The 5-time Oscar nominee died yesterday following a brief illness. The powerhouse character actor starred in films such as The Gathering Storm, Big Fish, Under the Volcano, Tom Jones, Scrooge, Annie, Murder in the Orient Express , The Dresser, and the ground-breaking "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning." full story: https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/entertainment-arts-47175304 I always admired his "no nonsense" approach. He declined a knighthood-- saying titles promoted snobbery -- and never attended the Oscars, describing it as a "waste of time." They don't make actors like him any more.
Indeed he was one in a million. the performance of his I remember most is Hercules Poirot in "Murder On The Orient Express." Rest In Peace.
One of the greats indeed. Under the Volcano is the most devastating film performance I have ever seen. For some reason I though he had won an Oscar, but he didn't. Shows what awards are worth. Almost all those great "kitchen sink" leading men are gone, more time slipped away.
Two things: His Daddy Warbucks is the model for my headcanon Professor X. He, Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole were considered the successors to the Great Trio of Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier. Now both trios of actors are gone. The world is a darker, greyer place without them.
As you probably know, Finney was more or less responsible for O’Toole becoming a star. David Lean had planned to cast him as Lawrence of Arabia, going screen, costume & make-up tests etc. At the last minute, however, Albert dropped out, making way for one Peter O’Toole, and the rest is history.
Actually, I did not know this. It's pretty cool, though. One wonders if he did it deliberately, so O'Toole could be cast instead.
Apparently he was afraid that it would be a flop and that he’d be stuck in a restrictive long-term contract.