Harold Finch

Grew Up… probably somewhere in the United States, but Finch’s past is deliberately obscured.

Living… in an abandoned library in New York City, despite the fact that he also owns a perfectly respectable home. From his high-tech computer setup in the library, Finch attempts to stop murders using only social security numbers that he illegally receives from a secret government surveillance system called the Machine.

Profession… unemployed, technically. Except that he is actually employed by a tech firm under a different name, and he actually owns that tech firm. Prior to his current life as a virtual vigilante, Finch worked with his partner Nathan Ingram to build the Machine for the government. Now, the closest thing Finch has to a profession is working with former CIA officer John Reese to prevent the potential crimes that the Machine alerts them to.

Interests… the Machine, and stopping the crimes that it predicts. He also seems to have a thing for birds and expensive suits. That’s pretty much it.

Relationship Status… single, in all possible ways. He is a solitary man on an all-consuming quest. That doesn’t leave much time or energy for romance.

Challenge… tracking down the people that the Machine warns him about to stop the crimes (especially murder) that it’s detected. Finch built the Machine for the government to detect terrorism, but the Machine didn’t quite work that way. Instead it predicted all premeditated violent crime, against ordinary people as well as nationally significant targets. The government wasn’t interested in ordinary people, however, so Finch took it upon himself to save the “irrelevant” citizens. This was nearly impossible for Finch to do by himself, since he is physically disabled, so he hired John Reese to be his man on the ground.

Personality… mysterious, reclusive, and quirky. Harold Finch isn’t his real name, nor are any of the other various bird-themed aliases he uses. He always outsmarts Reese’s attempts to learn more about him, and dispenses information about himself in a very controlled way. But at least Finch’s overriding obsession – preventing violent crimes – is a worthy one.