Peter Finch
Biography
Peter Finch was an English and Australian actor who was born in London, moved to Australia as a child, and was raised in Sydney, where he began in vaudeville and radio before starring in Australian films. After World War II he joined the Old Vic Company and won critical success in Britain on stage and screen, becoming one of British cinema's leading men. He won five BAFTA Awards for Best Actor, including for A Town Like Alice (1956), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), which also brought an Oscar nomination. His international reputation grew with The Nun's Story (1959), and he earned the Academy Award for Best Actor for Network (1976), playing Howard Beale. He died in 1977 before the awards ceremony, making him the first performer to win a posthumous acting Oscar. His other films included The Pumpkin Eater (1964), Girl with Green Eyes (1964), and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965).
60years old at death
- Born South Kensington
- Died Beverly Hills
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Also credited as Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch and Frederick Ingle Finch
Movie Career
- Films
- 22
- Career span
- 24 years1952 to 1976
Genres
Share
Did you know?!
First role
In the 1935 short film The Magic Shoes, an adaptation of the Cinderella fairy tale, Finch played Prince Charming, which was his first screen performance.
Big break
Laurence Olivier saw Finch in a Mercury production of The Imaginary Invalid and encouraged him to move to London, which Finch did that year.
A role that slipped away
Finch was originally cast as Julius Caesar in Cleopatra and filmed scenes in London, but withdrew when the production was postponed and was replaced by Rex Harrison.
Behind the camera
Finch co-wrote and directed the award-winning short film The Day in 1960, and announced plans to direct a feature called Dig that did not eventuate.
Behind the camera
Finch was a poet whose work was encouraged by Kenneth Slessor, who published his poem Tell them in Australian Poetry 1945.
Peter Finch movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Robert Aldrich directed two of these films, John Schlesinger two. Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
George Kennedy's page
Lionel Jeffries's page
Ernest Borgnine's page
James Mason's page
Michael Hordern's page
Niall MacGinnis's page
All films by Robert Aldrich
All films by John Schlesinger
Also two films together6 more actors
- Miles MallesonFirst Men in the Moon (1964) and Kidnapped (1960)
- Gabriele TintiThe Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
- Hardy KrügerThe Red Tent (1969) and The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
- Julian SomersFar from the Madding Crowd (1967) and The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
- Peggy AshcroftSunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and The Nun's Story (1959)
- Thomas BaptisteSunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and In the Cool of the Day (1963)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Two awards and honors, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1977 | Best Actor | Network | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.