Alec Guinness

1914 – 2000

Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor whose six-decade screen career encompassed five collaborations with David Lean—including the Academy Award–winning performance in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and his role as Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)—and a string of celebrated Ealing comedies in which he often played multiple roles. He won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Tony, and a Volpi Cup, and reached a wider late-career audience as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. He was knighted in 1959.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM