Mali Finn (March 8, 1938 – November 28, 2007), born Mary Alice Mann, was an American

casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...

and former English and drama teacher. She cast numerous actors in successful films, including

Edward Furlong Edward Walter Furlong (born August 2, 1977) is an American actor. He won Saturn and MTV Movie Awards for his breakthrough performance at age 13 as John Connor in James Cameron's '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''; which was followed by a mini-seq ...

Brad Renfro Brad Barron Renfro (July 25, 1982 – January 15, 2008) was an American actor. He made his film debut at the age of 11 with a starring role in ''The Client'' (1994). He went on to appear in 21 feature films and won several awards. Prior to bein ...

, Leonardo DiCaprio, and

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

Biography

Born as Mary Alice Mann on March 8, 1938, in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

, she later moved to Minneapolis, where she received a bachelor's degree in theater from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. She was married to Don Finn, a theater director and professor of directing and acting at The Guthrie and California State University Fullerton, and had one child with him.

Career

In the early 1980s Finn was a beloved drama teacher at Holland High School in Holland, Michigan, where she challenged her students with difficult productions such as '' You Can't Take It with You''. She also lectured in English Literature at Hope College in the early 70s. In 1981 the couple moved to

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

, where Finn's career as a casting director began. She already had a handful of casting credits on her résumé, including ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'' (1987), when she established her own firm, Mali Finn Casting, in 1989. She boosted Leonardo DiCaprio's career by casting him in the

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' (1997); she also cast

in ''

L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by James Ellroy and the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickson. Plot The s ...

'' (1997). Finn discovered actor

when he was ten years old and cast him in

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. H ...

's ''

The Client Client(s) or The Client may refer to: * Client (business) * Client (computing), hardware or software that accesses a remote service on another computer * Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuabl ...

'' (1994). Finn cast almost 90 movies and television series during her career. Director

Curtis Hanson Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directing work included the psychological thriller ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (film), The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' ...

worked with her on four of his films: ''L.A. Confidential'', ''

Wonder Boys ''Wonder Boys'' is a 1995 novel by the American writer Michael Chabon. It was adapted into a film with the same title in 2000. Plot summary Pittsburgh professor and author Grady Tripp is working on an unwieldy 2,611-page manuscript that is mean ...

'' (2000), '' 8 Mile'' (2002), and '' Lucky You'' (2007). She was featured prominently in the " Fame" episode of '' The Human Face'', presented by

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

. Finn won numerous awards for her work, including the Artios Award for Best Casting for both ''L.A. Confidential'' and the HBO movie '' 61*'' (2001); in addition, she was nominated for three Artios Awards for ''Titanic''. She also won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special for ''61*'' and was nominated for another Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting for '' Indictment: The McMartin Trial'' (1995).

Death

Finn retired in 2006 due to

melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...

, which was the cause of her death at age 69 on November 28, 2007, at her home in

Sonoma County, California Sonoma County () is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa, California, Santa Rosa. It is to the n ...

Selected casting director credits

* '' 10,000 B.C'' (2008) * ''

Dirty Hands ''Dirty Hands'' (french: Les Mains sales) is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre. It was first performed on 2 April 1948 at the Theatre Antoine in Paris, directed by Pierre Valde and starring François Périer, Marie Olivier and André Luguet. A politi ...

'' (2008) * '' Lucky You'' (2007) * ''

The Number 23 ''The Number 23'' is a 2007 American thriller film written by Fernley Phillips and directed by Joel Schumacher. Jim Carrey stars as a man who becomes obsessed with the 23 enigma once he reads about it in a strange book that seemingly mirrors hi ...

'' (2007) * ''

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt as Jesse James. Adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same ti ...

'' (2007) * ''

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...

'' (2007) * '' Running with Scissors'' (2006) * ''Seraphim Falls'' (2006) * ''

Walker Payne ''Walker Payne'' is a 2006 film directed and co-written by Matt Williams and starring Jason Patric, Drea de Matteo, KaDee Strickland, Sam Shepard and Bruce Dern. It was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27, 2006. Plot The license pla ...

'' (2006) * '' North Country'' (2005) * ''

Dark Water Dark Water may refer to: Books * '' Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil'', 1920 book by American philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois * ''Dark Water'' (book) (仄暗い水の底から; ''Honogurai mizu no soko kara''; literally ''In the Depths of Dark ...

'' (2005) * ''

The Assassination of Richard Nixon ''The Assassination of Richard Nixon'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by Niels Mueller and starring Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson and Naomi Watts. It is based on the story of would-be assassin Samuel Byck, who plotted to kill Ric ...

'' (2004) * '' Undertow'' (2004) * ''

Raising Helen ''Raising Helen'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler Michael Begler is an American television writer, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-creating Cinemax' ...

'' (2004) * '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004) * '' The Big Bounce'' (2004) * ''

The Matrix Revolutions ''The Matrix Revolutions'' is a 2003 American science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months following ''The Matrix Reloaded''. The film stars ...

'' (2003) * ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Laure ...

'' (2003) * ''All the Real Girls'' (2003) * '' Out of Time'' (2003) * ''

Phone Booth A telephone booth, telephone kiosk, telephone call box, telephone box or public call box is a tiny structure furnished with a payphone and designed for a telephone user's convenience; usually the user steps into the booth and closes the booth ...

'' (2002) * '' 8 Mile'' (2002) * ''Never Get Outta the Boat'' (2002) * ''K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002) * ''High Crimes'' (2002) * '' Joy Ride'' (2001/I) * '' 61*'' (2001) (TV) * ''Tigerland'' (2000) * ''The Weight of Water'' (2000) * ''Running Mates'' (2000) (TV) * ''

Reindeer Games ''Reindeer Games'' (alternatively titled ''Deception'') is a 2000 American action crime thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer in his final feature directorial outing before his 2002 death. It stars Ben Affleck, Gary Sinise, Charlize Ther ...

'' (2000) * '' The Green Mile'' (1999) * ''The Love Letter'' (1999) * '' Best Laid Plans'' (1999) * ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

'' (1999) * '' 8MM'' (1999) * ''Your Friends & Neighbors'' (1998) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Batman & Robin'' (1997) * ''

'' (1997) * ''Sunday'' (1997) * ''The Chamber'' (1996) * ''

Foxfire Foxfire, also called fairy fire and chimpanzee fire, is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with ...

'' (1996) * '' A Time to Kill'' (1996) * ''Eye for an Eye'' (1996) * ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment of W ...

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

True Lies ''True Lies'' is a 1994 American spy action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston. ...

'' (1994) * ''The Air Up There'' (1994) * ''

House of Cards A house of cards (also known as a card tower or card castle) is a structure created by stacking playing cards on top of each other, often in the shape of a pyramid. "House of cards" is also an Expression (language), expression that dates back to ...

'' (1993) * ''That Night'' (1992) * ''

Hot Shots! ''Hot Shots!'' is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Jim Abrahams, co-writer and co-director of ''Airplane!'', and written by Abrahams and Pat Proft. It stars Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges, Jon Cryer, Kevin Dunn ...

'' (1991) * '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) * ''

Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael ''Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael'' is a 1990 American comedy-drama film directed by Jim Abrahams and starring Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels. Plot Dinky Bossetti is a 15-year-old girl who was adopted as a baby. Dinky is an unkempt goth kid who is c ...

'' (1990) * ''

Pacific Heights Pacific Heights is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, and the Presidio. The Pacific Heights Residents Association defines the neig ...

'' (1990) * ''

Flatliners ''Flatliners'' is a 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Michael Douglas and Rick Bieber, and written by Peter Filardi. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, Oliver Platt, and Ke ...

'' (1990) * ''Split Decisions'' (1988) * ''Lady in White'' (1988) * ''

'' (1987) * ''Outrageous Fortune'' (1987) (as Mally Finn)

References

External links

*
Bio on Gus Van Sant's ''Elephant''

MethodFest honors Mali Finn

''Los Angeles Times'': Casting director brought a deft touch to 'Titanic,' 'L.A. Confidential'

Obituary in ''Boston Globe''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finn, Mali 1938 births 2007 deaths People from Danville, Illinois People from Minneapolis People from the San Francisco Bay Area Deaths from melanoma University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni American casting directors Deaths from cancer in California Women casting directors