Jon Finch (1942-2012)

[Corbie]

I WAS VERY FOND OF JON AND WAS SORRY WE LOST TOUCH. IN SOME WAYS IT WAS FOR SIMILAR REASONS -- NOT LIKING THE SPOTLIGHT BEING ONE. I WISH I'D KNOWN YOU KNEW WHERE HE LIVED, CORBIE. I'D HAVE ASKED YOU TO GIVE HIM MY EMAIL! HE WAS GENUINELY MODEST. I'D KNOWN HIM SINCE I WAS A YOUNG MAN WHEN WE USED TO BELONG TO THE SAME POKER SCHOOL. HE WAS IN THE SAS AT THAT TIME BUT ALSO WORKED AT GUILDFORD REP. SWEET GUY. BY THE SOUND OF IT HE DIDN'T STOP DRINKING AND AS A DIABETIC THAT CAN BE LETHAL.

Hi Mike. No, he never did stop drinking. The guy that first mentioned his death to me is a friend of mine who runs a local pub where Finchy was a regular at the bar and I saw him wandering down there on many occasions.

As for the other thing, I must admit I thought I had mentioned living near him here on the Miscellany a couple of years back but I now wish I'd made sure that you knew I knew where he lived. So sorry, what a wasted opportunity.

[[email protected]]

Jon Finch

I WAS VERY FOND OF JON AND WAS SORRY WE LOST TOUCH. IN SOME WAYS IT WAS FOR SIMILAR REASONS -- NOT LIKING THE SPOTLIGHT BEING ONE. I WISH I'D KNOWN YOU KNEW WHERE HE LIVED, CORBIE. I'D HAVE ASKED YOU TO GIVE HIM MY EMAIL! HE WAS GENUINELY MODEST. I'D KNOWN HIM SINCE I WAS A YOUNG MAN WHEN WE USED TO BELONG TO THE SAME POKER SCHOOL. HE WAS IN THE SAS AT THAT TIME BUT ALSO WORKED AT GUILDFORD REP. SWEET GUY. BY THE SOUND OF IT HE DIDN'T STOP DRINKING AND AS A DIABETIC THAT CAN BE LETHAL.

Hi Mike. No, he never did stop drinking. The guy that first mentioned his death to me is a friend of mine who runs a local pub where Finchy was a regular at the bar and I saw him wandering down there on many occasions.

As for the other thing, I must admit I thought I had mentioned living near him here on the Miscellany a couple of years back but I now wish I'd made sure that you knew I knew where he lived. So sorry, what a wasted opportunity.

I am Finch's ex-partner and mother of his daughter, Holly. Yes, he did continue to drink but he was quite controlled with his drinking. He would like to have worked but was not in good health and was not offered the sorts of things he would like to have been doing. I would be very interested to talk to Michael more, privately. Can we email each other? I haven't even seen the film you both made, now a cult film, apparently, and Holly and I didn't even know it was shown at Edinburgh Festival in 2010, amazing. We love him very much and are very proud of him and his achievements; he was a truly lovely man and a one-off, very special.

[[email protected]]

Jon Finch

Yes he did die; it was very sad that he was alone but lots of people who live alone are on their own when they die. But he was very loved by his daughter, Holly, and by me, Helen, his ex and by other family and friends. He was a very unusual character, eccentric I guess, but he was warm and funny and true to himself. He was a wonderful father and he was great with young people and children, they loved him! We are missing him terribly and wish he could see how appreciated he was and is. There are not many actors of his calibre around, that's for sure.

We will never forget him. RIP lovely Finchy, Daddo, Digby ... just some of his nick-names. xxx

[David Mosley]

More newspaper obituaries:

Daily Telegraph

The Independent

That year [1973], Finch appeared in The Final Programme, written and directed by Robert Fuest, who had graduated from The Avengers TV series to helming two Dr Phibes black comedies starring Vincent Price. Another quest for eternal life, The Final Programme made the most of Finch's mesmerising presence and Byronic looks, and has become a cult classic but it was hardly William Shakespeare, Ian Fleming or Alexandre Dumas.

Cinefantastique

His best genre performance was probably as Jerry Cornelius in THE FINAL PROGRAMME, playing a an unconventional hero who walks with practiced insouciance through the film’s bizarre happenings in a manner that foreshadows the later THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION. The film’s final gag, a quote from Humphry Bogart, was Finch’s on-set ad-lib.

[Papi]

Mauvaise nouvelle

Rest in peace.

[GuyLawley]

Just met this thread.
Typing with tears in my eyes.

Will watch TFP again (or as much as I can bear) & Polanski's Macbeth, in loving tribute.

[lemec]

I loved Jon Finch's acting skills and really enjoyed him in The Final Programme.

I will miss him. He was a very cool man.

My condolences.

RIP, Jon Finch.

[pdwright42]

Sad news indeed.
He was the brightest spot in TFP, and the definitive JC.

RIP, Mr. Finch.

[The English Assassin]

Just found this on YouTube... Great actor, great director and a great play... I must see if I can get this on DVD!

[Whistler]

Jon Finch's passing

i had no idea Jon Finch had passed away December of last year. i'm currently re-reading The Cornelius Chronicles and watched The Final Programme last week. He was wonderful as Jerry Cornelius and as Macbeth. RIP, Jon.

[zakt]

Jon Finch

I haven't been on for a few years, but came across the sad news of Jon Finch's (also rather sad-sounding) death, and can't see any reference to it on here. FP was a lacklustre attempt at filming the book, and Finch seemed a bit embarrassed at times, but i thought he made not a bad fist at the role.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Finch

[Pietro_Mercurios]

Perhaps, this is the Thread you were looking for?

http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showt...nch#post265149

Yes, he'll be sadly missed.

[Rothgo]

A bit of chaos engineering* is the reason for some slight contextual "eh?" regarding the two posts above.

*a.k.a. post-shifting

[Kymba334]

For me, Jon Finch was the definative cinema Macbeth and i thought he made a pretty good Jerry also,i loved that scene where he gave Miss B the brush off.
Another fine actor taken by the winds of time.