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Sir Alec Guinness

Sir Alec Guinness

Alec Guinness de Cuffe
1914 - 2000
British born London

Height 5' 10" (1.78 m) . While working in advertising, he studied at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, debuting on stage in 1934 and played classic theatre with the Old Vic from 1936. In 1941 he entered the Royal navy as a seaman and was commissioned the next year. Beyond an extra part in Evensong (1934), his film career began after World War II with his portrayal of Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946). A string of films, mostly comedies, showed off his ability to look different in every role -- eight of them, including a woman, in one movie alone, Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). His best known recent work was as the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars (1977) trilogy. He earned a best actor Oscar and Golden Globe in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and an Honorary Academy Award (1980) for "advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances". Academy nominations have included The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) (actor); The Horse's Mouth (1958) (screenplay); Star Wars (1977) (supporting) and Little Dorrit (1988) (supporting). He was knighted in 1959 for his accomplishments in theatre and film. Spouse Merula Salaman (20 June 1938 - 5 August 2000) (his death) 1 child.

Eskimo Day (1996) , Mute Witness (1994) , A Foreign Field (1993) , Tales from Hollywood (1992) , Kafka (1991) , A Handful of Dust (1988) , Little Dorrit (1988) , "Great Performances" (1987) , A Passage to India (1984) , Edwin (1984) , Star Wars: Episode VI (1983), Lovesick (1983) , Star Wars (1983) , "Smiley's People" (1982) , Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980) , Raise the Titanic (1980) , Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) , "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979) , Star Wars (1977) , Murder by Death (1976) , "Hallmark Hall of Fame" (1976) , The Gift of Friendship (1974) , Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973) , Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972) , Scrooge (1970) , Cromwell (1970) , E.E. Cummings (1970) , Twelfth Night (1969) (, The Comedians (1967) , The Quiller Memorandum (1966) , Hotel Paradiso (1966) , Doctor Zhivago (1965) , Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965) , The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) , Lawrence of Arabia (1962) , H.M.S. Defiant (1962) , A Majority of One (1961) , Tunes of Glory (1960) , "Startime" (1959) , The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks (1959) , The Scapegoat (1959) , Our Man in Havana (1959), The Horse's Mouth (1958) , Barnacle Bill (1957) , The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) , The Swan (1956) , The Ladykillers (1955) , The Prisoner (1955) , Baker's Dozen (1955) , To Paris with Love (1955) , Father Brown (1954) , Malta Story (1953) , The Captain's Paradise (1953) , The Square Mile (1953) , The Card (1952) , The Man in the White Suit (1951), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) , The Mudlark (1950) , Last Holiday (1950) , A Run for Your Money (1949) , Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) , Oliver Twist (1948) , Great Expectations (1946) , Evensong (1934)