Frank Finlay dead: Celebrity tributes roll in for Oscar-nominated British actor

Sir Roger Moore referred to Finlay as a 'great co-star'

Frank Finlay at a National Theatre event in 2013 (Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)

Tributes have poured in for Frank Finlay CBE, the Oscar-nominated British actor who died on 30 January at the age of 89.

Starring in the Three Musketeer films of the 1970s alongside actors like Oliver Reed, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York, Finlay quickly became known as a talented actor from the start of his career.

His performance as Iago in 1965's Othello, in which Laurence Olivier plays the titular role, saw him nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, although that honour ended up going to Martin Balsam for his part in A Thousand Clowns.

Awarded a CBE in 1984, Finlay told The Independent in a 1998 interview that he didn't think he was "high-profile enough" to have earned a knighthood.

Colleagues and friends in the world of showbiz have paid tribute to Finlay in the wake of his death.

Writing on Twitter, Sir Roger Moore called Finlay a "great co-star" in the 1978 war film The Wild Geese.

John Challis, who played Boycie in Only Fools and Horses, also tweeted about Finlay, saluting his friend "dear Frank" and talking about their "happy times" together while touring the country's theatres in Laughter on the 23rd Floor.

Comedians Les Dennis and Sanjeev Bhaskar also spoke fondly about Finlay, with Bhaskar calling him a "fine actor," while League of Gentleman member Mark Gatiss said he was a "wonderfully fiery presence on stage and screen."