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Alec Guinness
Age: 86 (passed away Aug. 5th, 2000)
Height: 5' 10"
Birth Place: Marylebone, London, England, UK
Born: Apr. 2nd, 1914
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Alec Guinness' Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: While working in advertising, he studied at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, debuting on stage in 1934 and played classic theater 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 theater and film.
TRIVIA:
- Contrary to popular rumors, he did not hate working on the Star Wars films. What he hated was the fact that many of the Star Wars fans would only ever remember him as Obi-Wan Kenobi despite all the success of his previous roles.
- During his service in the Navy, he commanded a landing craft invading Sicily and Elba, and helped to supply soldiers in Yugoslavia.
- Though he often spoke critically of Star Wars, the three leads, 'Mark Hamill (I)' (qv), 'Harrison Ford (I)' (qv) and 'Carrie Fisher' (qv), have always spoken very fondly of him, praising him as being a very professional actor who was always respectful to the people he worked with.
- 'George Lucas (I)' (qv) said Guinness was very patient and helpful to him during the filming of the first _Star Wars (1977)_ (qv) , even to the point of getting the other actors to work more seriously.
- Awarded an honorary DLitt by Oxford University in 1977 and an honorary LittD by Cambridge University in 1991.
- Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 198-199. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387.
- Great-grandson Otis Marlon Simeon Guinness-Walker, born in 1995.
- Son: actor 'Matthew Guinness' (qv).
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