Winslow Leach is the titular Phantom in the 1974 Brian De Palma film Phantom of the Paradise. His masterpiece was to be the first Rock Opera version of Faust - however, this work was stolen by Swan, a satanic record producer and media mogul, who frames Winslow for heroin posession to get him out of the way. Winslow is disfigured due to getting his head caught in a record press after escaping from prison to stop Swan's bastardization of his opera. Winslow is deeply in love with Phoenix, a young female singer he meets at the Faust auditions and insists get the lead role(equivalent to the original Phantom's backing of Christine Daaé).
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Winslow Leach
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Name
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Winslow Leach
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Played by
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William Finley
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also know as
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The Phantom
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Appears in
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Winslow is very passionate about his music and songwriting. In most other aspects of his life, he is very mild-mannered, almost to the point of being passive. But when it comes to his music being stolen and bastardized, a raging temper is revealed. He demonstrates seemingly superhuman strength when in the throes of such rage, such as breaking down a literal brick wall that Swan had built to trap him.
Winslow spends much of his story sabotaging Swan's production of Faust with such actions as blowing up a sports car during a beach-themed staging of the song "Upholstery", throwing a lightning-shaped neon sign at the glam rock singer Beef(equivalent to the original book's Carlotta), to force Swan to return the lead role in the opera to Phoenix.
At the climax of the film, Winslow discovers Swan is planning to have Phoenix murdered during their live-TV wedding event and must race to prevent this, reveal his true identity to the world and destroy Swan's music empire for good.