Albert Finney

Born: 9th May 1936
Where: Salford, Manchester

The five-times Oscar-nominated actor emerged from the gloomy British "kitchen" sink dramas such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.

However, he forged a successful Hollywood career and was most recently nominated for an Academy Award for Erin Brockovich.

As a young man, Finney earned a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where his classmates included Alan Bates and Peter O'Toole.

Beginning his stage career with the Birmingham Repertory Company, he made his London debut in the company's production of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra in 1956.

In 1960 he made his film debut in The Entertainer in which he shared screen time with the great Laurence Olivier.

After quitting the starring role in David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia after four days so as not to be tied to a long-term film contract, Finney took on the titluar role in Tom Jones.

His performance made him an international star overnight, and earned him his first Best Actor Oscar nomination.

But rather than taking the Hollywood plunge, Finney continued his stage work full force and appeared in relatively few films during the 1960s.

In 1965, with actor Michael Medwin, Albert founded Memorial Enterprises Productions, responsible for several features including his own directorial debut, Charlie Bubbles, as well as If... and O Lucky Man!

In the 1970s Finney made a transition to character roles and quirky leads as the title character in Scrooge in 1970, and as the detective Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express four years later.

The latter bought the actor his second Best Actor Oscar nomination.

He continued to surprise and charm throughout the 1980s, notably in Shoot the Moon in 1982, and The Dresser in 1984, both Oscar-nominated performances.

Audiences also saw Finney play the wealthy Daddy Warbucks in Annie.

He played a drunk diplomat in Under the Volcano in 1984, adapted from Malcolm Lowry's autobiographical novel set in 1930s Mexico.

With his outstanding portrayal of a difficult role, Albert earned his fourth Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Finney then found himself in Steven Soderbergh's smash hit Erin Brockovich in 2000, playing the lawyer boss of Julia Roberts' titular legal assistant.

Soderbergh then cast him in Traffic and he played Hemingway in Hemingway, the Hunter of Death.

It was on the small screen that he next scored success - he won a BAFTA award for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Gathering Storm.

Recent work includes Tim Burton's Big Fish alonside Ewan McGregor and Billy Crudup.