Peter Finch

William Mitchell
1916 - 1977
British born London

Nickname Finchie . Height 5' 11" (1.80 m) . Despite being one of the finest actors of his generation, Peter Finch will be remembered as much for his reputation as a hard-drinking, hell-raising womaniser as for his performances on the screen. He was born in London in 1916 and went to live in Sydney, Australia at the age of ten. There he worked in a series of dead-end jobs before taking up acting, his film debut being in the mediocre comedy Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938). He made his stage debut as a comedian's stooge in 1939. Laurence Olivier spotted him and persuaded him to return to Britain to perform classic roles on the stage. Finch then had an affair with Olivier's wife, Vivien Leigh. Despite being married three times, Finch also had highly-publicised affairs with actresses Kay Kendall and Mai Zetterling. Finch soon switched to film after suffering appalling stage fright. As a screen actor, he won five BAFTA awards and his talent was beyond doubt. His two finest roles, the only two for which he received Oscar nominations, were as the homosexual Jewish doctor in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) and as the 'mad prophet of the air-waves' in Network (1976). He died a couple of months before being awarded the Oscar for 'Network'and remains the only actor to have won the award posthumously. Spouse Eletha Finch (9 November 1973 - 14 January 1977) (his death) 1 child, Yolande Turner (4 July 1959 - 11 November 1965) (divorced) 2 children, Tamara Tchinarova (21 April 1943 - 17 June 1959) (divorced) 1 daughter.

Raid on Entebbe (1977) , Network (1976) , The Abdication (1974) , England Made Me (1973), A Bequest to the Nation (1973) , Lost Horizon (1973) , Something to Hide (1972) , Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) , Krasnaya palatka (1969) , The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) , Far from the Madding Crowd (1967) , 10:30 P.M. Summer (1966) , Judith (1966) , The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), First Men in the Moon (1964) , Girl with Green Eyes (1964) , The Pumpkin Eater (1964) , In the Cool of the Day (1963) , I Thank a Fool (1962) , No Love for Johnnie (1961) , The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) , The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) , Kidnapped (1960) , The Nun's Story (1959) , Operation Amsterdam (1959) , Windom's Way (1957) , Robbery Under Arms (1957) , The Shiralee (1957) , The Battle of the River Plate (1956) , A Town Like Alice (1956), Passage Home (1955) , The Dark Avenger (1955) , Josephine and Men (1955) , Make Me an Offer (1955) , Simon and Laura (1955) , Father Brown (1954) , Elephant Walk (1954) , The Heart of the Matter (1953) , The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953) , The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952) , The Miniver Story (1950) , The Wooden Horse (1950) , Train of Events (1949) , Eureka Stockade (1949) , A Son Is Born (1946) , The Rats of Tobruk (1944) , Red Sky at Morning (1944) , The Power and the Glory (1941) , Mr. Chedworth Steps Out (1939) , Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938)