Albert Finney 1936 - 2019

Albert Finney; actor, producer, and director of film, television, and theatre, has passed away at 82. 

Born in Pendleton, Salford, England, Albert Finney graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1956. His first major acting role was in the Vanbrugh Theatre’s student production of the play THE FACE OF LOVE, and later became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His first film appearance was in 1960 in Tony Richardson’s THE ENTERTAINER, and had a breakthrough role the same year in SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. This led to his role in the Oscar-winning 1963 film TOM JONES. During this time he was chosen to play T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, but chose not to accept the role. 

He directed the 1968 film CHARLIE BUBBLES, and his film appearances became less frequent as he stayed active on the stage. In 1974 he had one of his best roles as master detective Hercuel Poirot in the film MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. While he was known as a dramatic actor, he appeared in and sang in three musicals; SCROOGE (1970), ANNIE (1982), and Tim Burton’s CORPSE BRIDE (2005). He would also earn a total of 13 BAFTA nominations (nine film, four in television), and would win two. He also has three Golden Globe wins out of nine nominations.

His career would earn five Oscar nominations, although he never won. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for TOM JONES, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE DRESSER (1983), and UNDER THE VOLCANO (1984), and one nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000). His other notable film roles include WOLFEN (1981), SHOOT THE MOON (1982), MILLER’S CROSSING (1990), TRAFFIC (2000), BIG FISH (2003), OCEAN’S TWELVE (2004), THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007), THE BOURNE LEGACY (2012), SKYFALL (2012), and JASON BOURNE (2016). 

He won an Emmy Award in 2002 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in HBO’s THE GATHERING STORM. 

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Albert Finney was one of those actors that seemed to make every movie a little better. He had a larger-than-life presence on the screen, and his thunderous delivery of lines deserved our attention. Whether he was crooning as Ebenezer Scrooge or telling tall tales, Albert Finney was always a joy to watch. This Blogger will always recall his role in BIG FISH, when he played a father who was always telling stories…either for entertainment or to prove a point; much like this Blogger’s dad once did. Looking back on Finney’s life and career, it would certainly be wonderful to pull up a chair and listen to one of his stories.