It was a strong year, acting wise. He deserved it because his performance was so good that it is imitated by others even now.
Its that man again!!

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considering it helped kill him id say it was damn deserved
No Justice Just Us

FINCH WAS A REVELATION AS HOWARD BEALE,,HE TRULY DESEREVED THE BEST ACTOR OSCAR,,IT WOULD OF BEEN,,A TRAVESTY HAD HE LOST,,,,HOLDEN WAS GOOD DENIRO OK,STALLONE OK,,GIANCARLO GIANNINNI WAS A JOKE WHY WAS HE NOMINATED,,,ONE OF THE NOMINEES SHOULD IF BEEN ART CARNEY FOR THE LATE SHOW,A MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE,,EQUAL TO FINCHES PERFORMANCE

He deserved an Oscar, but for Best Supporting Actor. Truth be told William Holden or Robert De Niro should have won for Best Actor.

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I thought he deserved the Oscar, as did everyone else who won. Finch was certainly the most riveting performance.

Deniro was totally robbed for Taxi Driver. If you people can't see that than your admiration for Finch is obviously blinding your judgement. Taxi Driver was one of the best performances ever. Not just of the 70's. Deniro was robbed because Fincher died.

Without a doubt he deserved the Oscar. I can see the argument that Holden deserved it because he was sensational as well but Finch was genius. I have seen the movie so many times and every time I see Howard speak I get chills. I also love that until this year when Heath Ledger(who is another one of my favorite actors) won best supporting actor no one had ever won an Oscar posthumously since Finch.
Long days and pleasant nights.

Absolutely he deserved it. Finch was a remarkable actor and he was bang on in Network.To suggest he was simply 'playing crazy' in no way reflects the depth, intensity and authenticity of his performance in Network.
bigtonk

I saw Network tonight, and it is safe to say that everyone who won an Oscar that night fully deserved it. Including him.

He was brilliant, so yes,
I would never, never do unless I believed in it- River Phoenix

I think he absolutely deserved it. His performance really was unique, harsh, cruel, touching and powerful.and that only describes a few scenes. I think he just really blew everyone away with this film that he totally deserve it. I mean Elizabeth Taylor winning for Butterfield 8 was only for the fact she almost died.(cuz that film was bad) but i mean the difference between the twofinch had MAGIC in this film
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Yes, he did.
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Yes, Finch was great in Network, but Holden was monumental. Sad too, because Holden went on to his own untimely demise only a few years later without being nominated again. It's difficult considering they were both extremely gifted, but it would have been great if Holden could have been recognized for his later work. I know he won for Stalag 17 but 50-something Bill Holden could blow 30-something Bill Holden out of the water. That being said, I'm still glad that Finch got his Oscar. If the Academy could have given him one for Sunday Bloody Sunday, there would some justice in the world. His performance moved me to tears in that film

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Peter Finch is one of my favourite actors and although he put in a superb performance in Network, which culimnated with him winning an Oscar, I believe that William Holden in fact delivered the performance of his career, and in turn should have been awarded the Oscar. It was known that Finch really wanted an Oscar, and his death of a heart attack occured while he was in a period of promoting the film. It was this that most likely made those at the Academy award Finch the Oscar, because he SHOULD have won with his earlier film Sunday Bloody Sunday (his finest and most insightful performance), but instead out of respect, awarded it to him after his death. I think one reason why Sunday Bloody Sunday is my prefered Finch performance is because he loses his English accent, as you will see it is somewhat disguised, which is a shame because he has a wonderful speaking voice.

Unlike many of the "in" actors of the seventies, Peter Finch wanted an Oscar. In the day Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Robert DeNiro RARELY, if ever, attended the awards.
Peter was nominated in 1971 for SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY and most thought he should get it for that. Gene Hackman won instead. I believe this and his untimely death were the reasons he won for NETWORK. It certainly wasn't a bad performance. But playing crazy is easy. Watch William Holden in the film. He REACTS to the world that is going crazy around him. THAT is acting! You take him for granted. Just like Denzel Washington in PHILADELPHIA or James Caan in MISERY.

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