Legendary Five-Time Oscar Nominee Albert Finney Has Passed Away At 82
Albert Finney, the five-time Oscar-nominated British actor who starred in the likes ofSkyfall, Erin Brockovich, the originalMurder on the Orient Express, and the Best Picture-winningTom Jones, has died at age 82.
News of Albert Finney dead was confirmed by a publicist toThe Guardian. The actor announced a battle with kidney cancer in 2011, but he passed away due to a chest infection at the Royal Marsden hospital just outside London. The actor’s wife Pene and his son Simon were by his side.
Finney started his acting career by studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, working with future screen legends such as Peter O’Toole and Alan Bates. He came along at a time when there was a huge surge in British new wave cinema in the 1960s. Though he started small with a supporting role inThe Entertainer, he quickly rose to fame with a role by taking the lead inSaturday Night and Sunday Morningin 1960.
The profile of Finney on the big screen rose even higher as he became the face of Britain’s explosion in cinema, largely thanks to hist first Oscar-nominated leading role inTom Jonesin 1963, which went on to win Best Picture. It also gave him plenty of exposure in the United States.
The 1960s also saw Finney star inNight Must FallandTwo for the Roadwith Audrey Hepburn. Finney also used his popularity at the time to spark a directing career with a film calledCharlie Bubblesin 1968. Though that would be the only time he got behind the camera, Finney also used his clout as an uncredited producer on films likePrivilege, Burning, andIf… throughout the decade.
When the 1970s came along, Finney started taking on a wider variety of roles, includingScrooge, the musical adaptation of the classic taleA Christmas Carol, Stephen Frears' directorial debutGumshoe, Ridley Scott’s first featureThe Duelists, and the star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mysteryMurder on the Orient Express, where he would earn another Oscar nomination for playing famed detective Hercule Poirot.
The 1980s brought Albert Finney two more back-to-back Oscar nominations for Best Actor for his turns inThe DresserandUnder the Volcano. The decade would also see him getting musical again as Daddy Warbucks in an adaptation ofAnnie. The 1990s gave him an opportunity to work with the Coen Brothers inMiller’s Crossing, and he also expanded into television with roles in miniseries titles likeKaraoke, Cold LazarusandNostromo.
It wasn’t until 2000 that Albert Finney received an Oscar nomination again, this time for Best Supporting Actor alongside Julia Roberts inErin Brockovich. It began an era of his career where he would really embrace his age, playing Winston Churchill inThe Gathering Storm(and earning a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy for it), a dying storyteller in Tim Burton’sBig Fish, and an expert thief inOcean’s 12.
Finney rounded out his career by playing with two of the most famous spies on the big screen. He made for an impressive villain inThe Bourne Ultimatum, and he gave Daniel Craig as James Bond a hand inSkyfall, which is his last acting credit on screen.
Albert Finney enjoyed a long, decorated career that spanned decades. He brought a fierce passion to the screen with every character he played, and his work will long be revered by generations of actors and filmmakers. He will be missed.
