British actor Albert Finney, made famous during early 60s new wave cinema, has died. He was 82.
The actor had been suffering from kidney cancer, The Guardian reports.
Prior to receiving five Oscar nominations, Finney was born the son of a bookmaker in Salford, England in 1936. As a young boy he was encouraged to join the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he studied alongside Peter O’Toole and Alan Bates.
Finney shot to fame as the star of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, playing a rambunctious factory worker. At the time, The Guide to British Cinema said Finney exuded “a mixture of defiance and selfishness overlaid with a raw sexuality.”
After starring in films like Night Must Fall and Two for the Road, Finney went on to appear in Scrooge, a mainstream musical, as well as Shoot the Moon opposite Diane Keaton. In 2001, he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his work on the film Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts in the title role.
Finney has won numerous awards including several BAFTA awards, an Emmy, a Golden Globe and several Screen Actors Guild awards. He’s survived by his wife Pene and son Simon.
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