Warren Finnerty (April 9, 1925 – December 22, 1974) was an American actor best known for his Obie award-winning performance as the character "Leach" in the stage production The Connection (1959) and its film adaptation.
Career After making his film debut in Murder, Inc. (1960) and the Off-Off Broadway production of The Brig in the 1960s, he made a few television appearances before starring in The Connection (1961), the film adaptation of the play in which he reprised his stage role.
He continued to work steadily in the 1960s and early 1970s, making appearances on television in Bonanza and Banacek, and in films such as The Pawnbroker (1964), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Easy Rider (1969) in which Finnerty plays a rancher whose lifestyle draws the admiration of Wyatt aka "Captain America," the character played by Peter Fonda, The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Kid Blue (1973) and Cockfighter (1974).
Finnerty died in 1974 in New York City from a heart attack at the age of 49.
Family Finnerty's wife, Ruth, was a pianist and English educator at UC Berkeley Extension; the couple's son is the jazz musician Barry Finnerty.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1960 Murder, Inc. Charles "The Bug" Workman 1961 The Connection Leach 1964 The Pawnbroker Savarese 1964 The Brig Guard #1 1965 Andy Sanovich 1967 Who's Crazy? Unknown 1967 Cool Hand Luke "Tattoo" 1969 Easy Rider The Rancher 1969 Marlowe The Manager Uncredited 1969 Scream Free! Barney 1971 The Panic in Needle Park Sammy 1971 The Last Movie Banker 1973 Kid Blue Wills 1973 The Laughing Policeman Ripple 1974 Cockfighter Sanders 1974 Injun fender The Texan (final film role)
References
External links Warren Finnerty's New York Times obituary
Warren Finnerty at the Internet Off-Broadway Database