Finster during happier times; as the AFLAC Duck in a commercial spot from 2006.
Los Angeles, CA
Mickey Jay Finster, the diminutive, bird-shaped actor best known for his recurring role as The Duck in the AFLAC Insurance ads, has passed away; devoured by a group of inebriated Dutch tourists at a corner table of Los Angeles eatery Empress Cho GardenWednesday.
Mourners gather for a candle light vigil at the scene of Finster's abduction Thursday.
Preliminary reports indicate the actor, still in costume after a commercial shoot earlier in the day, was abducted in broad daylight as he signed autographs and kibitzed with fans, then thrust into a laundry bag and whisked away in a waiting van as onlookers gave chase. Shortly thereafter, the 47 year-old Ealing, NY native was reputedly beheaded, plucked, sauced, roasted and served by Empress Cho Garden staff as police and AFLAC security personnel frantically combed the area.
Finster leaves behind an impressively varied body of work, one that belies his unusual physical stature and speaks to his classical training and passion for the dramatic arts. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1991, Finster quickly made a name for himself with a critically acclaimed performance as Stanley Kowalski in the Lentil Repertory Theater's off-off-off-off-Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Later that same year, he landed the role of Dr. Jacob Millworth on ABC's One Life to Live, garnering a daytime emmy in 1993 for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series.
"He loved to play against type," remembers David Tracy, a frequent collaborator in the early years. "If you had a role that was completely non-bird like, that's the role he wanted. Tough guys, greasers, lumberjacks. He loved that kinda stuff. He always used to say, 'God gave me these wings for a reason- to fly.'"
With first wife Eleanor in 1987.
Landing in Hollywood in 1994, Finster quickly scored the role of Ross on NBC's Friends, before being replaced by David Schwimmer three episodes into production after Jennifer Aniston reportedly derided his lack of comedic timing. As a consolation prize, producers gave Finster a recurring role on the sitcom Frazier where he met his second wife, actress Bebe Neuwirth. The two were wed in a private ceremony on the exclusive island of Pipa Waumea in 1995.
Dinner- Finster's final performance.
But Finster's life wasn't without setbacks- he made headlines in 1996 when he attacked the Taco Bell Chihuahua at a Hollywood dance club and was arrested two weeks later on a routine traffic stop when police found nearly a half ounce of crack cocaine taped under one of the actor's wings.
Out on bail the following day, Finster nearly died from alcohol poisoning after drinking an entire bottle of Wild Turkey at a West L.A. strip club. Three months at Malibu's Promises Treatment Center for alcohol and drug addiction appeared to set him straight and he reportedly spent the time writing poetry and soft rock songs on a miniature guitar given to him by actor Johnny Depp.
Quo- alleged to have abducted the wrong duck. Reportedly unrepentant.
Anxious to get back to work, Finster found that his notoriety made him too hot to handle in Hollywood. As a result, he spent much of 1997 pursuing minor theater roles in New York. But 1998 was to be a big year; his one man show- Mickey Jay, I'm Going to Kick Your Little Feathered Ass garnered rave reviews and sold out 37 straight performances at the Reuben Cordova Theatre in Beverly Hills. Shortly after that, Disney cast him in a five-episode arc as playboy heartbreaker Boof Wallingham III on the popular Hannah Montana show.
It was on Hannah Montana that Finster caught the eye of advertising execs at the Kaplan Thaler Group, who were sufficiently impressed with his skills that they offered him the role of the AFLAC Duck without an audition. Beginning in 1999, Finster appeared in over 75 AFLAC ads, becoming a household name and one of the world's most recognizable bird-shaped actors.
According to a confession obtained from Empress Cho Garden head chef Lawrence Quo, who admitted to abducting Finster after a lengthy police interrogation, Quo and other restaurant staff had been staking out a pet duck named Selby who was known to frequent the same neighborhood as the one in which the AFLAC commercial crew had been shooting. Informed that he had not abducted a duck, but rather an award-winning duck-like actor in an expensive duck costume, Quo shook his head sadly and reportedly replied, "And I only charge twenty five dollar. Fuck me."
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