Albert Finney In Character
By Quentin Falk
In the 1960s, Albert Finney was the screen’s incarnation of the new British working-class hero. In the theatre, he was hailed as the ‘new Olivier’. Yet, instead of actively pursuing either image, he went his own way and became a millionaire. His humour and drive was an inspiration for his fellow actors – especially when times were hard and morale was at an all-time low. Recollections from his former colleagues are fondly described. Yet the man, who from his record would appear to be a pillar of the establishment, seems deliberately to have remained an outsider.