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1-22 of 22
- Actor
- Soundtrack
One of Britain's finest products of the stage, film and TV, actor Frank Finlay, he with the dark and handsomely serious-to-mordant looks, was born on August 6, 1926, in Farnworth, England, the son of Josiah, a butcher, and Margaret Finlay. Of English, Irish and Scottish descent, Frank attended St. Gregory the Great School and then was actually training to follow in his father's footsteps as a butcher himself when his side interest in acting eventually won out. He became a member of the Farnworth Little Theatre and met his future wife, Doreen Shepherd, a fellow member at the same time. They married in 1954, had three children (two sons, one daughter) and were married for over 50 years until her death in 2005.
Finlay began his professional career on the repertory stage with roles in The Guilford Theatre Company's 1957 productions of "Jessica" and "The Telescope". Graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), he built up a strong and sturdy theatrical reputation at the Royal Court Theatre between 1958 and 1960 where he was seen to good advantage in such plays as "Chicken Soup and Barley", "Sugar in the Morning", "Sergeant Musgrave's Dance", "Roots", "I'm Talking About Jerusalem", "The Happy Haven" and "Platonov". Making his Broadway debut in "The Epitaph of George Dillon" in 1959, he also sparked a noteworthy professional association with Laurence Olivier at the National Theatre, the highlight being his intense but subtle portrayal of "Iago" to Olivier's "Othello" in 1964.
Marking his film debut in a bit role in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962), Finlay sandwiched in a steady stream of British film parts (including Private Potter (1963), Doctor in Distress (1963), Agent 8 3/4 (1964), The Comedy Man (1964), A Study in Terror (1965) (as "Jack the Ripper" Inspector Lestrade), The Jokers (1967), The Deadly Bees (1966) and Robbery (1967)) in between theatre assignments. His greatest film opportunity occurred when he was given the right by Olivier to recreate his Iago role opposite the legendary actor in the masterful film adaptation of Othello (1965). Finlay, Maggie Smith (as "Desdemona") and Joyce Redman (as "Emilia") all received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for their illustrious "supporting" work of Olivier (who was also Oscar nominated). Frank went on to nab a "Most Promising Newcomer" nomination from the BAFTA committee as well. To date, this has been the actor's only Oscar recognition.
Frank, who had a dashing role as "Porthos" for director Richard Lester in the ripe Dumas adaptation of The Three Musketeers (1973) (and its sequels The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974) and The Return of the Musketeers (1989)), has had primarily an international cinematic career. Films include The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968), Cromwell (1970), The Molly Maguires (1970), Shaft in Africa (1973), The Wild Geese (1978), Murder by Decree (1979) (again as "Inspector Lestrade"), The Return of the Soldier (1982), The Key (1983) [The Key], Lifeforce (1985), La montagna dei diamanti (1991), So This Is Romance? (1997), Silent Cry (2002) and, most notably, the Oscar-winning WWII picture The Pianist (2002), directed by Roman Polanski, in which he portrayed the patriarch of a displaced Jewish family that included "Best Actor" son Adrien Brody.
Classical television notice came in middle age with Frank's strong performances as "Jean Valjean" in the British TV mini-series Les Misérables (1967) and the title role in Casanova (1971). He also went on to win stellar praise and a BAFTA award for his chilling portrayal of "Adolf Hitler" in The Death of Adolf Hitler (1973). Finlay and Susan Penhaligon courted controversy in the drama series Bouquet of Barbed Wire (1976) and were reunited in further controversy the following year with its follow-up Another Bouquet (1977). More plentiful and prestigious BBC-TV work came with his roles as Shakespeare's "Brutus" and "Shylock", not to mention his award-winning performances as "Voltaire" and "Sancho Panza".
In Count Dracula (1977), Finlay played "Van Helsing" to nemesis Louis Jourdan's velvety-voiced vampire; in A Christmas Carol (1984), he was the dour, shackled "Jacob Marley", who pays a ghostly visit to George C. Scott's crusty "Ebenezer Scrooge"; and in Eroica (2003), he portrayed composer "Franz Josef Haydn" alongside Ian Hart's "Beethoven" in the mini-series Eroica (2003). Frank ended his on-camera career gracing such programs as the mini-series Johnny and the Bomb (2006), Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (2006) and Four Seasons (2008) and the TV series Life Begins (2004).
Throughout his prolific career on TV and film, Frank has maintained on the stage giving sterling performances in classic and contemporary plays as in with "Much Ado About Nothing (as "Dogberry"), "The Crucible", "Saturday Sunday Monday", "Filumena", "Amadeus" (a most affecting Salieri), "Mutiny" (as "Captain Bligh"), "Beyond Reasonable Doubt" and as the rigid father in the 1992 period production of "The Heiress." On January 30, 2016, Finlay died of heart failure in Surrey, England, at the age of 89.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Hildyard was a British cinematographer. He made several films with David Lean including The Sound Barrier (1952), Hobson's Choice (1954), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
He also work in Another Time, Another Place (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Topaz (1969) and Lion of the Desert (1981).
Hildyard died in 1990 at the age of 82.- Actress
- Soundtrack
The instantly recognisable and distinctive voice of Bernie Nolan is for many people, the unmistakable 'sound' of The Nolans group. Bernie performed lead vocals on many of their hit singles including the cult hit record 'I'm in the Mood for Dancing'. One of the best rock singers in the UK over the last 20 years, Bernie Nolan's solo career has been just as successful as her time with the incredible Nolan family who have entertained audiences worldwide for the last three decades. Bernie appeared on the Tv show Cheggars Plays Pop as a team captain on several occasions whilst still a member of The Nolans before leaving the act in 1994 and one of her first solo projects was co-presenting a children's television show called On The Waterfront. In 1993 Bernie had starred at The Neptune Theatre, Liverpool in a musical adaptation of Dennis Wheatley's classical tale of the occult, The Devil Rides Out, her first acting role. Since then Bernie's solo career has gone from strength to strength and she became the first of three Nolan sisters to portray Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers both on tour and in The West End of London. After watching Bernie's wonderful portrayal of Mrs Johnstone in Liverpool, the casting directors of the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside approached her and asked her to audition for their show. Bernie was immediately cast in the role of hairdresser Diane Murray, a character that has gone on to be much loved by many viewers. In October 2002 Bernie left to join The Bill, playing the role of Sergeant Sheelagh Murphy. Still the best female rock vocalist in the UK, Bernie's transition from pop star to actress has been a successful one. The biggest compliment I can pay her is that fans of The Nolans now see her as Diane and not Bernie when watching the show. She's always had a great determination to do her best and allied with a sharp wit and wonderful sense of humour, Bernie Nolan is a real dynamo with more than her fair share of talent... but doesn't she use it well?- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Betty Balfour was born on 27 March 1903 in London, England, UK. She was an actress and producer, known for Champagne (1928), Squibs (1935) and Squibs' Honeymoon (1923). She was married to Jimmy Campbell. She died on 4 November 1977 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Bill Cummings was born on 15 October 1920 in England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), The Avengers (1961) and The Cockleshell Heroes (1955). He died on 6 February 2002 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Ronald Govey was born on 11 November 1931 in Hornchurch, Essex, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Avengers (1961), Softly Softly (1966) and Blake's 7 (1978). He died on 17 December 2009 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Elizabeth Stewart was born on 8 March 1929 in Bristol, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Pride and Prejudice (1980), My Cousin Rachel (1983) and Are You Being Served? (1972). She died on 11 October 1991 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Make-Up Department
Harry Frampton was born in 1915 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK. He is known for Straw Dogs (1971), Frenzy (1972) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). He was married to Daphne Grace Frampton. He died in 1992 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Mabel Love was born on 16 October 1874 in Folkestone, England, UK. She was an actress, known for In Another Girl's Shoes (1917) and Theatrical Motor Party (1905). She died on 15 May 1953 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Additional Crew
- Actress
Pamela Devis was born on 2 April 1926 in Yeovil, Somerset, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Perfect Woman (1949), The Sicilians (1964) and Playgirl After Dark (1960). She was married to Philip Casson. She died on 3 April 2004 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Ruby Mildred Ayres was born 28 January 1883, in London, England, the daughter of an architect. She married Reginald William Pocock, an insurance broker, in 1909 (Pocock died in a train accident in the 1940s). Ayres was an English popular novelist (known primarily for her romantic novels), and also wrote serials for the "Daily Chronicle" and "Daily Mirror". Her first novel "Richard Chatterton V.C." was published in 1916. She had also written for motion pictures in the United States and England, and her play "Silver Wedding," was produced in 1932. Ayres died 14 November 1955 in Weybridge, England, at the age of 72 years.
- Writer
- Editor
Vernon Clancey was born on 23 May 1905 in Camberwell, London, England, UK. He was a writer and editor, known for Dangerous Masquerade (1939), Save a Little Sunshine (1938) and Wanted by Scotland Yard (1939). He died on 2 January 1988 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Art Director
- Art Department
- Production Designer
Lucy Richardson was born on 1 April 1958 in London, England, UK. She was an art director and production designer, known for Chocolat (2000), The Saint (1997) and Elizabeth (1998). She died on 1 June 2005 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Francis Clifford was born on 1 December 1917 in Bristol, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Why He Went, Guns of Darkness (1962) and Goodbye & Amen (1977). He died on 24 August 1975 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
Roy Ford was born in 1935 in Hendon, Middlesex, England, UK. He was a cinematographer, known for Superman (1978), Flash Gordon (1980) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). He died on 10 December 2008 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Peter Pocock was born in 1934 in Epsom, Surrey, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Dick Turpin (1979), International Velvet (1978) and Marty (1968). He died on 5 May 2007 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
George Western was born on 23 July 1895 in Islington, London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Mister Cinders (1935) and Radio Parade of 1935 (1934). He died on 16 August 1969 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.- Douglas Murray was a writer, known for Lessons in Love (1921) and The Man from Toronto (1933). He died on 6 August 1936 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Carleen Lord was born on 13 November 1890 in Dudley, West Midlands, England, UK. She was an actress, known for A Song for Tomorrow (1948). She died in 1964 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Moya Devlin was born on 9 January 1913 in Greenock, Scotland, UK. She was an actress, known for The Parnell Commission (1939). She was married to Walton Holmes Lindsay. She died in 1995 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Warwick Deeping was born on 28 May 1877 in Southend, Essex, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Fox Farm (1922), Unrest (1920) and Two Sinners (1935). He was married to Phyllis Maude Merrill. He died on 20 April 1950 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Wallace Greenslade was born in 1913 in Formby, Merseyside, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Between Two Women (2003), Opening Night (1956) and A Short History of Man and Music: Part 2 (1957). He died on 21 April 1961 in Weybridge, Surrey, England, UK.