Born in Pendleton, Salford, Lancashire, England to working class parents on May 9, 1936, Albert Finney was educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and later became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his London stage debut in The Party in support of Charles Laughton who became an early mentor.

Finney made his film debut in Tony Richardson’s 1960 film The Entertainer in support of Laurence Olivier and had his first starring role as the disillusioned factory worker in Karel Reisz’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning the same year.

He turned down the lead in David Lean’s 1962 classic, Lawrence of Arabia and instead agreed to play the title role in Tony Richardson’s 1963 classic, Tom Joneseven though he didn’t think the role serious enough. It brought him his first Oscar nomination. He went sailing in Tahiti rather than attend the awards ceremony.

He temporarily became notorious as the first and only actor to ever call Audrey Hepburn a “bitch” in Stanley Donen’s 1967 film, Two for the Road and the same year directed his first film, the comedy-drama, Charlie Bubbles.

Finney proved his versatility once again playing a singing and dancing Scrooge in Ronald Neame’s 1970 version of the Dickens perennial.

He was the third choice to essay the role of Hercule Poriot in Sidney Lumet’s 1974 film of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express after it was turned down by both Alec Guinness and Paul Scofield. Christie felt his portrayal was the closest of those of the many actors who played her legendary character to play him the way she wrote him. It brought him his second Oscar nomination. He again failed to show up at the awards ceremony.

His early 1980s work proved prolific as he went from playing a cop investigating horrific deaths in Michael Wadleigh’s Wolfen to the father in Alan Parker’s family drama, Shoot the Moon to Daddy Warbucks in John Huston’s Annie to the aging actor in Peter Yates’ The Dresser to the alcoholic counsel in Huston’s Under the Volcano with time out to play the Pope in TV’s John Paul II. The Dresser and Under the Volcano brought him his third and fourth Oscar nominations neither of which brought him any closer to attending the awards ceremony.

His 1990s output included memorable roles in as a two-fisted crime boss in Joel Coen’s Miller’s Crossing; an abandoned husband in Bruce Beresford’s Rich in Love; a Greek and Latin teacher in Mike Figgis’ The Browning Version; a gay Irish bus conductor in Suri Krishnamma’s A Man of No Importance and as the tyrannical father in Agnieszka Holland’s film of Henry James’ Washington Square.

Turning on the charm to play Julia Roberts’ boss in Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 film, Erin Brockovich, Finney’s efforts resulted in his fifth Oscar nomination, his first in the supporting category. Again he was a no-show at the awards ceremony.

His 2002 portrayal of Winston Churchill in TV’s The Gathering Storm brought him an Emmy, which to no one’s surprise he was not in attendance to accept. He had his best big screen role since in recent years as Billy Crudup’s dying father in Tim Burton’s 2003 film, Big Fish.

Up next in John Landis’ film of Terrence Rattigan’s The Rivals, the bodice ripper set in 1775 that returns the actor to the era of triumph of nearly fifty years ago in Tom Jones. Albert Finney, who turned down a knighthood in 2000 because he thought being called Sir the height of snobbery, is still going strong at 75.

ESSENTIAL FILMS

TOM JONES (1963), directed by Tony Richardson

Time has not been as kind to this bawdy early 1960s classic as we may wish, but it was a real groundbreaker in its day. Its winking licentiousness was unlike anything audiences had seen up to that time. Richardson’s direction, John Addison’s tinkling score and just about everything connected with the film charmed critics and audiences alike and its ten Oscar nominations and four wins were well earned. Finney in the title role is especially memorable.

SCROOGE (1970), directed by Ronald Neame

Alastair Sim may be the screen’s definitive Scrooge in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol, but Finney is a very close second. He is authoritative in the dramatic scenes, commanding in the dramatic musical numbers and absolutely delightful in the more jaunty musical numbers. He is especially marvelous in redemptive mode at the film’s conclusion.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974), directed by Sidney Lumet

Lumet’s film of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit is a bon-bon, marvelously played by an all-star cast that seems to be enjoying being in one another’s presence. All of the players are given their moment to shine, but all of them do so in their scenes with Finney whose wily portrayal of Hercule Poirot is one of the actor’s most satisfying inventions.

MILLER’S CROSSING (1990), directed by Joel Coen

Finney’s portrayal of the brutal Irish crime boss in one of the Coen Brothers’ early hits was not only one of the best performances of his long career, it was the best performance in a film loaded with them and may in fact be the best performance ever in a Coen Brothers film. He simply has to be seen to be believed.

BIG FISH (2003), directed by Tim Burton

Tim Burton’s warped sense of humor doesn’t always come across as endearingly as intended in his films, but this time he scored a bulls-eye. Finney was in his element as a dying old rascal in this father-son drama with Billy Crudup as the son and Ewan McGregor as Finney’s character in flashback. After a lifetime of spinning tall tales, Finney’s character may have saved his best for last, but is it a tall tale or is real?

ALBERT FINNEY’S OSCAR NOMINATIONS

• Tom Jones (1963)
• Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
• The Dresser (1983)
• Under the Volcano (1984)
• Eric Brockovich (2000)