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Warren Finnerty

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Warren Finnerty
BornApril 9, 1925
DiedDecember 22, 1974 (aged 49)

Warren Finnerty (April 9, 1925 – December 22, 1974) was an American actor best known for his Obie award-winning performance as the character "Leach" in the stage production The Connection (1959) and its film version.[1]

Career

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After making his film debut in Murder, Inc. (1960), and in the Off-Off Broadway production of The Brig in the 1960s, he made a few television appearances before starring in The Connection (1961), the film adaptation of the play in which he reprised his stage role.

He continued to work steadily in the 1960s and early 1970s, making appearances on television in Bonanza and Banacek, and in films such as The Pawnbroker (1964), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Easy Rider (1969) in which Finnerty plays a rancher whose lifestyle draws the admiration of Wyatt aka "Captain America," the character played by Peter Fonda,[2] The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Kid Blue (1973) and Cockfighter (1974).

Finnerty died in 1974 in New York City from a heart attack at the age of 49.

Family

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Finnerty's wife, Ruth, was a pianist and English educator at UC Berkeley Extension; the couple's son is the jazz musician Barry Finnerty.[3]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1960 Murder, Inc. Charles "The Bug" Workman
1961 The Connection Leach
1964 The Pawnbroker Savarese
1964 The Brig Guard #1
1965 Andy Sanovich
1967 Who's Crazy? Unknown
1967 Cool Hand Luke "Tattoo"
1969 Easy Rider The Rancher
1969 Marlowe The Manager Uncredited
1969 Scream Free! Barney
1971 The Panic in Needle Park Sammy
1971 The Last Movie Banker
1973 Kid Blue Wills
1973 The Laughing Policeman Ripple
1974 Cockfighter Sanders
1974 Injun fender The Texan (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "Warren Finnerty". The New York Times. December 24, 1974. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Easy Rider (1969)".
  3. ^ Hamlin, Jesse (July 4, 2005). "Jazz guitarist Barry Finnerty knows how to groove alone to make music". SF Gate. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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