Actor. He was the first actor to receive an Academy Award posthumously. Finch earned the Oscar and is best remembered for playing burned out TV anchorman Howard Beale in "Network" (1976). Born Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch in London, the son of noted chemist George Finch (however this his been disputed by many sources stating he was fathered by a man his mother had an affair with). His parents divorced leaving Peter to be raised by several relatives without the comfort of a rooted home life as he traveled extensively living in France, Switzerland, India and finally Australia. He would toil at several occupations and in 1935, he settled on a career as a performer in the theater. In 1939, he made his film debut in the Australian picture "The Farmer Goes to Town" (1939) and over the next several years he appeared in his adopted county's cinema before moving onto England and finally Hollywood. During the 1950s and 1960s, Finch appeared in a string of notable films including "Elephant Walk" (1954), "The Nun's Story" (1959), "The Trials of Oscar Wilde" (1960), "In the Cool of the Day" (1963), "The Pumpkin Eater" (1964), "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1966) and "Far From the Madding Crowd" (1967). His playing of Dr. Daniel Hirsh (a Jewish homosexual) in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1971) earned him an Oscar nomination. His character Howard Beale's line "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore" from "Network" is one of the most memorable in motion picture history. Off-screen, Finch was known as a hard drinker with the reputation of being a womanizer but in spite of this, he is considered by many as one of the finest actors of his era. He died suddenly from a heart attack a few months prior to the Academy Awards presentations. His widow accepted his Oscar on his behalf.
Actor. He was the first actor to receive an Academy Award posthumously. Finch earned the Oscar and is best remembered for playing burned out TV anchorman Howard Beale in "Network" (1976). Born Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch in London, the son of noted chemist George Finch (however this his been disputed by many sources stating he was fathered by a man his mother had an affair with). His parents divorced leaving Peter to be raised by several relatives without the comfort of a rooted home life as he traveled extensively living in France, Switzerland, India and finally Australia. He would toil at several occupations and in 1935, he settled on a career as a performer in the theater. In 1939, he made his film debut in the Australian picture "The Farmer Goes to Town" (1939) and over the next several years he appeared in his adopted county's cinema before moving onto England and finally Hollywood. During the 1950s and 1960s, Finch appeared in a string of notable films including "Elephant Walk" (1954), "The Nun's Story" (1959), "The Trials of Oscar Wilde" (1960), "In the Cool of the Day" (1963), "The Pumpkin Eater" (1964), "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1966) and "Far From the Madding Crowd" (1967). His playing of Dr. Daniel Hirsh (a Jewish homosexual) in "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1971) earned him an Oscar nomination. His character Howard Beale's line "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore" from "Network" is one of the most memorable in motion picture history. Off-screen, Finch was known as a hard drinker with the reputation of being a womanizer but in spite of this, he is considered by many as one of the finest actors of his era. He died suddenly from a heart attack a few months prior to the Academy Awards presentations. His widow accepted his Oscar on his behalf.
Bio by: C.S.
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