Oscar Trivia Detour: Albert Finney as Lawrence of Arabia?
Thursday, July 9, 2015 at 11:01AM In an alternate universe this could have happened...
Jigsaw Lounge posted that image to twitter last night in response to a thread started by Deux Ex Cinema, one I hadn't seen. It blew my mind to learn that the great actor screen-tested for Peter O'Toole's signature part and was, according to some, David Lean's first choice. The question posed:
Did this five time nominee ever come close to actually winning an Oscar?
I'd argue that he never did though some will disagree. He was way too young for Oscar when he headlined a Best Picture Winner (Tom Jones, 1963) as he was only 27. That would have made him the youngest winner of all time in that category, a record that would have still held since Adrien Brody is the current record holder at 29. At the time I believe Finney was the sixth youngest man ever nominated for lead, but he's since been pushed out of the top ten in the last decade or so by 26 and 27 year olds who were a smidge younger in their years like Ryan Gosling, Heath Ledger, and Jesse Eisenberg. By the time Erin Brockovich (2000), his last nomination, rolled around he was up against a juggernaut contender in Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) who was so popular that he won the SAG as Leading actor before winning the supporting Oscar for the same role.
Albert Finney's last screen appearance was in Skyfall (2012) but he's still alive at 79. Will some filmmaker give him one last great role or should Oscar give him an Honorary?
Here's a list to ponder...
Living Men with the Most (Acting) Nominations Who've Never Won
- Albert Finney (5)
- [Tie] Warren Beatty*, Ed Harris, and Leonardo DiCaprio (4 each)
- [Tie] Brad Pitt*, Joaquin Phoenix, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Bradley Cooper, Nick Nolte, and Kirk Douglas* (3 each)
* they have Oscars for something else but not a competitive acting Oscar
Reader Comments (25)
he lost to four frontrunners (poitier, duvall, abraham and del toro) and in the year he was nominated alongside 70s heavyweights dustin hoffman, jack nicholson and al pacino he didn't stand a chance...although neither did art carney, who did win.
ERIN BROCKOVICH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
honestly he should have won for Shoot the Moon
He was so good in Erin Brockovich , tho! Shame he was running against such an awards juggernaut that year. Of his other performances, I've only seen Murder in the Orient Express . I recall he was good (he played Poirot, much older than he was) but I find the character so irksome and overplayed (so many incarnations in different media) that it's hard to separate performance from character. It'd be nice if he at least got an end of career nomination, a la O'Toole for Venus .
Of the others, the only one I absolutely COULDN'T see getting an Oscar win at this point is Tom Cruise. Ed Harris is clearly talented and still doing some darn good work (Snowpiercer), Leo and Joaquin, even if not "popular" on the overall, have too much of a respectable persona to not win at some point, Depp's someone people want to love, but are also comfortable groaning at, meaning the right performance in the right film at the right moment COULD get him the prize and Bradley Cooper has gotten too many nominations too quickly for an O'Toole situation to seem likely.
I can get behind a Finney Honorary Oscar, but I also hope he won't retire/give up trying for a competitive one.
From the older generation, Ed Harris is most likely to win for a strong supporting turn.
From the younger generation, Cooper, DiCaprio and Phoenix seem to have the most momentum.
Is Tom Cruise even trying to win an Oscar at this point?
Albert Finney should definitely receive an Honorary Oscar before it's too late. His performance in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is the stuff long-lasting careers are made of. He really should have won for Erin Brockovich. I believe he won the SAG for Best Supporting Actor that year since Benicio Del Toro was placed in the leading category, so I wouldn't say he never came close to winning an Oscar.
Also, I haven't seen this photograph either. I've never imagined anyone else in the role of T.E. Lawrence except Peter O'Toole. Of course, Finney would have made it spectacular in his own way. It just wouldn't have been anywhere close to O'Toole's "Florence of Arabia."
From what I've heard, Albert Finney has never really cared about winning an Oscar (did he ever attend, even when he was nominated? I don't remember seeing him there when he was nominated for Erin Brockovich, the one nomination of his I was alive for), so I'm not sure he's really looking for that performance. If he hasn't appeared in a film since 2012, maybe he's retired (and I'm guessing happily retired). He is a terrific actor though.
As for the others, I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before Leonardo DiCaprio wins an Oscar, Joaquin Phoenix seems very likely (even if he wasn't nominated for Her) and Bradley Cooper, probably also a matter of time (three nominations in three years). Thenagain, Johnny Depp was pretty popular with the Academy for a while, but hasn't gotten nominated since Sweeney Todd, so who knows if Cooper's favor with the Academy will last long enough for him to win.
Thenagain, we've learned that with the right role at the right time, someone who seemed like a lost cause with Oscar can finally nab one (which is where I remind everyone, not that I need to, that Julianne Moore has an Oscar!!!)...
Albert Finney is my favorite actor. The fact that he is Oscarless is ridiculous. This is not a popular opinion, but I think he should have won for Murder On the Orient Express. Yes, the role is not particularly profound or soul-shattering. But Finney was uncanny in his resourcefulness in breaking through that absurd physical facade and extracting the hidden frustration, conflicting obsessions, and surprising humanity roiling under the surface. Not to mention, he plays the script as high comedy--and it works in spectacular fashion. In entertainment value alone, the performance is a sheer marvel. Yes, he should get an honorary, but I second the feeling he should not give up getting a competitive one.
I remember TCM's Robert Osborne saying Albert was the first choice for Lawrence, but turned it down because he did not want to be stuck in the dessert for six months. I think he would have killed in this part.
@Richter, Mr. Finney has never attended the Oscars. He has said he doesn't have anything against them, it's just that there's other things he'd rather be doing.
@Sean, cosign on Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. DAMN, he was terrific in that. Sorta like the British Brando. He should have been nominated for that. And ITA he should have won for Brockovich.
I agree-Finney has never been close to an Oscar, though his best shot was surely for Tom Jones, when he was headlining a Best Picture. I suspect he was second to Poitier.
I think Finney is out for an Oscar. Aside from Leo and his inevitable march, I suspect if he continues his momentum of the moment that Bradley Cooper will take one as well. The others either don't want to campaign for it (Phoenix) or don't do that kind of work anymore (Cruise) or both (Harris). I still think that Cruise is a big enough movie star and still bankable enough that people would forgive him a whole lot if he managed another Jerry Maguire...but that's a big if.
The women also are an interesting quandary. I believe it ends up being:
6: Glenn Close
5: Amy Adams
4: Annette Bening, Marsha Mason, and Jane Alexander
3: Joan Allen, Piper Laurie, Diane Ladd, Angela Lansbury*, Laura Linney, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Williams, and Debra Winger
Outside of Adams, Bening, or Williams I honestly don't see any of those women getting even another nomination, and only Adams seems to have momentum anymore to grab a win. Close seems like a strong candidate for an Honorary Oscar eventually though (and of course Lansbury already has one).
It's shameful that Ed Harris doesn't have one.
I love Finney. He is one of very few white male actors that I think should get an Honorary. Otherwise, save those trophies for the underappreciated women (Maureen last year) and people behind the screen.
Richter Scale - yeah, people often forget that Oscar favors never last for anyone (except Streep, Hepburn & Nicholson) and even they weren't nominated for everything (nor should anyone be). Careers in any industry have peaks and valleys and moments when you're doing good work and no one notices and moments when you're just doing your job and people get too excited about.
there are so many factors.
suzanne -- agreed.
John T -- I have a tought time imagining any of those women winning at this point BUT don't try to hijack this rare thread in which i didn't mention actresses once (haha)
Carlos -- hopefully for something better than Venus though!
I think Finney's best work was in "Shoot the Moon," although even then I would have given it to Hoffman in "Tootsie."
But hey...Oscars aren't everything, they are as much famous for killing careers as they are for expanding them (aka Adrien Brody as an example of the former scenario).
The only person at this point for whom I cannot imagine a scenario where she doesn't win and I don't go insane is Michelle Pfeiffer. So I'll probably die insane.
He should have won for Erin Brockovich.
I want Ed Harris and Joaquín Phoenix to win someday.
In the late 1970's, my Aunt used to live in a flat above Albert Finney. Just saying!
Nathaniel-My apologies-it's an actressexual sickness. I hear "no Oscars" and I automatically have visions of Glenn Close dancing in my head. ;)
brookesboy: I support your praise of Finney in Murder on the Orient Express. I think he's amazing in it - my favourite screen Poirot (much as I warm to Peter Ustinov too). I wouldn't have given him the Oscar for it, though - simply because it was such a strong field and I think Nicholson should have squeaked the win (although I also think Carney is excellent, Pacino is excellent if occasionally slightly overwrought, and Hoffman is fine, although, amazingly, bringing up the rear that year). But I watch Orient Express every year or two and always enjoy it - and I can't take my eyes (or ears) off Finney when he's onscreen.
Max Von Sydow only nominated twice. Enough said.
Nick Nolte has three nominations, too.
I can see Johnny Depp winning an Oscar when he's, like, 75.
Thanks, Edward! It's amazing how Finney is able to continually pull focus away from the star-studded supporting cast. When a guy is making you forget Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset and Lauren Bacall are in the room, he's doing something pretty special.
Patryk - Hope that Max gets his Honorary Oscar soon. Legend!
Michael Haney (sp? he's the counselor on "Orange is the New Black") did a "Random Roles" interview about "Erin Brockovich" and he talked about how when Albert Finney rehearsed his big speech it seemed as if he didn't quite have it, and then they started rolling and he absolutely nailed it.