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, Hawaii Five-O and the cult hit, Reality Bites.^[1] he was a five time Emmy Awards nominee.^[1]

Early life

Bill Finnegan was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 29, 1928.^[1] He enlisted and served in the United States Navy during World War II. Finnegan initially launched a career as a newsman in 1950 when he began reporting for, among other publications, the Associated Press.^[1]

Television and film production

Following a stint as a journalist and newsman, Finnegan began working as an assistant director and production manager in the television industry. Finnegan founded Finnegan-Pinchuk, a production company, with his wife, Patricia Finnegan, and their business partner, Sheldon Pinchuk. Their company, headquartered in Studio City, California, became a supplier of network and cable television movies by the late 1970s and 1980s.^[1]

Television productions by Finnegan-Pinchuk included Wes Craven's Summer of Fear in 1978; The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979) starring Dennis Weaver; The $5.20 an Hour Dream with Linda Lavin in 1980; 1982's World War III starring Rock Hudson; Jane Fonda's The Dollmaker in 1984; Amos, starring Kirk Douglas in 1985; The Atlanta Child Murders with Morgan Freeman, also aired in 1985; Circle of Violence which starred Tuesday Weld and River Phoenix in 1986, and Hoover in 1987, which starred Treat Williams.^[1] Finnegan also produced several television shows, including Hawaii Five-O in 1977 and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd ten years later in 1987, and the Emmy-award-winning Northern Exposure, which aired from 1990 to 1995.^[1]

Finnegan and his company also produced or co-produced feature films including Support Your Local Gunfighter in 1971; North Shore in 1987; The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1989; White Palace in 1990; The Babe in 1992; CrissCross in 1992; Reality Bites, starring Ben Stiller, in 1994; and Ed, starring Matt LeBlanc, in 1996. Finnegan officially retired from the production business in 2003.^[1]

Death

Bill Finnegan died of Parkinson's disease at his home in Sag Harbor, New York, on November 28, 2008, at the age of 80.^[1] He and his wife, Patricia Finnegan, had four children – Michael Finnegan, a political reporter for the Los Angeles Times; William Finnegan, a staff reporter for The New Yorker; Colleen, a doctor; and Kevin, a labor lawyer.^[1]

Television films

• Summer of Fear (1978)
• The Ordeal of Patty Hearst (1979)
• A Vacation in Hell (1979)
• The $5.20 an Hour Dream (1980)
• World War III (1982)
• Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (1984)
• The Dollmaker (1984)
• Amos (1985)
• The Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
• Circle of Violence (1986)
• Hoover (1987)

Filmography

• Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)
• North Shore (1987)
• The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
• White Palace (1990)
• The Babe (1992)
• CrissCross (1992)
• Reality Bites (1994)
• Ed (1996)

Television

• Hawaii Five-O (1977)
• The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1987)
• Northern Exposure (1990–1995)

References

External links

• Bill Finnegan at IMDb
• Variety Magazine: Producer Bill Finnegan dies at 80