WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
Born: 9th May 1936
Died: 7th February 2019 (aged 82)
Albert Finney Jnr (officially) was born in Salford, Lancashire, to Albert and Alice Finney. He was awarded a scholarship to RADA from which he qualified with a RADA Diploma at the age of 20. After RADA he joined the RSC but had already found an affinity for Shakespeare from his time at the Birmingham Repertory. He understudied, and appeared for, Laurence Olivier in Coriolanus at the age of 23. A year later he made his first film appearance, alongside Olivier, in The Entertainer. Finney continued his theatrical career alongside his film career – he went on a one year run of John Osborne’s Luther performing in London, Nottingham and New York, his 239 run in the West End was only cut short by a contractual obligation to film company.
Do you know the saddest part about Albert Finney’s role in Skyfall? It’s not that this was to be his last appearance on screen nor is it that he is present when M (played by Dame Judi Dench) dies but it’s the fact that you have to sit through the rest of the film to see such a powerhouse of English thespianism for about 20 minutes of screen time (if that). I’m not hating on the James Bond franchise here its just that for such an actor to be side-lined in such a small role as Kincaid, the cantankerous stalwart of Skyfall Lodge, the Bond ancestral home, seems a waste but saying that Finney looks great with the massive bushy beard and to hear such an actor call Daniel Craig a “jumped-up little shit” (Craig was 30 years his junior when the film was made) is just brilliant. At second, and third, on the list we have The Bourne Ultimatum & The Bourne Legacy in which Finney plays Dr Albert Hirsch. Hirsch is the main antagonist throughout the Bourne franchise as he is the man who spearheaded the Treadstone Operation but we hardly see the man himself – maybe ten minutes in Ultimatum and only a small five second cameo, in a video recording, in Legacy (thanks for that Mr Finney I will not get those two hours of my life back) they even kill him off in Legacy via a TV news article. I would have loved to have seen Finney in either of these two films a bit more as he is an asset to any film – very few actors would still have had the strong demeanour that he does with Matt Damon holding a gun to their head! With Erin Brokovich, as with most films based on life I like to look at what the person really looked like – not that that has any sway on how someone plays a character but I just think it helps the direction of the film – and personally I think there is a slight resemblance between Albert Finney and Ed Masry, the man he plays. He plays Ed softly, there’s a twinkle in his eye and a skip in his step when things are going right but he is hard when he needs to be and yet his voice is never really raised it’s the intonation that does it which I find better than an actor shouting and you missing the point of what he is trying to say. What can I say about Albert Finney in Traffic? Not much really the fact that he is only listed as Chief of Staff should have been a clue that he was only in this for a few minutes but in the two scenes that he has, he has a very commanding presence, alright in both scenes his character does most of the talking but he dominates each one. I’m not saying Michael Douglas (who shares the screen) is a weak actor he just cannot hold a candle to Finney. As I combined the two films in which he plays Dr Albert Hirsch I have taken his sixth film as his fifth (if you understand what I mean) which makes me very happy as I love Big Fish, some may say it’s not a big role for Albert Finney but I disagree – Edward Bloom is our main character whether he is played by Finney or Ewan McGregor (young Ed Bloom)! The story is based around Bloom and his son, Will, reconnecting after several years and the connection between the two is played out wonderfully as Will starts to realise that his father’s ‘tall tales’ are not as ridiculous as he first thought. Finney plays the old Bloom beautifully, his timing is perfection and his final scenes are so poignant, both ways they play out, that I cry nearly every time.
Even with Albert Finney’s extensive catalogue I have to go back to my own childhood for my favourite role of his. Growing up I don’t really remember watching films other than at Christmas when there was always some musical or other on the telly and it is one of those musicals that is my favourite of Finney’s. It is not Scrooge, however much I love the musical version (and Finney does play a good Scrooge I’m not denying him that the difference between the before and after of the ghosts visits it good to watch) my favourite portrayal of Dickens’ miser is Alistair Sim’s as you regular readers will already know! No I’m talking about Annie and his portrayal of Daddy Warbucks. OK I have to admit that some of the songs, and the kids, can be a bit grating after a while but the relationship that Finney has with little Aileen Quinn (Annie) is so perfect that it is hard to tell that this was her debut film. He sings and it’s not the awkward ‘singing speaking’ that some actors do he actually has a pretty good voice and he can dance maybe not as comfortably as a slightly smaller, younger man but that’s not the way Finney was built and his size, and shaved head, was probably very intimidating to the small children on set. W. C. Fields said “never work with children or animals” and Finney does both and neither steals the scene from him.
I love the fact that Albert Finney continued his stage career alongside his film career – I think it makes a better actor – and for both he received critical acclaim. Although he never won an Academy Award (he was nominated 5 times) he was recognised by many others, including BAFTA and the Screen Actor’s Guild. He also released an album of songs which harked back to his childhood in Salford. Finney was married three times and had one son (who went into the film industry but behind the scenes). He was diagnosed with kidney cancer in the noughties and underwent several round of chemotherapy. He died of a chest infection at the age of 82 at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital
