Finlay Currie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Finlay Currie
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Trailer for Ivanhoe (1952)
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| Born |
William Finlay Currie
20 January 1878 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
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| Died | 9 May 1968 (aged 90) Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England
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| Resting place | Breakspear Crematorium, Ruislip, London, England |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1898–1968 |
| Spouse(s) |
Maude Courtney
(m. 1905; died 1959) |
| Children | 2 |
William Finlay Currie (born January 20, 1878 – died May 9, 1968) was a famous Scottish actor. He performed on stage, in movies, and on television. He was very well-known for playing Abel Magwitch in the British film Great Expectations (1946). He also gained fame as Balthazar in the American film Ben-Hur (1959).
Finlay Currie's acting career lasted for 70 years! During this time, he appeared in seven movies that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Two of these films, Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and Ben-Hur (1959), actually won the award.
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Finlay Currie's Acting Journey
Finlay Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He went to George Watson's College. Before becoming an actor, he worked as an organist and led a choir. In 1898, he got his first acting job with Benjamin Fuller's theatre group. He performed with them for almost 10 years.
Moving to America and Early Films
In the late 1890s, Currie moved to the United States with his wife, Maude Courtney. They performed a song-and-dance act on stage. His first movie was The Old Man in 1931.
He played a priest in the 1943 Second World War film Undercover. One of his most famous movie roles was the convict, Abel Magwitch, in David Lean's Great Expectations. He also received praise for playing Queen Victoria's Scottish attendant, John Brown, in The Mudlark (1950).
Big Roles in Hollywood Epics
Later in his career, Finlay Currie appeared in many large-scale Hollywood movies, often called epics. These roles included:
- Saint Peter in Quo Vadis (1951).
- Balthazar, one of the Three Magi, in the movie Ben-Hur. This film won many Academy Awards.
- The Pope in Francis of Assisi (1961).
- A wise old senator in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
He also acted alongside Cary Grant in People Will Talk. In MGM's colorful Ivanhoe, he played Sir Cedric, the father of Robert Taylor's character. Ivanhoe also showed Currie's funny side and his willingness to do action scenes, even when he was in his 70s.
Television Appearances
Finlay Currie also had many roles on television. In 1953, he played Sir Gideon Murray in The Lass wi' the Muckle Mou. In 1962, he starred in an episode of The DuPont Show of the Week called The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon.
In February 1963, he was the special guest on the TV show This Is Your Life. His last performance was for the TV series The Saint, which starred Roger Moore. Currie played a dying mafioso boss in an episode that aired after he passed away in 1969.
Beyond Acting
Later in his life, Finlay Currie became a respected antiques dealer. He specialized in coins and precious metals. He was also a long-time collector of the works of the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns.
Finlay Currie's Family and Passing
Finlay Currie was married to an American actress named Maude Courtney. They had two children together, a son named George and a daughter named Marion.
Finlay Currie passed away on May 9, 1968, in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. He was 90 years old.
Images for kids
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Finlay Currie in a trailer for Ivanhoe (1952)
See also
In Spanish: Finlay Currie para niños
