Finney, Albert (1936-2019), a British actor and director of plays and motion pictures, achieved his first success in realistic English drama of the 1950’s and 1960’s. He became a star with his performance in the stage version of Billy Liar (1960), in which he played a working-class hero. He also played a working-class hero in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (also 1960) and a charming killer in Night Must Fall (1964). Finney gained international praise for his performance as the title character in the historical film comedy Tom Jones (1963). He starred and directed the film drama Charley Bubbles (1967). Finney’s best-known stage performances include major roles in the dramas Luther (1961) and The Cherry Orchard and Macbeth (both 1978).
Finney’s other notable films include The Entertainer (1960), Scrooge (1970), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Annie (1982), The Dresser (1983), Under the Volcano (1984), Miller’s Crossing (1990), A Man of No Importance (1994), Washington Square (1997), Traffic and Erin Brockovich (both 2000), Big Fish (2003), Amazing Grace (2006), Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and its sequel The Bourne Legacy (2012); and Skyfall (2012).
Finney was born on May 9, 1936, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his stage debut in 1956 with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He died on Feb. 8, 2019
