Ken Finkleman

Ken Finkleman

Born: January 31, 1946
Ken Finkleman is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, and actor known for his contributions to television and film. Finkleman is notably recognized for creating and starring in the satirical television series "The Newsroom." The show, which aired in the 1990s, offered a sharp and humorous critique of the media industry and gained critical acclaim for its incisive commentary.

His work extends beyond "The Newsroom" series. Finkleman has been involved in various film and television projects, showcasing his talents as a writer, director, and actor. He often brings a satirical and thought-provoking approach to his work, addressing societal and cultural themes with wit and insight.

Movies for Ken Finkleman...

Title: Good God
Character: George Findlay
Released: April 9, 2012
Type: TV
Good God is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which premiered in April 2012 on HBO Canada. The show follows the life of character George Findlay, a role that Ken Finkleman reprised from The Newsroom and subsequent television projects. The series was originally slated to be the second season of Finkleman's previous HBO Canada project Good Dog, but was retitled in accordance with a change in the show's setting. The show was described in early media coverage as having been inspired in part by the launch of Sun News Network. In the show's first episode, for example, Findlay is forced to respond to allegations that his new venture is aspiring to be "Fox News North", an epithet which the real Sun News Network also faced both before and after its launch. The series was nominated for several awards at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Comedy Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Jason Weinberg and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series nods for both Samantha Bee and Jud Tylor.
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Title: Good Dog
Character: George
Released: March 6, 2011
Type: TV
Award-winning writer and producer Ken Finkleman (The Newsroom) returns to television in Good Dog, his highly anticipated new comedy. Starring Finkleman and Lauren Lee Smith (CSI; The L Word), the sharply ironic series focuses on the life of George, a self-absorbed, neurotic TV producer. After hooking up with Claire, a gorgeous model half his age, George negotiates his new reality dating a younger woman by pitching a reality show about his high concept, highly coveted, seriously volatile life. But when network executives insist that Claire move into his house, George is forced to escalate the relationship and consequently, his fears of commitment. When the pitch and his life go sideways, he frets, vents and reevaluates by soliciting questionable advice from his best friend Doug (Jason Weinberg).
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Escape from the Newsroom
Title: Escape from the Newsroom
Character: George Findlay
Released: October 28, 2002
Type: Movie
It's a strange movie that you have to watch beginning to end, or you'll find yourself completely lost. Based on the Toronto-made TV series "Newsroom," this made-for-TV movie has many well-recognized Canadian actors and comedians. It's a modest comedy that has its "short chuckle of laughter" moments, but the real highlight is similar to the highlight of 12 Angry Men. They obviously endeavoured to make the acting look as real and natural as possible when making this show, and most of the entertainment comes from listening in on their conversations and being convinced by the good acting. This is the similarity to 12 Angry Men.
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Title: Foolish Heart
Released: March 3, 1999
Type: TV
Foolish Heart was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television in 1999. The series, a short run dramatic anthology, was produced and written by Ken Finkleman following his earlier series The Newsroom and More Tears. Although the episodes were linked by character interactions, each of the series' six episodes focused on a different character's family or romantic relationship problems. Finkleman also starred in the series as George Findlay, the same character he had played in The Newsroom and More Tears. The series won Finkleman a 1999 Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series. The cast also included Arsinée Khanjian, Sarah Strange, Tom McCamus, Nancy Beatty and Patricia O'Callaghan. Finkleman's next project for the CBC was the series Foreign Objects.
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Title: More Tears
Released: March 30, 1998
Type: TV
More Tears is a seriocomedy television series that was broadcast by CBC Television, as a short run programme; it was written and produced by Ken Finkleman following the success of The Newsroom, and was partly a remake of 8½, by Federico Fellini. As in The Newsroom, George Findlay is the protagonist of More Tears, as a documentary producer, who manipulated his subjects in order to create better television drama. In the final installment, Findlay abandoned the documentary form to film a satire of the neo-conservative government of Mike Harris, the Premier of Ontario. The programme also explored the personal life of George Findlay, his unhappy marriage, and his unhappy extra-marital affairs. The cast of More Tears also included Hrant Alianak, Yank Azman, Arsinée Khanjian, Leah Pinsent, Evan Solomon, and Kenny Vadas. Finkleman's next project for the CBC was the series Foolish Heart.
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Title: The Newsroom
Character: George Findlay
Released: October 21, 1996
Type: TV
The tumultuous TV newsroom world of overbearing regional news director George Findlay, who is solely motivated by casualty statistics which will improve his ratings.
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Married Life: The Movie
Title: Married Life: The Movie
Released: January 1, 1994
Type: Movie
This satiric comedy concerns a documentary filmmaker (Ken Finkleman) who has brought a camera crew into the home of a typical couple (Robert Cait and Karen Hines) to record the drama of their daily lives. However, the filmmaker soon discovers their daily lives aren't especially interesting, and soon he finds himself deliberately throwing chaos into their path in hopes of making for a more exciting movie. Married Life: The Movie was originally produced as a weekly television series, with four episodes re-edited into this feature; the show's director and star, Ken Finkleman, later went on to create the award-winning Canadian sitcom The Newsroom.
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1980
Title: 1980
Released: December 31, 1979
Type: Movie
Unseen for decades, 1980 is Ken Finkleman and Rick Moranis’ enormously funny CBC pilot that was way ahead of its time. A send up of a current-affairs show, 1980 pokes fun at subjects ranging from the current state of the Canadian film industry, academics, the student radicals of the 60s to Hollywood depictions of the Holocaust. Steven Kampmann stars along with Finkleman and Moranis. Also featuring Toronto salesman Phil Givner, Andrew Gilles, Caroline Yeager and the late comedy producer, Joe Bodolai. 1980 shown courtesy of CBC.