Howard Beale is a fictional character from the film Network (1976) and the central character therein. He is played by Peter Finch, who won a posthumous Oscar for the role. In Network, Beale, the anchorman for the UBS Evening News, struggles to accept the ramifications of the social ailments and depravity existing in the world. His producers exploit him for high ratings and avoid giving him the psychiatric assistance that some (especially his companion Max Schumacher) think he needs.