Alec Guinness
Biography
Alec Guinness was an English actor who began his stage career in 1934 and joined the Old Vic, becoming known for Shakespearean roles before moving into film after the Second World War. He made his speaking film debut in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946) and became known for the Ealing comedies, among them Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which he took on eight separate parts. He earned his first Academy Award nomination for The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). His role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) won him the Academy Award and the BAFTA for Best Actor, and he worked again with Lean on Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and A Passage to India (1984). As Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars trilogy he gained Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, and on television he twice won BAFTA awards as George Smiley. He was knighted in 1959 and died in 2000.
86years old at death
- Born Marylebone
- Died Midhurst
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Alec Guinness de Cuffe (birth name)Also credited as Sir Alec Guinness
Movie Career
- Films
- 37
- Career span
- 49 years1946 to 1995
Genres
First and latest
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Behind the camera
Guinness adapted Great Expectations for the stage in 1939 and played Herbert Pocket; the young film editor David Lean saw it and later had Guinness reprise the role in his 1946 film.
Getting ready for a role
In a 1999 interview, Guinness said killing off Obi-Wan was his own idea, and that he persuaded Lucas it would make the character stronger, which Lucas agreed to.
Behind the camera
Guinness wrote the screenplay for The Horse's Mouth (1958), in which he played the drunken painter Gulley Jimson, and the screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award.
A first
Tyrone Guthrie invited Guinness to the Stratford Festival of Canada's first season, and Guinness stayed briefly in Stratford, Ontario. On 13 July 1953 he spoke the opening lines of Shakespeare's Richard III, the festival's first play.
A first
Guinness played 77 parts in the theater between 2 April 1934 and 30 May 1989, when he made his final stage performance in A Walk in the Woods.
Alec Guinness movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope1977 Action, Adventure, Fantasyas Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
IMDb rating 8.61.6M votes
Most often with
David Lean directed six of these films, Ronald Neame four and Alexander Mackendrick two. Kay Walsh appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Kay Walsh's page
Mark Hamill's page
Harrison Ford's page
James Earl Jones's page
Carrie Fisher's page
Geoffrey Keen's page
David LeanDirector, 6 films, 1946 to 1984
All films by David Lean
Ronald NeameDirector, 4 films, 1952 to 1970
All films by Ronald Neame
Alexander MackendrickDirector, 2 films, 1951 to 1955
All films by Alexander Mackendrick
Also three films together12 more actors
- Omar SharifDoctor Zhivago (1965), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Anthony DanielsStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
- Anthony QuayleThe Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), H.M.S. Defiant (1962) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Ernest ThesigerThe Horse's Mouth (1958), The Man in the White Suit (1951) and Last Holiday (1950)
- Harold GoodwinThe Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), The Ladykillers (1955) and The Man in the White Suit (1951)
- Kenny BakerStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
- Peter MayhewStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
- David ProwseStar Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
- Eric PorterLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) and The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
- Gibb McLaughlinThe Card (1952), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and Oliver Twist (1948)
- Valerie HobsonThe Card (1952), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and Great Expectations (1946)
- Edie MartinThe Ladykillers (1955), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Man in the White Suit (1951)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Alec Guinness's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$2.2 billion
21 of the 37 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 37 films: 21 worldwide figure; 4 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 10 figure not found.
- 21Worldwide figure
- 4US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 10Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 98% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$775M34.8% of the total
- 2$573M25.7% of the total
- 3$538M24.2% of the total
- 4$112M5.0% of the total
- 5$70M3.1% of the total
- 6$45M2.0% of the total
- 7$40M1.8% of the total
- 8$33M1.5% of the total
$41.5 millionfrom the other 13 films with a worldwide figure, 2% of the total
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1957 to 1996, eight of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1979 | Honorary Award | Honorary | |
| 1958 | Best Actor | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Won |
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1957 | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Won |
| BAFTA | |||
| 1989 | Fellowship | Won | |
| 1983 | Best Actor | Smiley's People | Won |
| 1980 | Best Actor | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | |||
| Volpi Cup for Best Actor | Won | ||
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1964 | Best Actor in a Play | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 1996 | European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
| 1994 | Companion of Honour | Won | |
| 1991 | Honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge | Honorary | |
| 1988 | Society of London Theatre Special Award | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.