(Credit: Alamy)
Peter Finch began acting in the 1930s, appearing in many theatre and radio productions in Australia, where he had moved as a teenager from his native England. Midway through the decade, he accepted small film roles, but it wasn’t until the late 1940s that he returned to his place of birth, hoping to find acting success.
His talents were recognised by Laurence Olivier, who had suggested to him that London would be a more suitable place to hone a career. The veteran actor became his mentor, and Finch began landing frequent parts on stage and screen. From The Nun’s Story to Sunday Bloody Sunday, Finch starred in many popular hits, scooping up various awards in the process.
He appeared in many movies during the ‘60s, which helped to secure his reputation as one of the decade’s most recognisable stars, and his career looked like it was only getting more prosperous as the years went on. However, a string of commercially and critically unsuccessful movies, such as Lost Horizon, threatened to send his career backwards in the early ’70s.
Luckily for Finch, a role in Sidney Lumet’s Network would be his saving grace, although it would unfortunately be his last performance. The actor died at the age of 60 – just a year after the film’s release – from a heart attack. He starred as Howard Beale, a UBS Evening News anchorman with an overly pessimistic view of the world and a binge-drinking problem. The movie satirised the television industry, with screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky taking inspiration from the live-on-air suicide committed by Christine Chubbuck a few years prior.
Finch’s character dies on air (although not by suicide), shocking viewers. However, before his death, he delivers many iconic moments, none more than his “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” monologue.
Yet, the speech was not filmed in one go due to Finch’s rapidly declining health. His heart issues meant that he was unable to perform the demanding scene without stopping – he couldn’t physically do it. Thus, the crew had to edit several takes together to get the finished result.
Finch ended up winning an Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’, alongside Faye Dunaway winning ‘Best Actress’ and Beatrice Straight winning ‘Best Supporting Actress’. Chayefsky also won a gold statuette for writing the screenplay, rounding out a very successful Oscar ceremony for Lumet’s film. Sadly, Finch could not accept the award, passing away several months before the ceremony took place. He was the first to win a posthumous acting accolade at the Academy Awards.
Finch’s death took place just one day after appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in January 1977. While in a hotel lobby the following morning, he had a heart attack and died. Even more tragic – he had joked about death while appearing on the late-night talk show.
Revisit Finch’s iconic performance in Network below.
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