Albert Finney

English actor known for stage and screen, with five Academy Award nominations.

Albert Finney, the youngest of three children and the only son, was born on 9 May 1936 in Salford, Lancashire; his father was a bookmaker named Albert Finney and his mother was Alice (née Hobson).^[1] At age 82, on 7 February 2019, Finney passed away from a chest infection while at the Royal Marsden Hospital.^[2]

Last updated 2026-09-30 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Born: 9 May 1936
Birthplace: Salford, Lancashire, England
Died: 7 February 2019
Place of death: Chelsea, London, England
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1956–2012
Children: 1
Education: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He played Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot in the film Murder on the Orient Express (1974).^[3] After completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1956, Finney joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.^[1][4] Finney achieved his film breakthrough in 1960 by playing a disillusioned factory worker in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.^[5] The title role in John Osborne's 1961 play Luther, which portrays the life of Martin Luther, was originated by Finney.^[6]

Finney turned down both a CBE in 1980 and a knighthood in 2000.^[7] For his contributions to cinema, Finney received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2001.^[8]

References

Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Billington, Michael. Albert (1936–2019), actor", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2023,; Billington, Michael. Albert (1936–2019), actor", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2023, (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Actor Albert Finney dies aged 82", BBC News, 8 February 2019; Guy, "Albert Finney, five-time Oscar nominee, dead at 82", CNN, 9 February 2019; Cowell, "Albert Finney, 'Angry Young Man' Who Became a Hollywood Star, Dies at 82", The New York Times, 8 February 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hughes, "Poirot actors: from David Suchet to Kenneth Branagh, the stars who've played Agatha Christie's sleuth", The Independent, 28 December 2018; Sanders, Dennis and Len Lovallo. The Agatha Christie Companion: The Complete Guide to Agatha Christie's Life and Work, (1984), pgs. 438–441. Subscription requir (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Goldsmith Televised", The Stage, 12 January 1956, p. 12; "She Stoops to Conquer: Part 1", The Radio Times, 30 December 1955, p. 44 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Balio, "United Artists: The Company that Changed the Film Industry", University of Wisconsin Press, December 15, 1987; Finney: A Star Who Hides His Magnitude: Albert Finney, Marks, Sally K. Los Angeles Times 23 April 1967: c11. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Taubman, "Theater: 'Luther' Stars Albert Finney; John Osborne Drama Is at the St. James", The New York Times, 26 September 1963; "Luther to end its run next month", The Times, 16 February 1962, p. 15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Leppard, "Revealed: secret list of 300 who scorned honours", The Sunday Times, 21 December 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Albert Finney" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Fellowship", Bafta (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Albert Finney (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.