Alec Guinness
Born April 2, 1914, in London, Alec Guinness was perhaps the consummate English actor on the stage and in films for nearly six decades until his death on Aug. 5, 2000, in Middlesex, England.

Perhaps best known as the Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (1977), Guinness enjoyed a distinguished movie career that dated back to the early 1930s. He won a Best Actor Oscar in 1957 for his memorable portrayal of an obsessed British commander in director David Lean's The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Guinness' other classic portrayals include roles in two more Lean classics, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1959.

Featured Movies
  • Our Man in HavanaOur Man in Havana

    Inspired by Cold War paranoia, author Graham Greene penned this cynical comedy directed by Carol Reed about vacuum cleaner salesman Jim Wormold (Alec Guinness), whose territory happens to be pre-revolutionary Cuba. Approached by an undercover intelligence agent (Noel Coward), Jim unwittingly agrees... Read More

  • The LadykillersThe Ladykillers

    Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness) is the leader of a crime ring planning a heist. His confederates, blowhard Major Courtney (Cecil Parker), suave Louis (Herbert Lom), chubby Harry (Peter Sellers) and muscleman One-Round (Danny Green), dodge their landlady's constant interruptions. The hoods hit upon... Read More

  • A Foreign FieldA Foreign Field

    Returning to the deserted beaches of Normandy 50 years after they fought there as soldiers, British World War II veterans Amos (Alec Guinness) and Cyril (Leo McKern) meet up with Waldo (John Randolph), a vacationing American vet. But their new friendship turns sour when a pretty face (Jeanne Moreau)... Read More

  • Malta StoryMalta Story

    When he must detour while en route to Egypt, Royal Air Force pilot and reconnaissance photographer Peter Ross (Alec Guinness) finds himself at the center of the Axis' infamous Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean theater of World War II. Aided by the beautiful Maltese volunteer Maria (Muriel Pavlow),... Read More

  • Damn the DefiantDamn the Defiant

    In this neat twist on Mutiny on the Bounty, Royal Navy Capt. Crawford (Alec Guinness) crosses swords on the high seas with his brutish first mate (Dirk Bogarde). Dispatched to the Mediterranean to escort merchant ships to Britain, Crawford must battle Napoleon's fleet while trying to keep his crew... Read More

 
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