Frank Finlay

Posted on by Tony CrawleyCategories:Actors

  1. Charles Gray, Diamonds Are Forever, 1970.  

  2. Lee Montague, The Legacy, 1977.     Welsh director Richard Marquand’s list for the hotelier, Grandier,  were Joss Ackland, Peter Arne (also up for the immolated Liebnecht), Ian Bannen, John Carson Frank Finlay, Ian Hendry, Peter Jeffrey. Also in the literal horror was Who singer Roger Daltrey – his price for allowing his country house to be used for five murders.  Leading man Sam Elliott warned the Associated Press off the film: “It’s about 15 years behind its time.”  Finlay had studied at RADA with Alan Bates, Peter Bowles, Richard Briers,  Ronald Fraser. Julian Glover, Roy Kinnear,  Peter O’Toole,  James Villiers, etc.

  3. George Baker, Doctor Who #111: Full Circle, TV, 1980.      The baker’s dozen actors up for Login were familiar names from 80s Whoverse casting. Finlay, Baker, Joss Ackland, Brian Blessed, John Carson, James Ellis, Bernard Hepton, Donald Houston, Jeremy Kemp, William Lucas, Alfred Lynch, TP McKenna, Edward Woodward. And they stayed listed until they became available. Finlay never did. Not during his 141 screen roles.

  4. John Fraser, Doctor Who #115: Logopolis, TV, 1981.     Age apparently, didn’t matter. The Monitor was 60 but producer John Nathan-Taylor’s usual suspects ranged from Harry Andrews at 77 to Hywel Bennett at…37! Plus Maurice Denham, 72; Marius Goring, 69; Peter Cushing, 68; Bernard Archard, Michael Gough, 65; Nigel  Stock, 62; Geoffrey Bayldon, 57; William Lucas, 56; Frank Finley, 55; Barry Foster, Frank Windsor, 54; John Fraser, 50; Peter Wyngarde, 48. This as the episode that Brian Epstein would not let The Beatlesi appear in. But he OKed Top of the Pops footage of Ticket To Ride
  5. Michael Robbins, Doctor Who 119: The Visitation, TV, 1982.       One of Doc5 Peter Davison’s three favourte tales, although Robbins hated his rôle as much as scenarist Eric Saw  ard disliked the performance. Also up for Richard Mace were such regulars on the Whoverse casting-cum-dart-board as Finlay, Ian Bannen, John Carson, Ronald Fraser, Donald Houston, William Lucas, Glyn Owen and Donald Pleasence.
  6. John Carson, Doctor Who #124: Snakedance, TV, 1982.      Also up for the archaeologist Ambril opposite Doc5 Peter Davidson on Manussa were many of the usual ‘80s crowd… Finlay, Joss Ackland, Geoffrey Bayldon Johnson, Richard Johnson, Dinsdale Landen, William Lucas, TP McKenna and Clifford Rose.
  7. Ian McDiarmid, Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi, 1982.
  8. Louis Jourdan, Octopussy, 1982.

  9. Patrick Stewart, Lifeforce, 1984.
  10. Michael Gothard, Lifeforce, 1984.
  11. Aubrey Morris, Lifeforce, 1984.  

  12. Terence Alexander, Doctor Who #139: The Mark of the Rani, 1984.        Finlay, Joss Ackland, Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Robin Bailey, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Geoffrey Bayldon, John Carson, Peter Cushing, Allan Cuthbertson, Robert Flemyng, Michael Gough, Dinsdale Landen, TP McKenna, Donald Pickering, Peter Sallis, John Standing, Patrick Stewart, Peter Vaughan… and the Z Cars cops James Ellis and Jeremy Kemp – 23 contenders for Lord Ravenworth. Phew! Standing was the most suitable as he was the the fourth baronet in his family’s line.
  13. John Stratton, Doctor Who #140: The Two Doctors, TV, 1985.      The two Time Lords were Doc2 Patrick Troughton and Doc 6, the short lived Colin Baker. Shockeyes were more plentiful. The 22 prospects were: Finlay, Stratton, Joss Ackland, George Baker, Ian Bannen, Brian Blessed, Denholm Elliott, James Ellis, Ronald Fraser, Michael Gothard, Don Henderson, Donald Houston, Freddie Jones, Jeremy Kemp, Roy Kinnear, Ronald Lacey, TP McKenna, Aubrey Morris, Donald Pleasence, Peter Sallis, George Sewell, Peter Vaughan.
  14. William Gaunt, Doctor Who #142: Revelation of the Daleks, 1985.       For the second time, 25 actors were up for a single rôle… in Doctor flaming Who. How preposterous..! An unlikely choice for a mercenary, Gaunt was selected late in the game after an exhausting Orcini search through Joss Ackland, Ray Brooks, James Ellis, John Fraser, Peter Gilmore, Denis Lill, Philip Madoc, Peter Vaughan… Plus survivors of the astonishing army of 203 contenders for just 18 roles in Lifeforce the year before: Finlay, Tom Adams, George Baker, John Carson, Julian Glover, Michael Gothard, Del Henney, Peter Jeffrey, TP McKenna, Patrick Mower, Clifford Rose, Patrick Stewart, Nigel Stock, Anthony Valentine, David Warner and Frank Windsor. The difference being that Who was science fiction andf Lifeforce was science fart.
  15. Ronald Fraser, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988.      If the cap fits… Sixteen actors, from the rarely changing casting register, were seen for the same three roles. Fraser won Joseph C from Finlay, George Baker, Keith Barron, John Carson, Peter Cellier, Kenneth Cope, Nigel Hawthorne, Glyn Houston, William Lucas, Michael Robbins, Clifford Rose, Moray Watson, Frank Windsor…
  16. Harold Innocent, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988.       …Innocent became Gilbert M from the same group
  17. John Normington, Doctor Who #149: The Happiness Patrol, 1988. …and Normington was selected for Trevor Sgma instead of any of the others…
  18. Anton Diffring, Doctor Who #150: Silver Nemesis, TV, 1988.      Pinewood’s top Nazi was obviously the favouriote for the Nazi De Flores in the 25th anniversary episode. Also suggested: Harry Andrews, Bernard Archard, Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng, Michael Gough, Charles Gray, Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Donald Pleasence and Peter Vaughan. Although baffled by the script, and in poor health, Diffring accepted what proved his final rôle in order to be in London and able to watch Wimbledon on TV. He then returned to his French home and was dead within a year.
  19. Edward Hardwicke, Oliver Twist,  UK-Czech Republic-France-Italy,, 2005.      Finlay was replaced as the kindly Mr Brownlow in the Dickens gospel according to Roman Polanski.

Footnote>>> Saw his Iago opposite Laurence Olivier’s Othello at the UK’s National Theatre in London  in 1964– with Maggie Smith as Desdemona. Hel;uva evening! They all appeared in the 1965 film version, winning the most Oscar acting nominations of any Shakespeare film.

 Birth year: 1926Death year: 2016Other name: Casting Calls:  19