Alec Guinness

Alec Guinness was a British actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of cinema. He was born on April 2, 1914 in Maida Vale, London, to a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co. His father died in World War I when he was two years old, and his mother never revealed his true paternity. He was educated at Eton, Sandhurst and the universities of Munich and Geneva. He developed a passion for acting at an early age and joined the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art in London in 1934. He made his stage debut in Libel! in 1934 and his film debut in Evensong in 1935. Guinness's career spanned six decades and encompassed a variety of genres and roles. He was known for his versatility, technical skill and ability to transform himself into different characters. He was especially adept at playing multiple roles in the same film, such as in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which he played eight members of the same aristocratic family. He was also famous for his collaborations with director David Lean, with whom he made six films, including The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965) and A Passage to India (1984). He also starred in several of the Ealing comedies, such as The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), which showcased his comedic talent and timing. Guinness achieved worldwide fame and recognition for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy (1977-1983). He portrayed the wise and mysterious Jedi master who mentored Luke Skywalker and introduced him to the Force. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for the first film and a percentage of the profits, which made him very wealthy. However, he was not fond of the role or the films, which he considered to be childish and lacking in depth. He also disliked being associated with them by fans and often refused to sign autographs or talk about them. Apart from his film career, Guinness was also a distinguished stage actor who excelled in Shakespearean roles. He played Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard II, King Lear and many other characters on stage and screen. He also appeared in several plays by modern playwrights such as T.S. Eliot, Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter. He received a Tony Award for his performance in Dylan (1964) on Broadway. He also wrote several books, including three volumes of memoirs: Blessings in Disguise (1985), My Name Escapes Me (1996) and A Positively Final Appearance (1999). Guinness was married to Merula Salaman from 1938 until his death in 2000. They had one son, Matthew, who also became an actor. Guinness was a devout Roman Catholic who converted to the faith in 1956 after a near-death experience. He was also a loyal friend to many fellow actors, such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959 for his services to the arts and received many other awards and honors throughout his life. He died of liver cancer on August 5, 2000 at the age of 86 in Midhurst, West Sussex. He was buried at St. Michael's Churchyard in Rushock, Worcestershire.