Frank Finlay

Francis Finlay, CBE (6 August 1926 – 30 January 2016) was a renown English actor. He was highly recognized for his commanding performance as Iago in Othello (1965), which gained him an Academy Award nomination. In his early career, he made several stage appearances at the local Farnworth Little Theatre and later won a scholarship to RADA in London. His first leading television role blossomed in 1971 in Casanova. This accelerated his career landing him participations in multiple shows including The Morecambe and Wise Show, Bouquet of Barbed Wire, Filumena, among others.

Finlay had the exceptional talent of adapting to different roles. A span of his work includes playing Jean Valjean in the BBC's 1967 ten-part adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Adolf Hitler in The Death of Adolf Hitler (1973), and Richard Roundtree's nemesis, Amafi, in Shaft in Africa (1973). He did not limit himself to serious roles but also featured in comical productions such as The Black Adder ("Witchsmeller Pursuivant", 1983), working alongside Rowan Atkinson. His prodigious skills garnered him BAFTA awards for his performance as Voltaire in the BBC TV production of Candide and Sancho Panza in The Adventures of Don Quixote. His illustrious career earned him the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's Honours of 1984.