Jon Finch - Telegraph But the main reason why Finch failed to become a household name seems to have been a lack of ambition which led to his turning down a number of roles - James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973) and Doyle in the television series The Professionals, roles that made the names of other actors. "I never wanted to be a big star," Finch once observed: "I usually do one film a year, so I always have enough money to enjoy myself and keep myself out of the public eye. It's a very pleasant life, not one of great ambition. The son of a merchant banker, Jon Finch was born at Caterham, Surrey, on March 2 1941, and started acting at school. After performing in amateur theatre groups and singing in a folk group, he did his National Service in a parachute regiment and stayed on as a member of an SAS reserve regiment, training at weekends and several nights a week. He resigned from the military as his acting commitments became more demanding. As a professional actor Finch appeared with various repertory companies before landing a part in Crossroads for its first run in 1964. This led to parts in other television serials such as Z Cars, and in the Hammer horrors The Vampire Lovers and The Horror of Frankenstein (both 1970). The following year Polanski picked him to play Macbeth. At about the same time he was chosen, somewhat incongruously, to play the Aboriginal Detective Inspector Bonaparte ("Boney") for an Australian television series, but pulled out two weeks before filming, having been picked to play the lead in Frenzy. In 1972, to general amazement, Finch turned down the chance to replace Sean Connery as James Bond in Live and Let Die; the part went to Roger Moore. He also turned down an offer from Richard Lester to play Aramis in The Three Musketeers. Finch continued to make occasional appearances as an actor while enjoying his hobbies of parachuting and motor racing. He was Lord Melbourne in Robert Bolt's Lady Caroline Lamb (1973), and was one of many suspects in Death on the Nile (1978). Finch regarded as the crowning achievement of his career his portrayal of Henry Bolingbroke in Richard II (1978), and Henry IV (parts one and two) in 1979, in the BBC's Shakespeare History Cycle. In 1984 he was Don Pedro in the BBC's Much Ado About Nothing. Also on stage, he was the man inside the bandages in Ken Hill's 1991 production of The Invisible Man at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East. On film, he cut an impressive presence as a Welsh nationalist leader in Julian Richards's low-budget horror Darklands (1997). His last film role was in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005), in which he was almost unrecognisable as the white-haired Patriarch of Jerusalem. Jon Finch was found dead in his flat in Hastings after friends and family became concerned for his welfare. His marriage to the actress Catriona MacColl was dissolved. He is survived by a daughter. Jon Finch, born March 2 1941, found dead December 28 2012