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Albert Finney trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where his classmates included Alan Bates and Peter O'Toole. Beginning his stage career with the Birmingham Repertory Company, he made his London debut in the company's production of George Bernard Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA in 1956. Two years later he earned critical acclaim opposite Charles Laughton in a West End production of THE PARTY, after which he joined the famed Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford on Avon for their 100th anniversary season, performing Cassio in OTHELLO (directed by Tony Richardson with Paul Robeson in the lead), and then re-teaming with Laughton for A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM (as Lysander). A small role as Olivier's son in Richardson's THE ENTERTAINER served as Finney's entrée to films, and he also received excellent reviews for his stage turn in THE LILY-WHITE BOYS (both 1960). After quitting the starring role in David Lean's LAWRENCE OF ARABIA so as not to be tied to long-term film contract, Finney cemented his film stardom as the rakish, startlingly handsome, picaresque hero TOM JONES (1963) in Richardson's lavish hit, earning his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. That same year he also took Broadway by storm in Jon Osborne's LUTHER (helmed by Richardson), before re-teaming with Reisz for the director's remake of NIGHT MUST FALL (1964), on which Finney made his debut as producer. Finney reinforced his reputation as a romantic leading man opposite Audrey Hepburn in TWO FOR THE ROAD (1967). Then as the title role in SCROOGE (1970). Finney transformed himself completely into Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot for MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974), which garnered the barely recognizable actor his second Best Actor nomination. For the next seven years, Finney did only one film, playing a small role in Ridley Scott's THE DUELISTS (1977). He had directed several plays while associate artistic director of London's Royal Court Theatre from 1972-1975. He had a flurry of pictures in the early eighties, Alan Parker's SHOOT THE MOON, starring Diane Keaton (1981) and then the role of 'Daddy Warbucks' in ANNIE (1982) for John Huston. He earned his fourth Best Actor Oscar nomination for UNDER THE VOLCANO, adapted from Malcolm Lowry's autobiographical novel. Finney reprised his stage role as drunken Chicago gangster in ORPHANS (1987). The nineties forayed into television, in two Dennis Potter-scripted miniseries KARAOKE and COLD LAZARUS (both 1996; aired in the USA on Bravo), and as Dr. Monygham in the lavish six-hour "Masterpiece Theatre" miniseries Joseph Conrad's NOSTROMO (PBS, 1997). In 1999 he did the British drama A RATHER ENGLISH MARRIAGE, again for "Masterpiece Theatre." Following his turn as the grizzled, eccentric writer Kilgore Trout in BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS, Finney essayed a former racing commissioner in the film adaptation of Sam Shepard's SIMPATICO (both in 1999). He then found himself in Steven Soderbergh's commercial smash ERIN BROCHAVICH (2000). That same year, the actor had a cameo in the Soderbergh-directed TRAFFIC. |
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