William Robinson Finnegan (June 29, 1928 – November 28, 2008) was an American television and film producer whose well known credits included ''

The Fabulous Baker Boys ''The Fabulous Baker Boys'' is a 1989 American romantic comedy-drama musical film written and directed by Steve Kloves. Primarily set in Seattle, Washington, the film follows a piano duo consisting of brothers, who hire an attractive singer t ...

'', ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' and the cult hit, ''

Reality Bites ''Reality Bites'' is a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama film written by Helen Childress and directed by Ben Stiller, in his directorial debut. It stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke and Stiller, with supporting roles by Janeane Garofalo and St ...

''. he was a five time Emmy Awards nominee.

Early life

Bill Finnegan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29, 1928. He enlisted and served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Finnegan initially launched a career as a

newsman A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

in 1950 when he began reporting for, among other publications, the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

''.

Television and film production

Following a stint as a journalist and newsman, Finnegan began working as an assistant director and

production manager In the cinema of the United States, a unit production manager (UPM) is the Directors Guild of America–approved title for the top below-the-line staff position, responsible for the administration of a feature film or television production. Non- ...

in the television industry. Finnegan founded Finnegan-Pinchuk, a production company, with his wife, Patricia Finnegan, and their

business partner A business partner is a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, an ...

, Sheldon Pinchuk. Their company, headquartered in

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 192 ...

, became a supplier of

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

and

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

television movies by the late 1970s and 1980s. Television productions by Finnegan-Pinchuk included

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

's '' Summer of Fear'' in 1978; '' The Ordeal of Patty Hearst'' (1979) starring

Dennis Weaver William Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weave ...

; '' The $5.20 an Hour Dream'' with

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (born October 15, 1937) is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing the title character in the sitcom ''Alice'' and for her stage performances, both on and off-Broadway. After acting as a child, Lavin joined the C ...

in 1980; 1982's ''

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

'' starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

; Jane Fonda's ''

The Dollmaker ''The Dollmaker'' is a 1984 American made-for-television drama film starring Jane Fonda and based on the 1954 novel of the same title written by Harriette Arnow. It was originally broadcast on ABC on May 13, 1984. Fonda was awarded the Pr ...

'' in 1984; ''

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Amos Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * ''Amos' ...

'', starring Kirk Douglas in 1985; ''

The Atlanta Child Murders ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' with Morgan Freeman, also aired in 1985; '' Circle of Violence'' which starred

Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is an American actress and model. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960. Over t ...

and

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist. Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ...

in 1986, and '' Hoover'' in 1987, which starred

Treat Williams Richard Treat Williams (born December 1, 1951) is an American actor, writer and aviator who has appeared on film, stage and television in over 120 credits. He first became well known for his starring role in the 1979 musical film '' Hair'', and la ...

. Finnegan also produced several television shows, including ''

'' in 1977 and ''

The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd ''The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on NBC from May 21, 1987 to June 29, 1988 and on Lifetime from April 17, 1989 to April 13, 1991. It was created by Jay Tarses and stars Blair Brown in ...

'' ten years later in 1987, and the Emmy-award-winning Northern Exposure, which aired from 1990 to 1995. Finnegan and his company also produced or co-produced feature films including '' Support Your Local Gunfighter'' in 1971; '' North Shore'' in 1987; ''

'' in 1989; '' White Palace'' in 1990; ''

The Babe ''The Babe'' is a 1992 American biographical sports drama film about the life of famed baseball player Babe Ruth, who is portrayed by John Goodman. Directed by Arthur Hiller, written by John Fusco, it was released in the United States on April 1 ...

'' in 1992; ''

CrissCross ''CrissCross'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Chris Menges and written by Scott Sommer, based on his homonymous novel. It stars Goldie Hawn, Arliss Howard, Keith Carradine, Steve Buscemi, and David Arnott. Plot Divorced mom T ...

'' in 1992; ''

'', starring

Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...

, in 1994; and '' Ed'', starring

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc r ...

, in 1996. Finnegan officially retired from the production business in 2003.

Death

Bill Finnegan died of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

at his home in

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2 ...

, on November 28, 2008, at the age of 80. He and his wife, Patricia Finnegan, had four children – Michael Finnegan, a political reporter for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

''; William Finnegan, a staff reporter for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''; Colleen, a doctor; and Kevin, a labor lawyer.

Television Films

* '' Summer of Fear'' (1978) * '' The Ordeal of Patty Hearst'' (1979) * '' A Vacation in Hell'' (1979) * '' The $5.20 an Hour Dream'' (1980) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac'' (1984) * ''

'' (1984) * ''

'' (1985) * ''

'' (1985) * '' Circle of Violence'' (1986) * '' Hoover'' (1987)

Filmography

* '' Support Your Local Gunfighter'' (1971) * '' North Shore'' (1987) * ''

'' (1989) * '' White Palace'' (1990) * ''

'' (1992) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Ed'' (1996)

Television

* ''

'' (1977) * ''

'' (1987) * '' Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995)

References

External links

*
Variety Magazine: Producer Bill Finnegan dies at 80
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnegan, Bill 1928 births 2008 deaths Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri Television producers from New York (state) Film producers from Missouri Neurological disease deaths in New York (state) Deaths from Parkinson's disease People from Sag Harbor, New York Film producers from New York (state) 20th-century American businesspeople