Actor
Frank Finlay
Born 6 August 1926 · Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK — died 30 January 2016
Frank Finlay (1926–2016) was an English actor from Lancashire who worked across stage, television and film. He is best remembered for playing Iago in the 1965 film of Olivier's Othello, which brought an Oscar nomination, and for playing Porthos in Richard Lester's Musketeers films.
Key films
Othello (1965)
His Iago opposite Laurence Olivier earned an Oscar nomination and became his best-known screen performance.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Early film role in Tony Richardson's landmark British New Wave drama.
The Three Musketeers (1973)
Began his celebrated portrayal of Porthos in Richard Lester's adventure series.
Murder by Decree (1979)
Played Inspector Lestrade in a Sherlock Holmes–Jack the Ripper thriller.
The Pianist (2002)
Late-career role in Roman Polanski's acclaimed Holocaust drama.
Key awards
- 1966 Academy Award nomination, Best Supporting Actor (Othello)
- 1966 Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Othello
- Best Actor, San Sebastián International Film Festival (for Othello)
- Two BAFTA TV Awards for his television work
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 92
- 1962The Longest Day · as Pvt. Coke (uncredited)Actor
- 1962The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner · as Booking Office Clerk (uncredited)Actor
- 1962Life for Ruth · as Teddy's FatherActor
- 1962Private Potter · as Capt. PattersonActor
- 1962The Hard Knock · as Franco AngeloActor
- 1963Doctor in Distress · as CorsetiereActor
- 1963The Informers · as Leon SaleActor
- 1964Hot Enough for June · as British Embassy PorterActor
- 1964The Comedy Man · as ProutActor
- 1965A Study in Terror · as Inspector LestradeActor
- 1965Othello · as IagoActor
- 1965The Wild Affair · as DrunkActor
- 1966The Deadly Bees · as H.W. ManfredActor
- 1966The Sandwich Man · as Second Fish PorterActor
- 1967Robbery · as RobinsonActor
- 1967The Jokers · as Harrassed ManActor
- 1967I'll Never Forget What's'isname · as ChaplainActor
- 1967Much Ado About Nothing · as DogberryActor
- 1967The Spare Tyres · as Council foremanActor
- 1968Inspector Clouseau · as Supt. WeaverActor
- 1968The Shoes of the Fisherman · as Igor BouninActor
- 1968Twisted Nerve · as Henry DurnleyActor
- 1969Julius Caesar · as BrutusActor
- 1969Blood of the Lamb · as AlbertActor
- 1969The Piano Tuner · as Wilfred TilleyActor
- 1969This Happy Breed · as Frank GibbonsActor
- 1970Cromwell · as John CarterActor
- 1970The Molly Maguires · as DaviesActor
- 1970The Body · as NarratorActor
- 1970The Lie · as Andrew FirthActor
- 1971Gumshoe · as William GinleyActor
- 1971Assault · as Det. Chief Supt. VelyanActor
- 1972Sitting Target · as Marty GoldActor
- 1972Neither the Sea Nor the Sand · as George DabernonActor
- 1972The Merchant of Venice · as ShylockActor
- 1972Danny JonesActor
- 1973The Three Musketeers · as Porthos / O'ReillyActor
- 1973Shaft in Africa · as Vincent AmafiActor
- 1973The Death of Adolf Hitler · as Adolf HitlerActor
- 1973Van der Valk and the Rich · as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der ValkActor
- 1973The Adventures Of Don Quixote · as Sancho PanzaActor
- 1974The Four Musketeers · as PorthosActor
- 1974Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter · as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der ValkActor
- 197584 Charing Cross Road · as Frank DoelActor
- 1975Van der Valk and the Scapegoat · as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der ValkActor
- 1977Count Dracula · as Abraham van HelsingActor
- 1978The Wild Geese · as Fr. GeoghagenActor
- 1978The Thief of Baghdad · as Abu BakarActor
- 1978Betzi · as NapoleonActor
- 1978Saturday, Sunday, Monday · as PeppinoActor
- 1979Murder by Decree · as Inspector LestradeActor
- 1979Ring of Darkness · as PaulActor
- 1981Dear Brutus · as DearthActor
- 1981Tales from the Thousand and One Nights · as ShahriarActor
- 1982Enigma · as CanarskyActor
- 1982Mona · as Captain MansonActor
- 1983The Key · as Nino RolfeActor
- 1983The Return of the Soldier · as William GreyActor
- 1983The Ploughman's Lunch · as Matthew FoxActor
- 1984A Christmas Carol · as Jacob MarleyActor
- 1984Arch of Triumph · as Col. Boris MorosovActor
- 1984Sakharov · as KravtsovActor
- 1984Royal Variety Performance 1984Actor
- 1985Lifeforce · as Dr. Hans FalladaActor
- 1985Nineteen Nineteen · as Sigmund Freud (voice)Actor
- 1985In the Secret State · as Frank StrangeActor
- 1985The Making Of Lifeforce · as SelfActor
- 1987Casanova · as RazettaActor
- 1989The Return of the Musketeers · as PorthosActor
- 1990King of the Wind · as Edward CokeActor
- 1991Mountain of Diamonds · as GarrickActor
- 1992Stalin · as SergeiActor
- 1992Cthulhu Mansion · as ChanduActor
- 1992The Other Side · as Arthur Conan DoyleActor
- 1994The Voyeur · as Nino RolfeActor
- 1994Sparrow · as Father NunzioActor
- 1995The Miracle of Medjugorje · as MonsignorActor
- 1995A Mind to Murder · as Professor EtheregeActor
- 1997Limited Edition · as John RathboneActor
- 1997Romance and Rejection (So This Is Romance?) · as Mike's DadActor
- 1998Stiff Upper Lips · as Hudson JuniorActor
- 1999Dreaming of Joseph Lees · as FatherActor
- 2000For My Baby · as Rudi WittfogelActor
- 2001The Martins · as Mr HeathActor
- 2001Station Jim · as Riorden SnrActor
- 2002The Pianist · as FatherActor
- 2003The Statement · as Commissaire VionnetActor
- 2003Eroica · as Josef HaydnActor
- 2004Lighthouse Hill · as AlfredActor
- 2007The Waiting Room · as RogerActor
- 2015Fifty Shades of Erotica · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2018Nothing Like a Dame · as Self (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.