Mary
Monsignor
1995
A Mind to Murder
Professor Etherege
1995
Charlemagne, le prince à cheval
Alcuin · (3 episodes)
1994
Sparrow
Father Nunzio
1994
The Voyeur
Nino Rolfe
1994
An Exchange of Fire
Pavel Rhele
1993
Stalin
Sergei
1992
The Other Side
Arthur Conan Doyle
1992
Heartbeat
Howard Franklin · (1 episode)
1992
Cthulhu Mansion
Chandu
1992
Mountain of Diamonds
Garrick
1991
Prime Suspect
Arnold Tennison · (4 episodes)
1991
The Burning Shore
Garrick · (4 episodes)
1991
King of the Wind
Edward Coke
1990
The Return of the Musketeers
Porthos
1989
Erebus: The Aftermath
Justice Peter Mahon · (4 episodes)
1987
Casanova
Razetta
1987
Lovejoy
Harold Plumb · (1 episode)
1986
Nineteen Nineteen
Sigmund Freud (voice)
1985
Lifeforce
Dr. Hans Fallada
1985
In the Secret State
Frank Strange
1985
Arch of Triumph
Col. Boris Morosov
1984
A Christmas Carol
Jacob Marley
1984
Sakharov
Kravtsov
1984
Sherlock Holmes
Professor Coram / Sergius · (1 episode)
1984
The Key
Nino Rolfe
1983
Blackadder
The Witchsmeller Pursuivant · (1 episode)
1983
The Ploughman's Lunch
Matthew Fox
1983
The Spanish Civil War
Narrator
1983
The Return of the Soldier
William Grey
1983
Enigma
Canarsky
1982
Mona
Captain Manson
1982
Wogan
Self · (1 episode)
1982
Dear Brutus
Dearth
1981
Ring of Darkness
Paul
1979
Tales of the Unexpected
Arthur Pearson · (1 episode)
1979
Murder by Decree
Inspector Lestrade
1979
Betzi
Napoleon
1978
The Wild Geese
Fr. Geoghagen
1978
The Thief of Baghdad
Abu Bakar
1978
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Peppino
1978
Count Dracula
Abraham van Helsing
1977
Count Dracula
Professor Van Helsing · (2 episodes)
1977
Another Bouquet
(9 episodes)
1977
Laurence Olivier Presents
Peppino · (1 episode)
1976
Bouquet of Barbed Wire
Peter Manson · (7 episodes)
1976
84 Charing Cross Road
Frank Doel
1975
Van der Valk and the Scapegoat
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1975
Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1974
The Four Musketeers
Porthos
1974
Van der Valk and the Rich
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
1973
The Three Musketeers
Porthos / O'Reilly
1973
Shaft in Africa
Vincent Amafi
1973
The Death of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
1973
The Adventures Of Don Quixote
Sancho Panza
1973
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand
George Dabernon
1972
Sitting Target
Marty Gold
1972
Danny Jones
1972
The Merchant of Venice
Shylock
1972
Gumshoe
William Ginley
1971
Casanova
Casanova · (6 episodes)
1971
Assault
Det. Chief Supt. Velyan
1971
The Lie
Andrew Firth
1970
Play for Today
(2 episodes)
1970
Play for Today
Dearth · (1 episode)
1970
The Body
Narrator
1970
Cromwell
John Carter
1970
The Molly Maguires
Davies
1970
Blood of the Lamb
Albert
1969
Julius Caesar
Brutus
1969
The Piano Tuner
Wilfred Tilley
1969
Twisted Nerve
Henry Durnley
1968
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Igor Bounin
1968
Inspector Clouseau
Supt. Weaver
1968
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
Chaplain
1967
Les Misérables
Jean Valjean · (10 episodes)
1967
Robbery
Robinson
1967
The Jokers
Harrassed Man
1967
Much Ado About Nothing
Dogberry
1967
The Spare Tyres
Council foreman
1967
The Deadly Bees
H.W. Manfred
1966
The Sandwich Man
Second Fish Porter
1966
Othello
Iago
1965
The Wild Affair
Drunk
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Marcus Brutus · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Shylock · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Sancho Panza · (1 episode)
1965
BBC Play of the Month
Voltaire · (1 episode)
1965
A Study in Terror
Inspector Lestrade
1965
Olivier Talks About Othello
(archive footage)
1965
The Comedy Man
Prout
1964
Hot Enough for June
British Embassy Porter
1964
The Informers
Leon Sale
1963
Doctor in Distress
Corsetiere
1963
The Longest Day
Pvt. Coke (uncredited)
1962
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
Booking Office Clerk (uncredited)
1962
Life for Ruth
Teddy's Father
1962
The Hard Knock
Franco Angelo
1962
Studio Four
Fernand Destayac · (1 episode)
1962
Z-Cars
(1 episode)
1962
Private Potter
Capt. Patterson
1962
Target Luna
Conway Henderson · (6 episodes)
1960