Frank received Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his performance as William Shakespeareâs Iago in Stuart Burgeâs 1965 film of Laurence Olivierâs staging of Othello. He also won the Best Actor Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
He later essayed the definitive screen portrayal of Alexandre Dumasâ musketeer Porthos in three movies for director Richard Lester: The Three Musketeers (1974), The Four Musketeers (1975) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989). Frankâs many other films include The Longest Day; Tony Richardsonâs The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner; Martin Rittâs The Molly Maguires; Bob Clarkâs Murder by Decree; Alan Bridgesâ The Return of the Soldier (for which he recieved a BAFTA Award nomination); Franco Zeffrelliâs Sparrow; and Eric Stylesâ Dreaming of Joseph Lees; and most recently Roman Polanskiâs multi-award winning The Pianist and Norma Jewisonâs The Statement.
His similarly extensive television projects have earned him two BAFTA Awards, for his performances in The Death of Adolf Hitler (starring as Hitler, with Rex Firkin directing); The Adventures of Don Quixote (as Sancho Panza, opposite Rex Harrison, for director Alvin Rakoff); the ground breaking Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Another Bouquet; 84 Charing Cross Road; and recently the critically acclaimed series The Sins. Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Finlay had already begun performing on stage when he earned the Sir James Knott Scholarship at Londonâs Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Since then he has led theatre companies in London and on Broadway.
He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1984 New Yearâs Honours List, and was presented with his CBE by the Queen in February1984.
as Self (archive footage)
as (archive footage)
as Alexander 'Alex' Combe(3 eps)
as Anhora(1 ep)
as Roger
as Tom Maxwell(3 eps)
as Alfred
as Eric Thornhill(20 eps)
as Commissaire Vionnet
as Josef Haydn
as Asquith(2 eps)
as Father
as Riorden Snr
as Mr Heath
as Uncle Irwin Green(7 eps)
as Rudi Wittfogel
as Admiral Wagner(1 ep)
as General Bulstrode(2 eps)
as Father
as Hudson Junior
as Mike's Dad
as Edward Lawrence(1 ep)
as John Rathbone
as Monsignor
as Professor Etherege
as Professor Coram / Sergius(1 ep)
as Alcuin(3 eps)
as Father Nunzio
as Nino Rolfe
as Pavel Rhele(2 eps)
as Sergei
as Arthur Conan Doyle
as Howard Franklin(1 ep)
as Chandu
as Garrick
as Garrick(4 eps)
as Arnold Tennison(4 eps)
as Garrick(4 eps)
as Edward Coke
as Porthos
as Justice Peter Mahon(4 eps)
as Razetta
as Harold Plumb(1 ep)
as Sigmund Freud (voice)
as Dr. Hans Fallada
as Frank Strange
as Frank Strange(1 ep)
as Self
as Col. Boris Morosov
as Jacob Marley
as Kravtsov
as Professor Coram / Sergius(1 ep)
as Nino Rolfe
as The Witchsmeller Pursuivant(1 ep)
as Matthew Fox
as Self - Narrator(6 eps)
as William Grey
as Canarsky
as Captain Manson
as Captain Manson(1 ep)
as Self(1 ep)
as Shahriar
as Dearth
as Paul
as Arthur Pearson(1 ep)
as Inspector Lestrade
as Napoleon
as Fr. Geoghagen
as Abu Bakar
as Peppino
as Abraham van Helsing
as Professor Van Helsing(2 eps)
as Peppino(1 ep)
as Peter Manson(7 eps)
as Frank Doel
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
as Porthos
as Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
as Porthos / O'Reilly
as Vincent Amafi
as Adolf Hitler
as Sancho Panza
as George Dabernon
as Marty Gold
as Shylock
as William Ginley
as Giovanni Jacopo Casanova(6 eps)
as Det. Chief Supt. Velyan
as Andrew Firth
as Dearth(1 ep)
as Narrator
as John Carter
as Davies
as Albert
as Marcus Brutus
as Wilfred Tilley
as Wilfred Tilley(1 ep)
as Adolf Hitler(1 ep)
as Frank Gibbons
as Henry Durnley
as Igor Bounin
as Supt. Weaver
as Chaplain
as Jean Valjean(10 eps)
as Robinson
as Harrassed Man
as Dogberry
as Council foreman
as H.W. Manfred
as Marcus Brutus(1 ep)
as Second Fish Porter
as Iago
as Drunk
as Marcus Brutus(1 ep)
as Shylock(1 ep)
as Sancho Panza(1 ep)
as Voltaire(1 ep)
as The Man(1 ep)
as Inspector Lestrade
as Albert(1 ep)
as Prout
as Dr Dee(1 ep)
as British Embassy Porter
as Leon Sale
as Corsetiere
as Pvt. Coke (uncredited)
as Booking Office Clerk (uncredited)
as Teddy's Father
as Franco Angelo
as Fernand Destayac(1 ep)
as Capt. Patterson
as George Lander(1 ep)
as Ross Mayer(1 ep)
as George Tremaine(1 ep)
as Albert Hope(1 ep)
as Conway Henderson(6 eps)
as Franco Angelo(1 ep)
as Bosun(1 ep)
as Patrick Kelly(1 ep)
as David Field(1 ep)
as Louis(1 ep)