Finlay Currie

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Finlay Jefferson Currie (born January 20, 1878 in Edinburgh , Scotland , † May 9, 1968 in Gerrards Cross , Buckinghamshire , England ) was a British theater and film actor .

Life

Born in Scotland, Currie began his work as an organist and choir director before receiving his first stage engagements around 1898. For almost 10 years he toured Australia as a member of Benjamin Fuller's theater group , mostly in comedic roles. Then Currie took to the stage in London , where he appeared in successful plays such as The Last Mile and Death of a Salesman over the decades .

Currie was a late starter in the film business: he didn't get his first film role until 1931, when he was already 53 years old. Currie then appeared in over 120 films, with his popularity growing the older he got. He received good reviews for his appearance as escaped convict Magwitch in David Lean's classic film Mysterious Inheritance , based on the novel Great Expectations . Currie's trademark was the deep voice with which he often embodied respectable and honorable personalities. In 1951 he played in Mervyn LeRoy's monumental film Quo vadis? the role of Simon Peter . His most famous film was the monumental film Ben Hur , produced in 1959 , in which Currie again played a biblical figure as King Balthasar . In any case, thanks to his distinctive face, Currie was often used in monumental and historical films.

Finlay Currie, who also appeared in television series from the 1950s, remained active as an actor practically until his death despite his old age. He died of natural causes in 1968 at the age of 90. The character actor had his last role in an episode of the television series Simon Templar , which was shown posthumously on television in 1969. In his private life, Currie was an avid antique dealer who, among other things, collected coins and metals. He was married to his wife Maude Courtney from 1916 until her death in 1959 and they had three children.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Finlay Currie at Find A Grave
  2. ^ Finlay Currie at AllMovie
personal data
SURNAME Currie, Finlay
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Currie, Finlay Jefferson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British theater and film actor
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Edinburgh , Scotland
DATE OF DEATH May 9, 1968
Place of death Gerrards Cross , Buckinghamshire , England