John Nicholas Finch (2 March 1942 – c. 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles.

One of the ten episodes made was never screened, owing to the broadcast in its place of a documentary about the Kray Twins when they were jailed.

In April 1973, he was called "Europe's hottest young property of the moment", announced for Gargantua from Ken Russell and Pantagruei in Italy.

[17] In 1975, he played the title role in a BBC/ABC joint production series about Australia's first outlawed bushranger, Ben Hall.

[18] Finch was offered the role of James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973), but he declined the part and it went to Roger Moore.

[20][21][22] At the end of the decade, Finch's roles in films included Death on the Nile (1978) and La Sabina (1979).

[1] In 1980, Finch appeared in Breaking Glass and, in 1981, he played Luke the Evangelist in the television film Peter and Paul, which featured Robert Foxworth and Anthony Hopkins in the title roles.

[25] Finch became increasingly associated with support roles like Plaza Real (1988) and Streets of Yesterday, and guest starred on TV shows.

[24] Finch's body was discovered in his flat in Hastings, East Sussex, on 28 December 2012, after friends and family had become concerned for his welfare.

[27] While filming Diagnosis: Murder in 1974, Finch was more than 40 lbs underweight, passed out a couple times on set, and was then diagnosed with diabetes after being hospitalised for two weeks.