Highest rated as cast or director
Biography
Frank received Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for his performance as William Shakespeare’s Iago in Stuart Burge’s 1965 film of Laurence Olivier’s staging of Othello. He also won the Best Actor Award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. He later essayed the definitive screen portrayal of Alexandre Dumas’ musketeer Porthos in three movies for director Richard Lester: The Three Musketeers (1974), The Four Musketeers (1975) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989). Frank’s many other films include The Longest Day; Tony Richardson’s The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner; Martin Ritt’s The Molly Maguires; Bob Clark’s Murder by Decree; Alan Bridges’ The Return of the Soldier (for which he recieved a BAFTA Award nomination); Franco Zeffrelli’s Sparrow; and Eric Styles’ Dreaming of Joseph Lees; and most recently Roman Polanski’s multi-award winning The Pianist and Norma Jewison’s The Statement. His similarly extensive television projects have earned him two BAFTA Awards, for his performances in The Death of Adolf Hitler (starring as Hitler, with Rex Firkin directing); The Adventures of Don Quixote (as Sancho Panza, opposite Rex Harrison, for director Alvin Rakoff); the ground breaking Bouquet of Barbed Wire and Another Bouquet; 84 Charing Cross Road; and recently the critically acclaimed series The Sins. Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Finlay had already begun performing on stage when he earned the Sir James Knott Scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Since then he has led theatre companies in London and on Broadway. He was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1984 New Year’s Honours List, and was presented with his CBE by the Queen in February1984.
Acted in 118
2010s
- 2015
Fifty Shades of Erotica
(archive footage)
2000s
- 2008
Rosamunde Pilcher's Four Seasons
Alexander 'Alex' Combe · 3 episodes
- 2007
The Waiting Room
Roger
- 2006
Johnny and the Bomb
Tom Maxwell · 3 episodes
- 2004
Lighthouse Hill
Alfred
- 2003
Eroica
Josef Haydn
The Lost Prince
Asquith · 2 episodes
- 2002
- 2001
Station Jim
Riorden Snr
The Martins
Mr Heath
- 2000
The Sins
Uncle Irwin Green · 7 episodes
For My Baby
Rudi Wittfogel
Longitude
Admiral Wagner · 1 episode
1990s
- 1999
- 1998
Stiff Upper Lips
Hudson Junior
How Do You Want Me?
TV
- 1997
The Grand
Edward Lawrence · 1 episode
Limited Edition
John Rathbone
- 1995
A Mind to Murder
Professor Etherege
- 1994
Charlemagne, le prince à cheval
Alcuin · 3 episodes
Sparrow
Father Nunzio
The Voyeur
Nino Rolfe
- 1992
Stalin
Sergei
- 1991
Mountain of Diamonds
Garrick
Mountain of Diamonds
Garrick · 4 episodes
The Burning Shore
Garrick · 4 episodes
- 1990
King of the Wind
Edward Coke
1980s
- 1989
- 1987
Erebus: The Aftermath
Justice Peter Mahon · 4 episodes
Casanova
Razetta
- 1986
- 1985
Nineteen Nineteen
Sigmund Freud (voice)
In the Secret State
Frank Strange
- 1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Movie
Sakharov
Kravtsov
- 1983
The Ploughman's Lunch
Matthew Fox
- 1982
Mona
Captain Manson
- 1981
Tales from the Thousand and One Nights
Shahriar
1970s
- 1979
Ring of Darkness
Paul
Murder by Decree
Inspector Lestrade
- 1978
The Thief of Baghdad
Abu Bakar
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
Peppino
- 1977
Count Dracula
Abraham van Helsing
Count Dracula
Professor Van Helsing · 2 episodes
Another Bouquet
TV
- 1976
Laurence Olivier Presents
Peppino · 1 episode
Bouquet of Barbed Wire
Peter Manson · 7 episodes
- 1975
84 Charing Cross Road
Frank Doel
Van der Valk and the Scapegoat
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
- 1974
Van der Valk: Gun Before Butter
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
- 1973
Van der Valk and the Rich
Commissaris Simon "Piet" van der Valk
Shaft in Africa
Vincent Amafi
The Death of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
The Adventures Of Don Quixote
Sancho Panza
- 1972
Neither the Sea Nor the Sand
George Dabernon
Sitting Target
Marty Gold
The Merchant of Venice
Shylock
- 1971
Gumshoe
William Ginley
Casanova
Giovanni Jacopo Casanova · 6 episodes
Assault
Det. Chief Supt. Velyan
- 1970
The Lie
Andrew Firth
1960s
- 1969
- 1968
Twisted Nerve
Henry Durnley
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Igor Bounin
- 1967
I'll Never Forget What's'isname
Chaplain
Les Misérables
Jean Valjean · 10 episodes
Robbery
Robinson
The Jokers
Harrassed Man
Much Ado About Nothing
Dogberry
- 1966
The Deadly Bees
H.W. Manfred
The Sandwich Man
Second Fish Porter
- 1965
Othello
Iago
The Wild Affair
Drunk
- 1964
The Comedy Man
Prout
- 1963
The Informers
Leon Sale
Doctor in Distress
Corsetiere
- 1962
Life for Ruth
Teddy's Father
Private Potter
Capt. Patterson
1950s
- 1956
Armchair Theatre
Franco Angelo, Bosun, Patrick Kelly, David Field · 1 episode
- 1950
Sound 1
1980s
- 1983
The Spanish Civil War
Vocals
Appearances4
2010s
- 2018
1980s
- 1983
The Spanish Civil War
Self - Narrator · 6 episodes
- 1982
1970s
- 1970
The Body
Narrator