Alec Guinness's biography

Alec Guinness is 86 years old film actor born at Marylebone. He was born on Thursday 2nd of April 1914. According to year of birth 1914 he belongs to Greatest Generation. Birthday on 2nd of April means he is Aries. Aries is the most active sign of Zodiac, one born with this sign is a very quick learner, aggressive and passionate.

He is citizen of United Kingdom. He is an adherent of catholic church. His primary profession is to be film actor. You can know him also as autobiographer, character actor, screenwriter, stage actor. He is recently known as television actor.

Alec Guinness's dad

Alec Guinness's father's name is Andrew Geddes.

Alec Guinness's mom

Alec Guinness's mother's name is Agnes Cuff.

Alec Guinness's family

Alec Guinness's ex spouse

Merula Salaman

Alec Guinness and Merula Salaman have been together since 1938 for 62 years. She is known as playwright. His ex spouse was born on Friday 16th of October 1914. His ex spouse died on Wednesday 18th of October 2000 in Petersfield. Merula Salaman was 86 years old, when this happened.

He has 1 son.

Alec Guinness's son: Matthew Guinness

Alec Guinness's son's name is Matthew Guinness. He is known as actor. His son was born on Thursday 6th of June 1940 in London.

Alec Guinness's career

His main focus is to be film actor. You could see him also in The Bridge on the River Kwai, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley's People and many more. He is also a member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

How did Alec Guinness die

He died on on Saturday 5th of August 2000 when he was 86 years old at Midhurst. Alec Guinnesss death was caused by liver cancer. It happend like natural causes.

Awards and competitions

Alec Guinness's Awards

He was awarded the CH (Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour) in the 1994 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1955 Queen's Birthday Honours List and Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1959 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.
He was awarded the 1989 Laurence Olivier Theatre Special Award (1988 season) for his outstanding contributions to West End Theatre.
He won Broadway's 1964 Tony Award as Best Actor (Dramatic) for "Dylan", in which he played the title character, poet Dylan Thomas.
In certain prints of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), a film in which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, his last name is misspelled "Guiness".
He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1559 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
He had appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Jack Hawkins also appeared in both films.
Won the "Kansas City Film Critics Circle" Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Comedians (1967).

Alec Guinness's Nominations

He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor for work The Lavender Hill Mob in 1952
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Actor for work The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957
He was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for work The Bridge on the River Kwai in 1957
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay for work The Horse's Mouth in 1958
He was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay for work The Horse's Mouth in 1960
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for work Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977
He was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for work Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977
He was nominated for British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for work Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in 1980
He was nominated for British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for work Smiley's People in 1983
He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for work Smiley's People in 1983
He was nominated for British Academy Television Award for Best Actor for work Great Performances in 1986
He was nominated for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for work Little Dorrit in 1988
He was nominated for National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for work Little Dorrit in 1988
He was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for work Little Dorrit in 1988

What Alec Guinness has done for a first time

He had starred as Eric Birling alongside Sir Ralph Richardson in the first-ever showing of "An Inspector Calls" at the New Theatre in London on October 1, 1946.
He reportedly answered one Star Wars fan's boast that he had seen the first movie over a hundred times, with a nod and the words "Promise me you will never watch it again." The boy was stunned, but his mother thanked Guinness.
Out of the five films he made with David Lean, Alec Guinness regarded their first two collaborations as being by far their most harmonious. Afterwards, the threat of confrontation between the two was always on the horizon on later films.
Never forgot the first time he went to the theatre as a child (the actor long forgot the name of the production). Young Guinness was fascinated by what he saw and eventually was able to talk with members of the cast afterwards.
For the first several years of his life, Alec Guinness claimed that he had no idea what his real name was.
First developed an interest in acting as a child, after being taken to a few pantomime shows.

Alec Guinness's quotes

I shrivel up every time someone mentions Star Wars (1977) to me.
Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one.
[replying to a writer whose script he rejected, who sent him a note saying "We tailored it just for you"] But no one came to take measurements.
I gave my best performances during the war, trying to be an officer and a gentleman.
I prefer full-length camera shots because the body can act better than the face.
I don't know what else I could do but pretend to be an actor.
Once I've done a film, it's finished. I never look at it again.
Personally, I have only one great regret - that I never *dared* enough. If at all.
[To a group of reporters upon winning his Academy Award in 1958]: No doorstop shenanigans for me, boys. I have a nice mantel where I'm going to display it.
[on media reports of his income from the Star Wars films]: The Times reports I've made Â£4.5 million in the past year. Where do they get such nonsense?
[on the performances in Star Wars (1977)]: The only really disappointing performance was Anthony Daniels as the robot - fidgety and over-elaborately spoken. Not that any of the cast can stand up to the mechanical things around them.
[while considering doing Star Wars (1977)]: Science fiction - which gives me pause - but it is to be directed by George Lucas, who did American Graffiti (1973), which makes me think I should. Big part. Fairytale rubbish, but could be interesting.
[on his first lunch meeting with George Lucas]: I liked him. The conversation was divided culturally by 8,000 miles and 30 years; but I think we might understand each other if I can get past his intensity.
Essentially I'm a small part actor who's been lucky enough to play leading roles for most of his life.
Flamboyance doesn't suit me. I enjoy being elusive.
I am always ashamed of the slowness of my reading. I think it stems from the fact that when I come across dialogue in a novel, I can't resist treating it as the text of a play and acting it out, with significant pauses and all.
[on Laurence Olivier after the death of the only acting peer of the realm] Olivier made me laugh more as an actor [in eccentric comedy parts] more than anyone else. In my case, I love him in comedy and am not always sure about him in tragedy.
An actor is at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents.
An actor is totally vulnerable. His total personality is exposed to critical judgment - his intellect, his bearing, his diction, his whole appearance. In short, his ego.
[Asked if he was a rich man]: No, not rich. Compared to striking miners and workless actors very rich: compared to successful stockbrokers and businessmen I expect I would be considered nearly poor.
I can walk through a crowd and nobody would notice at all.
[on playing Gulley Jimson in The Horse's Mouth (1958)] I try to get inside a character and project him - one of my own private rules of thumb is that I have not got the character until I have mastered exactly how he walks.
[1987, on being referred to as "the Man of a Thousand Faces"] Oh, that was a publicity stunt which has dogged me all... well not all my life...but for so many years.
[describing himself as a boy] A shy child, thoroughly unprepossessing. Not good at sports, not academically inclined, not handsome, not rich, and not likely to improve. One wonders that one was not stoned to death in the street.
Pride played a part in my decision to retire. I don't wish to be seen as I am now when I know there was something better on offer 30 years ago.

Alec Guinness's body shape

Lets describe how Alec Guinness looks. We will focus on his body shape. Body build is average.

Alec Guinness