Character actor William Finley passed away earlier this week at age 71. Finley, who lived in Manhattan, made relatively few appearances in films and on TV, but nevertheless had built a loyal following because some of his movies became cult classics. He is closely associated with director Brian De Palma, for whom he built sets on his early short film, Woton's Wake in 1962. De Palma and Finley's friendship endured and they collaborated on many of the director's films as De Palma rose to fame in Hollywood. Finley's biggest break was being cast in the title role of Phantom of the Paradise, De Palma's 1974 take on Phantom of the Opera with a rock 'n roll spin. Finley also appeared in such films as Sisters, Silent Rage, The Black Daliah, The Fury, The Funhouse and Tobe Hooper's Eaten Alive. To read New York Times obituary, click here
(Thanks to reader Curtis Cucmak for the alert)