ABOUT PETER FINCH (1916 - 77)

Peter Finch was born Frederick George Peter Ingle-Finch on September 28th, 1916, in South Kensington, London, England. At age 10 he moved to Australia.  When he grew up, he began acting on the stage as a commedian's stooge, where he was spotted by Lawrence Olivier who convinced him to go to England to perform classical works on the stage.  Finch, a hard drinking womanizer, had an affair with Vivian Leigh, then married to Olivier. 

Peter Finch became a film actor in 1938, because of crippling stage fright.  In 1959, he played in THE NUN'S STORY,with Audrey Hepburn, as a doctor who treats a young nun for tuberculosis. In 1967, he played a controlling, middle aged wooer for the affections of an independent young farmer, in the film adaptation of FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, with Julie Christie. 

In 1971, he played a Jewish, homosexual doctor who shares a lover with a lonely woman, played by Glenda Jackson in the movie, SUNDAY, BLOODY SUNDAY.  He was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal.

In 1976, Peter Finch played in the movie NETWORK, a fictional expose on the corruption inside the television industry.  Finch portrayed aging news anchor, Howard Beale, whose reaction to being fired, is to announce during the nightly news, that he will commit suicide on the air.  During his on air raving, he encourages his viewers to open their windows to join him in his vendetta against his television station, by shouting, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!"  Finch received an Academy Award for Best Actor, but posthumously, as he expired well before the ceremonies.


Peter Finch received the British Film Academy award for:

A TOWN LIKE ALICE
THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE
NO LOVE FOR JOHNNIE
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY
NETWORK

Peter Finch's other nomination was for:

SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY (71)

Finch's other credits include:

RED SKY AT MORNING
THE POWER AND THE GLORY
TRAIN OF EVENTS
THE MINIVER STORY
ROBIN HOOD
ELEPHANT WALK
FATHER BROWN
MAKE ME AN OFFER
THE DARK AVENGER
SIMON AND LAURA
THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE
OPERATION AMSTERDAM
KIDNAPPED
THE NUN'S STORY
IN THE COOL OF THE DAY
THE PUMPKIN EATER
THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
THE RED TENT
SOMETHING TO HIDE
LOST HORIZON
THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (1965)

Peter Finch's television credits include:

RAID ON ENTEBBE