Albert Finney

Lore & Background

Albert Finney was born on 9 May 1936 in Salford, Lancashire, the youngest of three children and only son of Albert Finney, a bookmaker, and Alice (née Hobson). He was educated at Tootal Drive Primary School, Salford Grammar School, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), from which he graduated in 1956. While at RADA, he made an early television appearance playing Mr Hardcastle in Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer. He became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed for the Birmingham Rep, where he played the title role of Henry V. In 1958, he made his London stage debut in Jane Arden's The Party, directed by Charles Laughton. In 1959, he appeared at Stratford in the title role of Coriolanus, replacing an ill Laurence Olivier.

Finney's first film appearance was in Tony Richardson's The Entertainer (1960), with Laurence Olivier. His film breakthrough came the same year with his portrayal of a disillusioned factory worker in Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). He then created the title role in Luther (1961), a play by John Osborne. He starred in the Academy Award–winning 1963 film Tom Jones, directed by Richardson. Finney received 10% of the film's earnings, making him over $1 million. He later played Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He also received several awards for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 2002 BBC–HBO television biographical movie The Gathering Storm.

Reader's Guide

Albert Finney was a significant figure in British film and theatre, emerging in the early 1960s as part of a new wave of actors. His role in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning established him as a leading man, and his performance in Tom Jones brought international acclaim. Finney was known for his versatility, taking on both dramatic and comedic roles, and for his refusal to be tied to long-term contracts, as when he declined the role of T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He maintained a balance between stage and screen, spending over three years at the National Theatre performing classics. Finney was nominated for five Academy Awards, four for Best Actor and one for Best Supporting Actor, and received numerous other awards including BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, Silver Bear, and Volpi Cup awards. His legacy includes a body of work that spans six decades, from the British New Wave to major Hollywood productions.

Did You Know?

• Finney was nominated for an Academy Award five times, four for Best Actor and one for Best Supporting Actor.
• He received several awards for his performance as Winston Churchill in the 2002 BBC–HBO television biographical movie The Gathering Storm.
• Finney declined the role of T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia after a successful screen-test because he baulked at signing a multi-year contract.
• He played Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express (1974) and later complained that the role typecast him.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was a British actor and director." — Albert Finney "To be a character who feels a deep emotion, one must go into the memory's vault and mix in a sad memory from one's own life." — Albert Finney "As quoted in Simpson's Contemporary Quotations (1988)." — Albert Finney "On attending the Academy Awards ceremony, quoted in The Times (24 March 2001)." — Albert Finney