Finlay Currie | |
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Born | William Finlay Currie 20 January 1878 Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland |
Died | 9 May 1968 90) Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England | (aged
Resting place | Breakspear Crematorium, Ruislip, London, England |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1898–1968 |
Spouse | Maude Courtney (m. 1905;died 1959) |
Children | 2 |
William Finlay Currie [1] (20 January 1878 – 9 May 1968) was a Scottish actor of stage, screen, and television. [2] [3] He received great acclaim for his roles as Abel Magwitch in the British film Great Expectations (1946) and as Balthazar in the American film Ben-Hur (1959). [4] [5]
In his career spanning 70 years, Currie appeared in seven films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, of which Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and Ben-Hur (1959) were winners. [6] [7]
Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. [1] He attended George Watson's College and worked as organist and choir director. [4] In 1898 he got his first job in Benjamin Fuller's theatre group, and appeared with them for almost 10 years. [8]
After emigrating to the United States in the late 1890s, Currie and his wife, Maude Courtney, did a song-and-dance act on the stage. [4] He made his first film , The Old Man, in 1931. [3] He appeared as a priest in the 1943 Ealing Second World War film Undercover (1943). [9] His most famous film role was the convict, Abel Magwitch, in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946). [8] He also earned praise for his portrayal of Queen Victoria's highland attendant John Brown in The Mudlark (1950). [1]
In the following years he appeared in Hollywood film epics, including such roles as Saint Peter in Quo Vadis (1951), as Balthazar, one of the Three Magi, in the multi-Oscar-winning Ben-Hur (1959); the Pope in Francis of Assisi (1961); and an aged, wise senator in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). He appeared in People Will Talk with Cary Grant; and portrayed Robert Taylor's embittered father, Sir Cedric, in MGM's Technicolor version of Ivanhoe (1952). [3] But Ivanhoe also gave Currie one of his most delightful roles, highlighting his comic capabilities, as well as a willingness to still do some action scenes, even in his 70s. In 1962, he starred in an episode of NBC's The DuPont Show of the Week , The Ordeal of Dr. Shannon , an adaptation of A.J. Cronin's novel, Shannon's Way .
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in February 1963, when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre in London.[ citation needed ]
In 1966, Currie played Mr. Lundie, the minister, in the television adaptation of the musical Brigadoon . [10] His last performance was for the television series The Saint which starred Roger Moore. Currie played a dying mafioso boss in the two-part episode "Vendetta for the Saint", which was shown posthumously in 1969. [11]
Late in life, he became a much respected antiques dealer, specialising in coins and precious metals. He was also a longtime collector of the works of Robert Burns. [1]
Currie was married to American actress Maude Courtney. [1] [4] They had two children, George and Marion. [1]
Currie died on 9 May 1968 in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire at age 90. [3] His ashes were scattered in Breakspear Crematorium, Ruislip, Middlesex.
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