Acclaimed Actor Albert Finney Dies at Age 82
It is with great sadness that ComingSoon.net is bringing word (via Variety) that legendary English actor and five-time Oscar nominee Albert Finney has passed away at age 82 after a short battle with a chest infection. Finney’s family said in a statement that he “passed away peacefully after a short illness with those closest to him by his side.”
Born in England May 9, 1936, Finney began his career as a Shakespearian theater actor before transitioning to films in 1960’s The Entertainer. He became a known quantity after his title role as the rascal Tom Jones, which became 1963’s Best Picture winner and earned him the first of his five Oscar nods. After this the stardom-averse Finney focused more on stage work for many years, though he did co-star with Audrey Hepburn in the hit romantic comedy Two for the Road.
His next triumph saw him embody Agatha Christie’s iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in 1974’s star-studded Murder on the Orient Express. Although he earned an Oscar nod was Christie’s favorite actor to play the character, Finney passed on reprising the part in Death on the Nile and subsequent Poirot features, passing the torch to Peter Ustinov. He would, however, work with Orient Express director Sidney Lumet again on the filmmaker’s final movie Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead in 2007.
Finney co-starred in Ridley Scott’s 1977 directorial debut The Duelists, and worked with the director again three decades later on 2006’s A Good Year. He dipped his toe into the horror genre with 1981’s Wolfen, an unconventional werewolf film where he played the lead role of a burnt-out New York cop. Finney earned his third Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar nomination playing an aging actor in the 1983 stage adaptation The Dresser, opposite Tom Courtenay. He worked with John Huston on 1982’s hit musical Annie as Daddy Warbucks, and then again with the director as an alcoholic in 1984’s Under the Volcano, earning him another Oscar nomination.
Finney’s most memorable role of the 1990’s was his tough portrayal of an Irish mob boss in the Coen Brothers masterpiece Miller’s Crossing, a last-minute replacement after the death of the originally-cast Trey Wilson. He also earned praise for his role in A Man of No Importance as a gay bus conductor in 1960’s Dublin.
The 2000s saw Finney spark a short run with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, first as a shifty lawyer opposite Julia Roberts in 2000’s Erin Brockovich (earning his fifth Oscar nod), then as the White House Chief of Staff in that same year’s Traffic. Both films were nominated for Best Picture. He also played the small but crucial role as Gaspar LeMarc in Soderbergh’s hit sequel Ocean’s Twelve.
He worked with filmmaker Tim Burton twice also, the first time as the yarn-spinning main character in Big Fish, sharing the part with Ewan McGregor as a younger version. He also voiced a role in Burton’s animated Corpse Bride.
Finney capped his career in two big spy franchises. He played Dr. Albert Hirsch, the founder of the Treadstone program, in both The Bourne Ultimatum and The Bourne Legacy. He followed that up with a memorable turn as Kincade, a father figure to James Bond in the blockbuster Skyfall, which would ultimately be his final screen role.
Here are some of the first online reactions to Albert Finney’s death on social media…
“Whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not.” RIP Albert Finney, the original Angry Young Man, thanks for ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’, ‘Miller’s Crossing’, ‘Two For The Road’, ‘Gumshoe’, ‘The Dresser’, ‘Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead’, ‘Tom Jones’ & so many others… pic.twitter.com/TKGJYKcK8Z
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) February 8, 2019
Remember the great Albert Finney tonight by watching Miller’s Crossing and Under the Volcano – two vastly different performances that showcase his unique ability to combine power with powerlessness.
(And he was an artist with a Thompson.)
— Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) February 8, 2019
RIP #ALBERTFINNEY. Sending love n prayers to family and Penny. Thank u for the many stunning performances- and laughter on & off set! pic.twitter.com/jCQOqgzo43
— Marcia Gay Harden (@MGH_8) February 8, 2019
The old man’s still an artist with a Thompson. RIP Albert Finney pic.twitter.com/F83GUJVq9k
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) February 8, 2019
In honor of the great Albert Finney, I’m going to take time tonight to listen to Frank Patterson tenor the hell out of Danny Boy while the old man shows his artistry with a Thompson.
— David Simon (@AoDespair) February 8, 2019
#AlbertFinney is mob boss Leo O’Bannon in the Coen’s Miller’s Crossing. He also has a short moment on screen as a woman in Verna/Tom dressing room scene. He was excellent in both roles. Finney adopted an Irish accent after Byrne argued it sounded better. The Coens agreed. pic.twitter.com/wKgq4OYBOw
— Reconsidering Cinema (@coenesqued) February 8, 2019
I met Albert Finney in Alabama on the day of the table read for Big Fish. I had no notes. There was nothing to fix. He was exactly who you hoped he would be. RIP.
— John August (@johnaugust) February 8, 2019
In all your memorials, please remember #AlbertFinney loved making #MillersCrossing so much he stayed after wrap to be a female maid extra. pic.twitter.com/TCwzqxX0BO
— Greg MacLennan (@themaclennan) February 8, 2019
So sad to hear of the passing of Albert Finney . I had the great pleasure of working with him on ‘Annie’ the movie. Who could forget him in Tom Jones .RIP we will miss you!!!
— Bernadette Peters (@OfficialBPeters) February 8, 2019
I never had the pleasure/honor Of meeting the incomparable Albert Finney. But today, for some strange reason, I feel like I have lost a family member. Thank you dear Sir, for raising the bar to levels unattainable!
— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) February 8, 2019
I remember seeing SHOOT THE MOON with my Aunt Denise when I was about 10 years old. And then seeing ANNIE a few weeks later with my Mom. Then putting together that the father in both was the same man and thinking – wow, that’s what acting means. Thank you, Albert Finney. pic.twitter.com/QyXOY0rKSO
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) February 8, 2019
Albert Finney is gone…
The Best.
But more than our greatest actor…
What the Germans call “Ein Mensch”
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) February 8, 2019
So sorry to hear this. 27 years ago, I had a perfect dinner with delightful Albert Finney and Alice Cooper. It ended with Albert introducing us to a very drunk and glum Grand Dame of British Theatre, who had just lost a major award. (I was too intimidated to do any talking.) https://t.co/OavUYnGsXq
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) February 8, 2019
ALBERT FINNEY was an actors actor …I saw him first on Broadway in LUTHER …without compare … Rest In Peace Mr. F. https://t.co/vofRDbDW4C
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) February 8, 2019
Thank you to Albert Finney for your artistry over so many years. A true inspiration. #RIP https://t.co/5GpX5Ku8OG
— Carla Gugino (@carlagugino) February 8, 2019
from Daddy Warbucks to Winston Churchill, great career, great actor, great life. RIP #AlbertFinney pic.twitter.com/bLH5lmV0Rj
— Luke Evans (@TheRealLukevans) February 8, 2019
Favorite Albert Finney movies? For me – two very different looks at love & marriage – 1967’s “Two for the Road” and 1982’s “Shoot the Moon” pic.twitter.com/K6dW8XmrUQ
— Larry Karaszewski (@Karaszewski) February 8, 2019
Found these pics of #AlbertFinney shaving his head for Annie and now I’m all sad again.
RIP Daddy Warbucks/Poirot/Scrooge/Ed Masry…
pic.twitter.com/te0gl9cHV3
— Julie Benson (@TheJulieBenson) February 8, 2019
We are very sad to hear Albert Finney has passed away at the age of 82. The five-time Oscar nominee played gameskeeper Kincade in SKYFALL (2012). pic.twitter.com/8uzZbfwSi2
— James Bond (@007) February 8, 2019
Albert Finney passed away yesterday. We will always remember him as Dewey Wilson in WOLFEN. pic.twitter.com/pzhr3pb4h7
— Fangoria (@FANGORIA) February 8, 2019
R.I.P. #AlbertFinney One of the greats…I also loved him in #WOLFEN pic.twitter.com/jOUeZeYws8
— Jonathan Frakes (@jonathansfrakes) February 8, 2019
Farewell to one of the greatest actors, Albert Finney. His extraordinary performance in TOM JONES is one for the ages. pic.twitter.com/cEJbHiIvRI
— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) February 8, 2019
“I don’t think that we necessarily lie. I mean, we make our living by pretending that we’re someone else. I don’t tell tall tales. I always tell the truth.” #RIP Albert Finney, a creative, honest, and always compelling actor who made his every film worth watching. pic.twitter.com/aq03hEZJMy
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) February 8, 2019
We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Albert Finney. He was a huge part of the National Theatre acting company from its early days in Chichester and performed many roles over the years, including Hamlet which opened the Lyttelton Theatre in 1976. pic.twitter.com/IxWt6ayXCM
— National Theatre (@NationalTheatre) February 8, 2019
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Albert Finney. The recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship in 2001, Finney will be warmly remembered for his powerful performances in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Tom Jones, Big Fish and many more. pic.twitter.com/SwuaV84cGE
— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 8, 2019
“It’s a marvelous life” – Albert Finney pic.twitter.com/ZKm48Qy1Q7
— TCM (@tcm) February 8, 2019
(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
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