Finch, Peter (1912-1977), an Australian actor, won the Academy Award as best actor after his death in 1977 for his performance in the motion picture Network (1976). He was the first performer to win an Oscar in an acting category after his death.
Frederick George Peter Ingle-Finch was born in London on Sept. 28, 1912, but moved to Australia at an early age. Beginning his stage career in 1936, he made his first motion-picture appearance in Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938). In 1949, his brilliance was recognized by Laurence Olivier, who encouraged him to join the Old Vic theater company in London.
Further movie roles and international fame followed, with such films as The Battle of the River Plate (1956), The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), and the dramatic musical Lost Horizon (1973). Finch died on Jan. 14, 1977.
