Albert Finney has died at the age of 82, a family spokesman has said.
The actor was best known for his roles in Erin Brockovich, Murder On The Orient Express and Annie.
A statement from his family said: “Albert Finney, aged 82, passed away peacefully after a short illness with those closest to him by his side.
“The family request privacy at this sad time.”
The five-time Oscar nominee, who was born in Salford in 1936, started his career in the theatre and made his movie debut with a small part in The Entertainer in 1960.
Director Tony Richardson then offered Finney the lead in kitchen-sink drama Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, and period romp Tom Jones in 1963, which landed him his first Oscar nomination and made him a major star.
He went on to play the title role in Scrooge and Hercule Poirot in Murder On The Orient Express, which garnered his second nomination, as well as Daddy Warbucks in Annie.
We're saddened to learn that the great Albert Finney has died aged 82 https://t.co/cARdtYfWyo pic.twitter.com/JGqfuNpaY1
— BFI (@BFI) February 8, 2019
He earned consecutive nods in 1984 and 1985 for The Dresser and Under The Volcano and his fifth came in 2001 for his role as lawyer Ed Masry in Erin Brockovich, starring opposite Julia Roberts.
He played Winston Churchill in the TV movie The Gathering Storm in 2002 and more recently appeared in the James Bond film Skyfall and the Bourne films.
