Finlay Currie

Scottish-born Finlay Currie was a former church organist and choirmaster, who made his stage debut at 20 years of age. It took him 34 more years before making his first film, but he worked steadily for another 30 years after that. Although he was a large, imposing figure, with a rich, deep voice and somewhat authoritarian demeanor, he was seldom cast in villainous parts. He received great acclaim for his role as Magwitch in Great Expectations (1946), & one of his best remembered roles was the role of Balthazar in Ben-Hur (1959). Shunderson, Cary Grant's devoted servant with a secret past, in People Will Talk (1951). Later in his life-time, he became a much respected antiques dealer, specializing in coins and precious metals, (coinage). He died in England at age 90. While biggest Academy Awards theatrical film, Ben-Hur (1959) was in it's final four+ months of filming, he became a widower, when his only wife, Maude Courtney entered eternity.