Editing Peter Finch (section)

==Early career in Australia==
After abandoning school at 15, Finch went into various jobs, including as a [[copy boy]] for the Sydney ''[[The Sun (Sydney)|Sun]]''.<ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB|id=57307|title=Finch, (Frederick George) Peter Ingle (1916–1977)}}</ref><ref>Dundy 1980, p.54</ref>

However, he was more interested in acting, and in late 1933 appeared in a play, ''Caprice'', with the New Sydney Repertory Company.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 December 1933 |title=The Repertory Theatre |page=8 |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17033328 |access-date=11 February 2012 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>Dundy 1980, p.59</ref>

In 1934–35 he appeared in a number of productions for [[Doris Fitton]] at the Savoy Theatre, some with a young [[Sumner Locke Elliott]]. He also worked as a sideshow [[spruiker]] at the [[Sydney Royal Easter Show]], in [[vaudeville]] with [[Joe Cody]] and as a foil to American comedian Bert le Blanc.<ref>Bert le Blanc's real name Bertram Leon Cohn (1889–1974) ([http://soda.naa.gov.au/item/3439713 National Archives of Australia)]; and Cohn was widely known as either "the Jew Comedian" () or "the Hebrew comedian" ().</ref> At age 19 Finch toured Australia with [[George Sorlie]]'s travelling troupe.

===Radio work===
He did radio acting with [[Hugh Denison]]'s BSA Players (for Broadcasting Service Association, later to become [[Macquarie Network|Macquarie Players]]). He came to the attention of [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|Australian Broadcasting Commission]] radio drama producer Lawrence H. Cecil, who was to serve as his coach and mentor throughout 1939 and 1940. He was "Chris" in the [[Argonauts Club|Children's Session]] and the first [[The Muddle-Headed Wombat|Muddle-Headed Wombat]].

He later starred with [[Neva Carr Glyn]] in an enormously popular series by [[Max Afford]] as husband-and-wife detectives ''Jeffery and Elizabeth Blackburn'' as well as other ABC radio plays.<ref name="Lane2">Richard Lane, ''The Golden Age of Australian Radio Drama'', Melbourne University Press, 1994</ref>

===First films===
Finch's first screen performance was in the short film ''[[The Magic Shoes (1935 film)|The Magic Shoes]]'' (1935), an adaptation of the ''[[Cinderella]]'' fairy tale, where Finch played Prince Charming.

He made his feature film debut in [[Ken G. Hall]]'s ''[[Dad and Dave Come to Town]]'' (1938), playing a small comic role. His performance was well received and Hall subsequently cast Finch in a larger role in ''[[Mr. Chedworth Steps Out]]'' (1939), supporting [[Cecil Kellaway]].

Finch appeared in a war propaganda film, ''[[The Power and the Glory (1941 film)|The Power and the Glory]]'' (1941), playing a [[Fifth column|fifth columnist]].