William Finley (September 20, 1940 – April 14, 2012) was an American actor who has appeared in the films Simon, Silent Rage, Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters and The Wedding Party. He had a long-running friendship and collaboration with director Brian De Palma, beginning with the student films Woton’s Wake (1962), The Wedding Party (1966) and Murder à la Mod (1968). He also had roles in three films by Tobe Hooper: Eaten Alive, The Funhouse and Night Terrors. Under the name W. Franklin Finley, he wrote the screenplay for the film The First Time (1983). He was also the co-author of the book Racewalking (1985).
Finley graduated from Columbia University in 1963. He resided in New York City with his wife and son.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Woton’s Wake | Woton | short |
| 1968 | Murder à la Mod | Otto | |
| 1969 | The Wedding Party | Alistair | filmed in 1963 |
| 1970 | Dionysus in ’69 | Dionysus | |
| 1973 | Sisters | Dr. Emil Breton | credited as Bill Finley |
| 1974 | Phantom of the Paradise | Winslow Leach / The Phantom | |
| 1976 | Obsession | ||
| 1977 | Eaten Alive | Roy | |
| 1978 | The Fury | Raymond Dunwoodie | |
| 1979 | Wise Blood | Man | uncredited |
| 1980 | Simon | Fichandler | |
| 1980 | Dressed to Kill | Bobbi | voice, uncredited |
| 1981 | The Funhouse | Marco the Magnificent | |
| 1982 | Silent Rage | Dr. Paul Vaughn | |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | The Phantom | archive footage |
| 1985 | Double Negative | Milt | short, credited as Bill Finley |
| 1993 | Night Terrors | Dr. Matteson | |
| 2006 | The Black Dahlia | George Tilden | credited as Bill Finley, final film role |
Death
Finley was diagnosed with an inflamed colon on April 6, 2012. He underwent surgery three days after his admission. He appeared to be doing well after the surgery, but on the morning of April 14, 2012, Finley died at age 71 in New York City.
