Jon Finch: Difference between revisions

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[[Alfred Hitchcock]] was looking for a lesser known leading man for ''[[Frenzy (1972 film)|Frenzy]]'' (1972). He was impressed with the rushes for ''Macbeth'' and cast him. This in turn led to him being cast in ''[[Lady Caroline Lamb (film)|Lady Caroline Lamb]]'' (1972), as [[William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|William Lamb]]. Finch said at this stage of his career he wanted to make "one good film" a year and do theatre; he had two more films to do for Caliban, the company who made ''Macbeth'' and was going to write screenplays. Projects announced for him included an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's ''The Possessed'' and a thriller ''The Reporter''.<ref name="bart"/>
[[Alfred Hitchcock]] was looking for a lesser known leading man for ''[[Frenzy (1972 film)|Frenzy]]'' (1972). He was impressed with the rushes for ''Macbeth'' and cast him. This in turn led to him being cast in ''[[Lady Caroline Lamb (film)|Lady Caroline Lamb]]'' (1972), as [[William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne|William Lamb]]. Finch said at this stage of his career he wanted to make "one good film" a year and do theatre; he had two more films to do for Caliban, the company who made ''Macbeth'' and was going to write screenplays. Projects announced for him included an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's ''The Possessed'' and a thriller ''The Reporter''.<ref name="bart"/>


In ''[[The Final Programme (film)|The Final Programme]]'' (1973) he played [[Michael Moorcock]]'s secret agent [[Jerry Cornelius]]. He starred in ''[[Diagnosis: Murder (film)|Diagnosis: Murder]]'' (1974).<ref>DIAGNOSIS:MURDER
In ''[[The Final Programme (film)|The Final Programme]]'' (1973) he played [[Michael Moorcock]]'s secret agent [[Jerry Cornelius]]. In April 1973 he was called "Europe's hottest young property of the moment", announced for ''Gargantua'' from [[Ken Russell]] and ''Pantagruei'' in Italy.<ref name="hot">{{cite news|date=1 April 1973|page=238|newspaper=The San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/460169294/?terms=%22jon%20finch%22%20polanski%20hitchcock%20bolt&match=1|title=Jon Finch is Europe's Hottest Young Property For the Moment|first=William|last=Otterburn-Hall}}</ref>

⚫
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 42, Iss. 492, (Jan 1, 1975): 173. </ref>
However while ''Frenzy'' was a hit, ''Macbeth'', ''Lady Caroline Lamb'' and ''Final Programme'' were commercial disappointments. Finch starred in ''[[Diagnosis: Murder (film)|Diagnosis: Murder]]'' (1974).<ref>DIAGNOSIS:MURDER
⚫
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 42, Iss. 492, (Jan 1, 1975): 173. </ref>


Finch went on in 1975 to play the title role in a [[BBC]]/[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] joint production series about Australia's first outlawed bushranger, [[Ben Hall (bushranger)|Ben Hall]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55186606 |title=BEN HALL |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=43, |issue=23 |location=Australia, Australia |date=5 November 1975 |accessdate=26 November 2020 |page=42 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>
Finch went on in 1975 to play the title role in a [[BBC]]/[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] joint production series about Australia's first outlawed bushranger, [[Ben Hall (bushranger)|Ben Hall]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55186606 |title=BEN HALL |newspaper=[[The Australian Women's Weekly]] |volume=43, |issue=23 |location=Australia, Australia |date=5 November 1975 |accessdate=26 November 2020 |page=42 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>

Revision as of 03:11, 26 November 2020

Jon Finch
Finch in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972)
Born
John Nicholas Finch

(1942-03-02)2 March 1942
Caterham, Surrey, England
Died28 December 2012(2012-12-28) (aged 70)
Hastings, East Sussex, England
OccupationActor
Years active1970–2005
SpouseCatriona MacColl (1982–87)
Children1

Jon Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (Macbeth, 1971) and Alfred Hitchcock (Frenzy, 1972).

Early life

Finch was born on 2 March 1942,[1] in Caterham in Surrey, and was the son of a merchant banker.

Education

Between 1950 and 1960, Finch was educated at Caterham School,[2] an independent school in Caterham. Upon leaving school he turned down the offer of a place at the London School of Economics.[3]

Early Acting and SAS

After performing in amateur theatre groups and singing in a folk group, Finch did his National Service in The Parachute Regiment and stayed on as a member of the SAS Reserve Regiment, training at weekends and several nights a week. He resigned from the military as his acting commitments became more demanding[4] and stated he was relieved to not have to go to Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation (1963–66).[5]

He appeared on stage in From the Hill in 1963.[6]

Career

Early Television

In the early phase of his career Finch appeared in episodes of Crossroads, The Fellows, ITV Playhouse, City '68, Tom Grattan's War, ITV Sunday Night Theatre and Thirty-Minute Theatre. He was in a number of episodes of Z-Cars and played Sir John Mortimer in a BBC play on Mary Queen of Scots in 1969.

Finch played the lead character Simon King in the BBC science fiction series Counterstrike (1969), one of the last BBC drama series made in black and white. One of the ten episodes made was never screened, owing to the broadcast in its place of a documentary about the Kray Twins when they were jailed.

He also appeared in two Hammer Films productions, The Vampire Lovers (1970) and The Horror of Frankenstein (1970).[citation needed] Finch had a small role in the groundbreaking 1971 drama Sunday Bloody Sunday. Finch said his career at this stage "wasn't spectacular but it was interesting."[7]

Stardom

Finch met Roman Polanski on a plane flight. This led to the actor being cast in the lead in Roman Polanski's 1971 version of Shakespeare's Macbeth[8][9][10][11] His casting was announced in October 1970.[12] The casting was controversial because Finch was so young and had not performed any Shakespeare previously.[13][14]

Alfred Hitchcock was looking for a lesser known leading man for Frenzy (1972). He was impressed with the rushes for Macbeth and cast him. This in turn led to him being cast in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), as William Lamb. Finch said at this stage of his career he wanted to make "one good film" a year and do theatre; he had two more films to do for Caliban, the company who made Macbeth and was going to write screenplays. Projects announced for him included an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's The Possessed and a thriller The Reporter.[7]

In The Final Programme (1973) he played Michael Moorcock's secret agent Jerry Cornelius. In April 1973 he was called "Europe's hottest young property of the moment", announced for Gargantua from Ken Russell and Pantagruei in Italy.[15]

However while Frenzy was a hit, Macbeth, Lady Caroline Lamb and Final Programme were commercial disappointments. Finch starred in Diagnosis: Murder (1974).[16]

Finch went on in 1975 to play the title role in a BBC/ABC joint production series about Australia's first outlawed bushranger, Ben Hall.[17]

Finch was offered the role of James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973), but he declined the part and it went to Roger Moore. He also declined a role in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers (1973). [18]

Finch went to Europe to star in Game of Seduction (1976) directed by Roger Vadim, The Second Power (1976) and The Standard (1977).

In 1977, Finch was the original choice for the role of Doyle taken by Martin Shaw in the British television series The Professionals (Shaw previously had played Banquo to Finch's Macbeth in Polanski's film).[4] He pulled out at the last minute, claiming that he "couldn't possibly play a policeman".[19]

During 1978 and 1979, Finch played the role of Henry Bolingbroke in the BBC Television Shakespeare productions of Richard II, Henry IV, Part I and Henry IV, Part II, which also featured Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud, David Gwillim and Anthony Quayle in principal roles.[20][21][22]

At the end of the decade, Finch's roles in films included Death on the Nile (1978) and La Sabina (1979). [23]

He was cast as Kane in Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), but had to drop out on the second day of filming because of a severe diabetic episode; John Hurt was cast in his place.[24]

1980–2005

In 1980, Finch appeared in Breaking Glass, and in 1981 he played Luke the Evangelist in the television film Peter and Paul, which featured Robert Foxworth and Anthony Hopkins in the title roles. He was in Giro City (1982) with Glenda Jackson and Power Game (1983) and played an SAS man in the TV series The Odd Job Man (1984).

In 1984, he played Don Pedro in the BBC's Much Ado About Nothing.[citation needed]

He became increasingly associated with support roles like Plaza Real (1988) and Streets of Yesterday and would guest star on TV shows.

Also on stage, he was the man inside the bandages in Ken Hill’s 1991 production of The Invisible Man at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.

Occasional film roles include an appearance in Darklands (1997) and a small role as the Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem in the Ridley Scott film, Kingdom of Heaven (2005).[citation needed]

Death

Finch's body was discovered in his flat in Hastings, East Sussex on 28 December 2012, after friends and family had become concerned for his welfare. He was 70 years old.[25]

Personal life

While filming Diagnosis: Murder in 1974, Finch was more than 40 lbs underweight, passed out a couple of times on set, and was then diagnosed with diabetes after being hospitalised for two weeks. In the early 1970s, until his diagnosis, he was also a racing car driver (single-seaters), but the condition prevented him from getting a racing driver licence.

Finch was married once, to the actress Catriona MacColl; they were wed in 1982[26] and divorced in 1987. He later had a daughter.[27][28]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Ronald Bergan (13 January 2013). "Jon Finch – Obituary". The Guardian newspaper. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. ^ "Old Caterhamians' Association – Review 2012–13 – (Pages 28–29) – Obituaries – John Finch 1950 – 1960" (PDF). Caterham School, Surrey. 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  3. ^ John Finch biography at dlife Archived 14 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 15 January 2013
  4. ^ a b "Jon Finch obituary". Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Action TV Online – The Odd Job Man episode guide". Startrader.co.uk. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  6. ^ FROM THIS HILL Campbell, page. The Guardian (1959-2003); London (UK) [London (UK)]16 Apr 1963: 5.
  7. ^ a b Jon Finch: Tasting the Honey Mills, Bart. Los Angeles Times 12 Mar 1972: p59.
  8. ^ Russell Jackson The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film
  9. ^ Peter Holland "Macbeth and Its Afterlife: An Annual Survey" in Shakespeare Survey, Vol. 57
  10. ^ Roger Ebert Roger Ebert's Four Star Reviews—1967–2007
  11. ^ Martha W. Driver Shakespeare and the Middle Ages: essays on the performance and adaptation of the plays with medieval sources or settings
  12. ^ Sexy Version of 'Macbeth' Los Angeles Times 30 Oct 1970: i17.
  13. ^ In the Picture Sight and Sound; London Vol. 40, Iss. 2, (Spring 1971): 76.
  14. ^ "Two centuries of "MACBETH"". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 39, , no. 18. Australia, Australia. 29 September 1971. p. 36. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  15. ^ Otterburn-Hall, William (1 April 1973). "Jon Finch is Europe's Hottest Young Property For the Moment". The San Francisco Chronicle. p. 238.
  16. ^ DIAGNOSIS:MURDER Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 42, Iss. 492, (Jan 1, 1975): 173.
  17. ^ "BEN HALL". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 43, , no. 23. Australia, Australia. 5 November 1975. p. 42. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  18. ^ Obituary: Jon Finch: Charismatic actor known for Polanski's Macbeth who found fame in the 1970s Bergan, Ronald. The Guardian; London (UK) [London (UK)]14 Jan 2013: 29.
  19. ^ Jon Finch Perrone, Pierre. The Independent; London (UK) [London (UK)]15 Jan 2013: 42. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jon-finch-actor-who-brought-a-brooding-intensity-to-polanskis-film-the-tragedy-of-macbeth-8451341.html
  20. ^ RICHARD II IN ITS GLORY: [FIRST Edition] William A. Henry 3d Globe Staff. Boston Globe 29 Mar 1980: 1.
  21. ^ MUCH ADO ABOUT THE BARD: BBC BRINGS HIM WHOLE Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 11 Feb 1979: o7.
  22. ^ JON FINCH PLAYS OUT THE PLAYS: SHAKESPEARE Smith, Cecil. Los Angeles Times 26 Mar 1980: g1.
  23. ^ Films to Reflect The New Spain New York Times27 Nov 1979: C6.
  24. ^ "Jon Finch: Obituaries". The Stage. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  25. ^ Staff. "His other acting roles". Hastingsobserver.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  26. ^ "Actor Jon Finch wed in bizarre ceremony". The Canberra Times. Vol. 56, , no. 16, 896. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 31 December 1981. p. 10. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  27. ^ Jon Finch Pendreigh, Brian. The Herald; Glasgow (UK) [Glasgow (UK)]18 Jan 2013: 22.
  28. ^ Jon Finch: Obituaries Actor who played lead roles for Hitchcock and Polanski but had no lasting appetite for stardom The Daily Telegraph; London (UK) 15 Jan 2013: 27.

Sources

  • Hildred, Stafford. Martin Shaw, The Biography.
  • Harvey F. Chartrand. "No Frenzy For Stardom: An Interview With Jon Finch", Shock Cinema (USA), 2005, Iss. 27, pg. 8-12+46.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jon_Finch&oldid=990717889"