Award-winning and Oscar-nominated British stage, film and television actor Frank Finlay died at his home January 30. He was 89. Among hundreds of roles, he is well remembered as Porthos in the “Three Musketeers” films of the 1970s (alongside Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York), and opposite Susan Penhaligon in the taboo-challenging television series “Bouquet Of Barbed Wire.” He played Iago opposite Laurence Olivier in 1965’s “Othello” and was nominated for an Oscar. He was awarded a CBE award in 1984. His turns as Sancho Panza in “The Adventures of Don Quixote” and Voltaire in “Candide” won him BAFTA awards.
MSTies will remember his starring role as bee enthusiast H.W. Manfred in the movie in episode 905- THE DEADLY BEES.
The Independent is the first with something online. When we get a full obit, we will post a link here.
Thanks to Timmy for the heads up.
) to help our users cope with "trolls" and other commenters whom they find annoying. Go to our
yes he is dead (via his granddaughter)
https://twitter.com/E_is_For_Els?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Hmm, well do you have any condolences to give, bow tie?
There you have it: half of the Musketeers are no more.
He also played Inspector Lestrade in two different, unrelated Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper movies: “A Study in Terror” and “Murder by Decree”.
He was in a handful of my favorite films. If your only experience of him is THE DEADLY BEES look for him in these films & TV shows: as Porthos in Richard Lesters THE THREE MUSKETEERS & the sequel THE FOUR MUSKETEERS, as Van Helsing in the BBC miniseries COUNT DRACULA with Louis Jourdan (sounds a little weird, I know, but it’s one of the best adaptations you’ll ever see), Lestrade in MURDER BY DECREE, the ghost of Jacob Marley opposite George C. Scotts Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL, & in a small but pivotal role as a half crazed missionary in THE WILD GEESE.
There’s so many more (not least of which is his Iago opposite Oliviers OTHELLO) but these are the ones I can definitely vouch for & recommend.
This is a sad one. He was a fine actor.
R.I.P. Witchsmeller Pursuivant
He had one hell of an Earth Band.
Oh my god! I totally forgot about that!
“My lord, we have three proofs of witchcraft: a cat that drinks blood, a horse that talks, & a man that propagates… POODLES!”
I’ve watched the Olivier ‘Othello,’ and yes, Finlay was *incredible.* Definitely the best Iago I’ve ever seen. RIP.
His Jacob Marley in the 1980s A Christmas Carol was the best, bar none. Watch that to see how a ghost should be played. When the camera was on him, he never blinked. He also had a very good albeit tiny role in The Pianist with Adrian Brody.
He was a great actor, and while The Deadly Bees is one of my all-time favorite MSTs, I always thought Finlay seemed embarrassed to be in it.
RIP
All that weird stuttering and his odd line reads seem to suggest that for sure.
Pretty sure the fidgety Deadly Bees performance was intended to convey Manfred’s personality – a repressed weirdo who spent his time training bees to attack people. Oh, and by the way –
HIVES
OF
HORROR!
RIP
Frank was terrific as Dr. Hans Fallada in LIFEFORCE (1985). A seriously underrated film. Highly recommended.
I loved his role as Mr. Jefferson’s neighbor on The Jeffersons
I understand that Finlay’s role in The Deadly Bees was originally written for Boris Karloff.
If Karloff had taken the role, do you think The Deadly Bees would’ve still wound up on MST3K?
“At this point I’ve stopped narrating my flashback, because I think it speaks for itself.”
Bar none, this guy was the definitive Jacob Marley.
I believe he was also in the “Inspector Clouseau” film that starred Alan Arkin.
Awesome character in Deadly Bees. Great stuff.
Saw him in a Tales of the Unexpected not too long ago. Highly recommend that series to Deadly Bees fans.
Finlay also co-starred in one of the most wacked out sci-fi films ever made, Lifeforce, alongside with Patrick Stewart and Peter Firth. Man, what a great MST3K or Rifftrax THAT would have made!