Francis Finlay (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was an English actor. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Iago in Othello (1965). This led to appearances on The Morecambe and Wise Show. Finlay starred alongside famous Italian actress Stefania Sandrelli in Tinto Brass' The Key, the most successful Italian film of the 1983–1984 season. He also appeared in the drama Bouquet of Barbed Wire. A four-time BAFTA nominee, Finlay won one for his television performances in 1974.
Early life
Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Josiah Finlay and Margaret Finlay. He was educated at St Gregory the Great School, but left at 14 to train as a butcher at Toppings, gaining a City and Guilds Diploma in the trade.
Stage career
Finlay made his first stage appearances at the local Farnworth Little Theatre, in plays that included Peter Blackmore's Miranda in 1951. and the film adaptation of that production (also 1965), The critic John Simon wrote that the close-ups in the film allowed Finlay to give a more subtle and effective performance than he had done on stage.
At the Chichester Festival Theatre, Finlay played roles ranging from the First Gravedigger in Hamlet to Josef Frank in Weapons of Happiness. He also appeared in The Party, Plunder, Saint Joan, Hobson's Choice, Amadeus (as Salieri), Between November 1988 and April 1989, Finlay toured Australia, performing in Jeffrey Archer's Beyond Reasonable Doubt at theatres in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Screen
One of his earliest television roles was in the family space adventure serial Target Luna (1960), as journalist Conway Henderson. Finlay's first major television success was as Jean Valjean in the BBC's 1967 ten-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. He played the title role of Dennis Potter's BBC 2 series Casanova (1971). for which he won a BAFTA award. He won another BAFTA award that year for his performance as Voltaire in the BBC TV production of Candide. Finlay became a member of the British Catholic Stage Guild (now the Catholic Association of Performing Arts). Finlay was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours of 1984 and an honorary doctor of the University of Bolton in 2009.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Awards
!Category
!Nominated work
!Result
!Ref.
|-
| rowspan="3" |1966
|Academy Awards
|Best Supporting Actor
| rowspan="4" |Othello
|
|
|-
|Golden Globe Awards
|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
|
|
|-
|San Sebastián International Film Festival
|Silver Shell for Best Actor
|
|
|-
|1967
|British Academy Film Awards
|Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
|
|
|-
|1972
| rowspan="2" |British Academy Television Awards
| rowspan="2" |Best Actor
|Casanova
|
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|1974
|Play of the Month: The Adventure of Don Quixote / Candide / ITV Sunday Night Theatre: The Death of Adolf Hitler
|
|-
|1976
|Laurence Olivier Awards
|Actor of the Year in a New Play
|When It Comes Down / Weapons of Decree
|
|
|-
|1983
|British Academy Film Awards
|Best Actor in a Supporting Role
|The Return of the Soldier
|
|
|}
Filmography
Film
{|class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#B0C4DE;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
!
|-
|rowspan=4|1962
|Life for Ruth
|Henry – Teddy's father
|
|
|-
|The Longest Day
|Private Coke
| rowspan="2" |Uncredited
|
|-
|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
| Booking Office clerk
|
|-
| 1971
|Casanova
|Casanova
|Main role
|