Biography

Finlay Currie

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Born
January 20, 1878 · Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Died
May 9, 1968 · Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, UK (kidney and heart failure)
Birth name
William Finlay Currie
Height
6′ 2″ (1.88 m)

Scottish-born Finlay Currie was a former church organist and choirmaster, who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanor, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), and one of his best remembered roles was that of Balthazar in Ben-Hur (1959). He was also Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past in People Will Talk (1951). Later in his life he became a much respected antiques dealer, specializing in coins and precious metals (coinage). He died in England at age 90. While his biggest Academy Award-winning film, Ben-Hur (1959) was in its final four+ months of filming, he became a widower when his only wife, Maude Courtney, passed away.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com

Made his theatrical debut in Edinburgh in 1898. Subsequently acted on stage in London and New York, as well as spending ten years in Australia as part of Sir Benjamin Fuller's troupe of players. He was a comedian and singer before graduating to dramatic parts, initially half of a double act with his wife Maude Courtney.
Appeared in seven films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The 49th Parallel (1941), Great Expectations (1946), Quo Vadis (1951), Ivanhoe (1952), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Ben-Hur (1959) and Cleopatra (1963). Of those, Around the World in 80 Days (1956) and Ben-Hur (1959) are winners in the category.
Lost the sight in his right eye, so is frequently, but not always, photographed from the left side to disguise his disability.
His remains were cremated at Breakspear Crematorium in Ruislip, Middlesex, England.
As he matured and before he claimed the oldest actor title he called himself 'The Currie with the fringe in top' because he kept his white hair shoulder length in readiness for Biblical roles. He once said 'I shall work until I drop, working is fun, more people die of boredom these days than anything else. I consider there's only one type of sleeping and that's at night.

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