Profile of Peter Finch on Famous Like Me

Peter Finch (September 28, 1916 - January 14, 1977) was an English-born actor with strong Australian connections.

Born Frederick George Peter Ingle-Finch in London, he lived as a child in France and India, and finally in Australia, his parent's native country. There he grew up in Sydney. After finishing school, he worked in several badly-paid jobs until he tried acting. He began in 1935 playing theatre roles, and also working in radio. In 1938, he appeared in his first movie, Dad and Dave Come to Town. Thereafter he played again on stage, where he was noticed by Laurence Olivier and encouraged to return to London. Finch returned the favour by having an affair with Olivier's wife, Vivien Leigh. Despite his stage experience, Finch suffered from stage fright and turned to films. His first role in a British-made film was in Eureka Stockade 1949 (set in Australia).

Finch's Hollywood debut was in The Miniver Story in 1950, but his first major role was 1956 in A Town Like Alice. In 1972, his role of the homosexual Jewish doctor in Sunday Bloody Sunday earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

He also won an Oscar nomination for his over-the-top portrayal of the crazed television anchor man Howard Beale in the 1976 film Network. He died of a stroke during a promotional tour for the film. He nevertheless won the Oscar, the first time the Best Actor award had been made posthumously, and he was the first Australian actor to win the award. It was accepted by his widow.

Finch also won five Awards of the British Film Academy.

Peter Finch was married three times. His fist wife was Tamara Tchinarova and his second wife Yolande Turner. Both marriages ended in divorce. His third wife was Eletha Finch. He had four children from his three marriages.

He is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.

Some references say his original name was William Mitchell. This is not correct. He was once arrested for drunkenness in Rome and, when asked for his name, he gave a fictitious one in order to protect his professional reputation. When his real identity was later revealed, some commentators made the incorrect assumption that William Mitchell must have been his legal name.

In 1980, noted author and film/theatre industry insider Elaine Dundy wrote his biography titled Finch, bloody Finch: A biography of Peter Finch.

Filmography

Raid On Entebbe (1977) (TV movie)

Network (1976)

The Abdication (1974)

England Made Me (1973)

A Bequest to the Nation (1973)

Lost Horizon (1973)

Something to Hide (1972)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday (1971)

The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

10:30 P.M. Summer (1966)

Judith (1966)

The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

First Men in the Moon (1964)

Girl with Green Eyes (1964)

The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

In the Cool of the Day (1963)

I Thank a Fool (1962)

No Love for Johnnie (1961)

The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961)

The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960)

Kidnapped (1960)

The Nun's Story (1959)

Operation Amsterdam (1959)

Windom's Way (1957)

Robbery Under Arms (1957)

The Shiralee (1957)

The Battle of the River Plate (1956)

A Town Like Alice (1956)

Josephine and Men (1955)

Make Me an Offer (1955)

Passage Home (1955)

Simon and Laura (1955)

The Dark Avenger (1955)

Father Brown (1954) Elephant Walk (1954)

The Heart of the Matter (1953)

The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)

The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)

The Miniver Story (1950)

The Wooden Horse (1950)

Train of Events (1949)

Eureka Stockade (1949)

A Son Is Born (1946)

The Rats of Tobruk (1944)

Red Sky at Morning (1944)

The Power and the Glory (1941)

Mr. Chedworth Steps Out (1939)

Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938)

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