Editing Peter Finch (section)

==Post-war career in Australia==
After the war, Finch continued to work extensively in radio and established himself as Australia's leading actor in that medium, winning Macquarie Awards for best actor in 1946 and 1947.<ref name="Lane2" /> He also worked as a [[Master of ceremonies|compere]], producer and writer.

In 1946, Finch co-founded the [[Mercury Theatre (Australia)|Mercury Theatre Company]], which put on a number of productions in Sydney over the next few years (initially in the diminutive [[St James' Hall, Sydney|St James' Hall]]), as well as running a theatre school.<ref>{{cite web |title=18 Aug 1949 – The Social Round of Events in Sydney Yesterday |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18125473 |work=Trove|date=18 August 1949 }}</ref><ref>Stephen Vagg, 'Finch, Fry and Factories: A History of the Mercury Theatre' ''Australasian Drama Studies'' April 2007 </ref>

Finch continued to appear in the (rare) Australian feature films made around this time including ''[[A Son Is Born]]'' (1946) and ''[[Eureka Stockade (1949 film)|Eureka Stockade]]'' (1949). He was a leading contender to play Sir [[Charles Kingsford Smith]] in ''[[Smithy (1946 film)|Smithy]]'' (1946) but lost out to [[Ron Randell]].

Finch was also involved in some documentaries, narrating ''[[Indonesia Calling]]'' (1946) and helping make ''[[Primitive Peoples]]'' about the people of [[Arnhem Land]].

===Visit of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, and return to Britain===
[[Laurence Olivier]] and [[Vivien Leigh]] toured Australia in 1948 with the [[Old Vic Company]]. They attended the Mercury production of ''[[The Imaginary Invalid (Jenkinson adaptation)|The Imaginary Invalid]]'' on the factory floor of O'Brien's Glass Factory starring Finch. Olivier was impressed with Finch's acting and encouraged him to move to London, his birthplace, which he did that year.