Alec Guinness (1914–2000)

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Alec Guinness was an English actor. He is known for his six collaborations with David Lean: Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946), Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948), Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor), Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), General Yevgraf Zhivago in ... See full bio »

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Won 1 Oscar. Another 28 wins & 19 nominations. See more awards »

Photos

324 photos | 61 videos »

Known For

The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai Colonel Nicholson
(1957)
Star Wars
Star Wars Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
(1977)
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Kind Hearts and Coronets The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / The General / The Admiral / Young Ascoyne / Young Henry / Lady Agatha
(1949)
The Horse's Mouth
The Horse's Mouth Gulley Jimson
(1958)
Show Show all  | 
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Filmography

Hide Hide Show Show Actor (62 credits)
 2011 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back: Deleted Scenes (Video short)
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
 1996 Interview Day (TV Movie)
James
 1995 Mute Witness
The Reaper (as Mystery Guest Star)
 1993 Screen One (TV Series)
Amos
- A Foreign Field (1993) ... Amos
 1992 Performance (TV Series)
Heinrich Mann
- Tales from Hollywood (1992) ... Heinrich Mann
 1991 Kafka
The Chief Clerk
 1988 A Handful of Dust
Mr. Todd
 1987 Little Dorrit
William Dorrit
 1987 Great Performances (TV Series)
Father Quixote
- Monsignor Quixote (1987) ... Father Quixote
 1984 Edwin (TV Movie)
Sir Fennimore Truscott
 1984 A Passage to India
Professor Godbole
 1983 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi
 1983 Lovesick
Sigmund Freud
 1982 Smiley's People (TV Mini Series)
George Smiley
- Smiley's Lighter (1982) ... George Smiley
- Alexandra Tatjana (1982) ... George Smiley
- The Rogue Elephant (1982) ... George Smiley
- Gathering Friends (1982) ... George Smiley
- The General's Big Fish (1982) ... George Smiley
Show all 6 episodes
 1980 Little Lord Fauntleroy (TV Movie)
Earl of Dorincourt
 1980 Raise the Titanic
John Bigalow
 1979 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TV Mini Series)
George Smiley
- Flushing Out the Mole (1979) ... George Smiley
- Smiley Sets a Trap (1979) ... George Smiley
- Tinker Tailor (1979) ... George Smiley
- How It All Fits Together (1979) ... George Smiley
- Smiley Tracks the Mole (1979) ... George Smiley
Show all 7 episodes
 1977 Star Wars
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
 1976 Murder by Death
Bensonmum
 1976 Caesar and Cleopatra (TV Movie)
Julius Caesar
 1974 ITV Playhouse (TV Series)
Jocelyn Broome
- The Gift of Friendship (1974) ... Jocelyn Broome
 1973 Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Adolf Hitler
 1972 Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Pope Innocent III
 1970 Scrooge
Jacob Marley's Ghost
 1970 Cromwell
King Charles 'Stuart' I
 1970 ITV Sunday Night Theatre (TV Series)
Malvolio
- Twelfth Night (1970) ... Malvolio
 1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre (TV Series)
The Executioner
- Conversation at Night (1969) ... The Executioner
 1967 The Comedians
Major H. O. Jones
 1966 Hotel Paradiso
Benedict Boniface
 1965 Doctor Zhivago
Yevgraf
 1964 The Fall of the Roman Empire
Marcus Aurelius
 1962 Lawrence of Arabia
Prince Faisal
 1962 Damn the Defiant!
Captain Crawford
 1961 A Majority of One
Koichi Asano
 1960 Tunes of Glory
Major Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M.
 1959 Our Man in Havana
Jim Wormold
 1959 Startime (TV Series)
Jebal Deeks
- The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks (1959) ... Jebal Deeks
 1959 The Scapegoat
John Barratt / Jacques De Gue
 1958 The Horse's Mouth
Gulley Jimson
 1957 All at Sea
Capt. William Horatio Ambrose
 1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai
Colonel Nicholson
 1956 The Swan
Prince Albert
 1955 The Ladykillers
Professor Marcus
 1955 Baker's Dozen (TV Movie)
The Major
 1955 The Prisoner
The Cardinal
 1955 To Paris with Love
Col. Sir Edgar Fraser
 1954 The Detective
Father Brown
 1953 Malta Story
Flight Lt. Peter Ross
 1953 The Captain's Paradise
Captain Henry St. James
 1952 The Promoter
Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin
 1951 The Man in the White Suit
Sidney Stratton
 1951 The Lavender Hill Mob
Holland
 1950 The Mudlark
Benjamin Disraeli
 1950 Last Holiday
George Bird
 1949 A Run for Your Money
Whimple
 1949 Kind Hearts and Coronets
The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / ...
 1948 Oliver Twist
Fagin
 1946 Great Expectations
Herbert Pocket
 1934 Evensong
Soldier in Concert Audience (Extra) (uncredited)
Show Show Writer (1 credit)
Show Show Soundtrack (2 credits)
Show Show Thanks (3 credits)
Show Show Self (33 credits)
Show Show Archive footage (71 credits)

Related Videos

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Personal Details

Other Works:

He acted in Garnett's translation of Anton Chekhov's play, "Three Sisters," at the Queen's Theatre in London, England with John Gielgud, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Peggy Ashcroft, Carol Goodner, Michael Redgrave, Angela Baddeley, Glen Byam Shaw, Harry Andrews, George Devine, and Leon Quartermaine in the cast. Michel Saint Denis was... See more »

Publicity Listings:

13 Print Biographies | 1 Interview | 19 Articles | 1 Pictorial | 17 Magazine Cover Photos | See more »

Alternate Names:

Alec Guiness | Mr. Alec Guinness | Sir Alec Guinness | Mystery Guest Star

Height:

5' 9¼" (1.76 m)

Spouse:

Merula Salaman  (his death)  (1 child)

Children:

Matthew Guinness

Parents:

Andrew Geddes | Agnes Cuff

Relatives:

Sally Guinness (grandchild) | See more »
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Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

[on media reports of his income from the Star Wars films]: The Times reports I've made £4.5 million in the past year. Where do they get such nonsense? See more »

Trivia:

Had fairly high hopes about working opposite Hollywood legend Bette Davis in The Scapegoat (1959). However when that time came, Alec Guinness admitted to feeling disappointed and ended up disliking Davis. See more »

Trademark:

Known for playing multiple complex characters and changing his appearance to suit. See more »
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