Actor
Alec Guinness
Born 2 April 1914 · Marylebone, London, England, UK — died 5 August 2000
Sir Alec Guinness (1914–2000) was an English actor admired for his chameleon-like versatility. He rose to fame in the Ealing comedies, won the Best Actor Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai, and reached a new generation as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars.
Key films
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Ealing classic in which he played eight members of one family, showcasing his remarkable range.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Ealing comedy in which he plays a mild bank clerk turned gold thief, a performance that earned him an Oscar nomination.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
As Colonel Nicholson, he gave the performance that won him the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)On Cinespective
He played Prince Feisal in David Lean's epic, one of several collaborations with the director.
Star Wars (1977)
As Obi-Wan Kenobi, he became a cultural icon and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Key awards
- 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
- 1958 BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
- 1958 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama (The Bridge on the River Kwai)
- 1952 BAFTA Award for Best British Actor (The Lavender Hill Mob)
- 1980 Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in screen acting
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 82
- 1934Evensong · as W.W.I. soldier in concert audience (uncredited)Actor
- 1946Great Expectations · as Herbert PocketActor
- 1948Oliver Twist · as FaginActor
- 1949Kind Hearts and Coronets · as The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / The General / The Admiral / Young Ascoyne / Young Henry / Lady AgathaActor
- 1949A Run for Your Money · as WhimpleActor
- 1950Last Holiday · as George BirdActor
- 1950The Mudlark · as Benjamin DisraeliActor
- 1951The Lavender Hill Mob · as Henry 'Dutch' HollandActor
- 1951The Man in the White Suit · as Sidney StrattonActor
- 1952The Card · as Edward Henry 'Denry' MachinActor
- 1953The Captain's Paradise · as Captain Henry St. JamesActor
- 1953Malta Story · as Flight Lt. Peter RossActor
- 1954Father Brown · as Father BrownActor
- 1954The Stratford Adventure · as SelfActor
- 1955The Ladykillers · as Professor MarcusActor
- 1955The Prisoner · as The CardinalActor
- 1955To Paris with Love · as Sir Edgar FraserActor
- 1955Rowlandson's England · as NarratorActor
- 1956The Swan · as Prince AlbertActor
- 1957The Bridge on the River Kwai · as Col. NicholsonActor
- 1957Barnacle Bill · as Captain William Horatio AmbroseActor
- 1958The Horse's Mouth · as Gulley JimsonActor
- 1958...On Seeing Film · as SelfActor
- 1958The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant · as SelfActor
- 1959The Scapegoat · as John Barratt / Jacques De GueActor
- 1960Our Man in Havana · as Jim WormoldActor
- 1960Tunes of Glory · as Maj. Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M.Actor
- 1961A Majority of One · as Koichi AsanoActor
- 1962Lawrence of Arabia · as Prince FeisalActor
- 1962H.M.S. Defiant · as Captain CrawfordActor
- 1964The Fall of the Roman Empire · as Marcus AureliusActor
- 1965Doctor Zhivago · as Gen. Yevgraf ZhivagoActor
- 1965Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious · as Wilhelm FrickActor
- 1965Pasternak · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1966The Quiller Memorandum · as PolActor
- 1966Hotel Paradiso · as Benedict BonifaceActor
- 1967The Comedians · as Major H. O. JonesActor
- 1967The Comedians in Africa · as Self (uncredited)Actor
- 1967Lionpower from MGM · as Self - Major H. O. Jones (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1970Scrooge · as Jacob Marley's GhostActor
- 1970Cromwell · as King Charles IActor
- 1970Twelfth Night · as MalvolioActor
- 1970The Ealing Comedies · as SelfActor
- 1972Brother Sun, Sister Moon · as Papst Innozenz III.Actor
- 1973Hitler: The Last Ten Days · as Adolf HitlerActor
- 1974The Gift of Friendship · as Jocelyn BroomeActor
- 1976Murder by Death · as Butler Jamesir BensonmumActor
- 1976Caesar and Cleopatra · as CaesarActor
- 1977Star Wars · as Obi-Wan "Ben" KenobiActor
- 1977The Making of Star Wars · as SelfActor
- 1978The Star Wars Holiday Special · as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1978The Art of Film: The Many Roles of Alec GuinnessActor
- 1980The Empire Strikes Back · as Obi-Wan KenobiActor
- 1980Little Lord Fauntleroy · as Earl of DorincourtActor
- 1980Raise the Titanic · as John BigalowActor
- 1980SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back · as Obi Wan Kenobi (archive footage)Actor
- 1983Return of the Jedi · as Ben 'Obi-Wan' KenobiActor
- 1983Lovesick · as Sigmund FreudActor
- 1984A Passage to India · as Professor GodboleActor
- 1984Edwin · as Sir Fennimore TruscottActor
- 1985Monsignor Quixote · as Father QuixoteActor
- 1985David Lean: A Life in Film · as SelfActor
- 1987Little Dorrit · as William DorritActor
- 1987Grace Kelly: The American Princess · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1988A Handful of Dust · as Mr. ToddActor
- 1991Kafka · as The Chief ClerkActor
- 1992Tales from Hollywood · as Heinrich MannActor
- 1993Audrey Hepburn: Remembered · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1993A Foreign Field · as AmosActor
- 1995Mute Witness · as The Reaper (credited as Mystery Guest Star)Actor
- 1996Eskimo Day · as JamesActor
- 2000The Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2004The Story of Star Wars · as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage)Actor
- 2004When Star Wars Ruled the World · as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage)Actor
- 2006Grace Kelly: Destiny of a Princess · as Self - Actor (archive footage)Actor
- 2007Hitler: The Comedy Years · as Adolf Hitler (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 2012Starring Sigmund Freud · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2015Star Wars: The Force Awakens · as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive sound) (uncredited)Actor
- 2015Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel · as SelfActor
- 2019Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker · as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive voice)Actor
- 2021A Pee, a Poop, a Plate: Paradise (Heidi in Dreamland) · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2022Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies · as Self - (archive footage)Actor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.