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 to land the role of a character in a script, screenp ...

. She cast numerous actors in successful films, including

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

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, and

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Biography

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

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The populations was 29,204 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Danville micropolitan area. History The area that is now Danville was on ...

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

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. 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 of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

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

The Untouchables Untouchable or Untouchables may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status * Untouchables, word for the Dalits or Scheduled Castes of India * Untouchables (law enforcement), ...

'' (1987), when she established her own firm, Mali Finn Casting, in 1989. She boosted

's career by casting him in the

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

film ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

'' (1997); she also cast

in '' L.A. Confidential'' (1997). Finn discovered actor

when he was ten years old and cast him in

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 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 designe ...

's '' The Client'' (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. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and edito ...

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 me ...

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

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'', presented by

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and Television presenter, presenter. Emerging from the Footlights, Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinbur ...

. 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 television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

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 is the most dangerous type of skin cancer; it develops from the melanin-producing cells known as melanocytes. It typically occurs in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye (uveal melanoma). In very rare case ...

, 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 located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488,863. Its seat of government and largest city is Santa Rosa. Sonoma County comprises the Santa Rosa-Petaluma ...

Selected casting director credits

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

Dirty Hands The problem of dirty hands concerns whether political leaders are justified in committing immoral actions when "dirtying their hands", in realizing an important moral end, such as the preservation of a community's continued existence or the preven ...

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

The Number 23 ''The Number 23'' is a 2007 American psychological 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 seemi ...

'' (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. Based on Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship be ...

'' (2007) * '' Shooter'' (2007) * '' Running with Scissors'' (2006) * ''Seraphim Falls'' (2006) * '' Walker Payne'' (2006) * '' North Country'' (2005) * '' Dark Water'' (2005) * ''

The Assassination of Richard Nixon ''The Assassination of Richard Nixon'' is a 2004 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 Richard Ni ...

'' (2004) * '' Undertow'' (2004) * '' Raising Helen'' (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. The direct sequel to ''The Matrix Reloaded,'' it is the third installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, released six months foll ...

'' (2003) * ''

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

'' (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; typically 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'' (also released under the title ''Deception'') is a 2000 American action thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer, in what would be his final feature before his death in 2002. The film stars Ben Affleck, Charlize Ther ...

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

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

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

'' (1997) * '' Batman & Robin'' (1997) * '' L.A. Confidential'' (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'' is a 1995 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the third installment of the ''Batman'' film series, acting as a standalone sequel to ''Batman Returns''. Directe ...

'' (1995) *''

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

'' (1995) * '' The Client'' (1994) * ''

True Lies ''True Lies'' is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a U.S. government agent, who struggles to balance his double life as a spy with his familial duties, ...

'' (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 that dates back to 1645 meaning a struc ...

'' (1993) * ''

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...

'' (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 ...

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

Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael ''Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael'' is a 1990 American comedy drama film that was directed by Jim Abrahams and written by Karen Leigh Hopkins. It stars Winona Ryder and Jeff Daniels. Plot Dinky Bossetti is a 15-year-old girl who was adopted as a ...

'' (1990) * ''

Pacific Heights Pacific Heights (often referred to as Pac Heights) is a wealthy neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States. It has panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, Presidio of San Fr ...

'' (1990) * ''

Flatliners ''Flatliners'' is a 1990 American science fiction 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, Oliv ...

'' (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 Mass media people from the San Francisco Bay Area University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni American casting directors Deaths from melanoma in California American women casting directors