Jon Finch

Dark, mustachioed and broodingly handsome in an Oliver Reed placid manner, Jon Finch was born in Caterham, Surrey, England, on March 2, 1942, the son of a merchant banker. Educated at Caterham School, his first stage role was in elementary school at age 13 playing a Roman noblewoman(!) After gaining experience in amateur theatre groups and following a short stint with a folk singing group, he suddenly left for military service at age 18, serving with a parachute regiment. Following military duty, Jon returned to acting and delved seriously into classical theatre with several different Shakespeare/repertory companies, appearing in over 50-60 plays, including "Night of the Iguana" and "She Stoops to Conquer," while also serving as stage manager and/or assistant director for several of these companies.

Jon made his on-camera debut on TV in 1964 with guest parts on such British series as the daytime soap "Crossroads," "The Fellows," "Tom Grattan's War," "Z Cars" and the part of Sir Edward Mortimer in the BBC-TV play "Mary, Queen of Scots.

" This culminated in a leading role in the sci-fi British series Counterstrike (1969).

A few years later he broke into films with supporting roles in the Hammer Studio horror classics The Vampire Lovers (1970) and The Horror of Frankenstein (1970). This was a rather intense, dramatic sign as to the direction his cinematic career would take.

Finch was interested in race car driving in the early 1970's but could not obtain a race car license after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Jon's gloomy, Gothic-edged film career peaked in the early 70s with such classy fare as Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971), in which he played the tormented title role, in a particularly gory and controversial presentation; as cuckold husband William Lamb in the historical romancer Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) opposite Sarah Miles; in Alfred Hitchcock's macabre serial-killer thriller Frenzy (1972), in which he is a suspect in the dastardly crimes; in The Final Programme (1973), an end-of-the-world sci-fi adventure that has since earned cult status; and in the all-star production of Death on the Nile (1978), an elegant whodunnit, courtesy of Agatha Christie.

He was chosen, somewhat incongruously, to play the Aboriginal Detective Inspector Bonaparte in the Australian television series Boney (1972), but pulled out two weeks before filming, having been picked to play the lead in Frenzy (1972).

Turned down the chance to play James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973).

During the making of Diagnosis: Murder (1974), he fainted several times on the set, and was diagnosed with diabetes. This may have been why he had to drop out due to illness on the first day of filming the sci-fi horror film Alien (1979). Jon was replaced by John Hurt.

He also took on another TV series Ben Hall (1975) as the title Australian bushrangerAfter filming the Spanish historical drama The Second Power (1976) written and directed by José María Forqué and the Swedish/Spanish co-production of La Sabina (1979) written by the notorious filmmaker José Luis Borau, the upcoming 1980's decade would promise more erratic and erotic filming in international drama.

Turned down a regular role as Doyle in the British TV series The Professionals (1977), claiming that he "couldn't possibly play a policeman".

More importantly, he took part in several Shakespearean pieces that were transferred to TV -- Richard II (1978), Henry IV Part I (1979), Henry IV Part II (1979) and Much Ado About Nothing (1984).

Was originally cast to play the part of Kane in Alien (1979), but had to drop out on the first day of filming because he fell ill with bronchitis, forcing him to spend three days in intensive care.

Another Spanish-made co-starring role came his way with Gary Cooper, que estás en los cielos (1980) (Gary Cooper, Who Art in Heaven) written and directed by Pilar Miró, followed by the German drama Doktor Faustus (1982); a brief return to English soil to co-star with Glenda Jackson in the political drama Giro City (1982); a pair of German psychological dramas Plaza Real (1988) and The Voice (1988); the Israeli political thriller Streets of Yesterday (1989); and the steamy Italian film La più bella del reame (1989) (Most Beautiful in the Kingdom) opposite sensuous American model-turned-European film actress Carol Alt. A gentleman with infinite class, intelligence and charm, Jon's pronounced aversion to publicity and preference for privacy kept him from achieving major stardom. Finch turned more and more to British TV work as the years wore on.

He appeared as an apparition of Christ in three episodes of the sci-fi mini-series The Martian Chronicles (1980); portrayed the apostle Luke in the biblical drama Peter and Paul (1981); played Uncle Tom in the small screen version of D. H.

He was briefly married (1980-1987) to actress Catriona MacColl and they had one child.

They co-starred together in the Spanish-made film drama Power Game (1983).

Considered for Col. Colin Caine, Dr. Armstong, Dr. Bukovsky, Roger Derebridge and Kelly in Lifeforce (1985).

Lawrence's The Rainbow (1988); appeared as the antagonist King Vortigern in the King Arthur story Merlin of the Crystal Cave (1991); played Count Sylvius in the mini-series The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994); and headed up the cast in the TV-movie murder mystery Bloodlines: Legacy of a Lord (1998).

On film, he starred in the horror opus Lurking Fear (1994), filmed in Romania, and co-starred in the Philippine-made horror Darklands (1996).

According to his listing in Quinlan's Film Stars (2000) he appeared in The Man With the Green Cross (1976).,The Threat (1981) and Strange (1987).

Jon made his last large screen appearance in the Orlando Bloom adventure about the Crusades, Kingdom of Heaven (2005).