
Alec Guinness
Known for Acting · 101 credits
- Born
- 1914-04-02
- Died
- 2000-08-05
- Place of birth
- Marylebone, London, England, UK
- Also known as
- Alec Guinness de Cuffe · Sir Alec Guinness
Biography
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He is most well known for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. He also played Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia and George Smiley in the TV adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Known For
TV Shows (19)

Great Performances
1971
as Father Quixote

Apostrophes
1975
as Self

American Playhouse
1982
as Heinrich Mann

Omnibus
1967
as Self

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self

ITV Playhouse
1967
as Jocelyn Broome

The Oscars
1953
as Self
Film '72
1971
as Self

The Steve Allen Show
1956
as Self - Set of "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

Thirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as The Executioner

MGM Parade
1955
as self

The South Bank Show
1978
as Self

Startime
1959
as Jebal Deeks

Performance
1991
as Heinrich Mann

Screen One
1989
as Amos

Talking Pictures
2013
as Self (archive footage)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
1979
as George Smiley

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Julius Caesar

Smiley's People
1982
as George Smiley
Movies (82)

Star Wars
1977
as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
2019
as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive voice)

The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2015
as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive sound) (uncredited)

Return of the Jedi
1983
as Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi

Lawrence of Arabia
1962
as Prince Feisal

Doctor Zhivago
1965
as Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago

Lionpower from MGM
1967
as Self - Major H. O. Jones (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Bridge on the River Kwai
1957
as Col. Nicholson

Great Expectations
1946
as Herbert Pocket

Oliver Twist
1948
as Fagin

The Star Wars Holiday Special
1978
as Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Fall of the Roman Empire
1964
as Marcus Aurelius

The Scapegoat
1959
as John Barratt / Jacques De Gue

Kind Hearts and Coronets
1949
as The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / The General / The Admiral / Young Ascoyne / Young Henry / Lady Agatha

Twelfth Night
1970
as Malvolio

Murder by Death
1976
as Butler Jamesir Bensonmum

Monsignor Quixote
1985
as Father Quixote

Little Lord Fauntleroy
1980
as Earl of Dorincourt

A Passage to India
1984
as Professor Godbole

The Story of Star Wars
2004
as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage)

The Making of Star Wars
1977
as Self

The Ladykillers
1955
as Professor Marcus

The Lavender Hill Mob
1951
as Henry 'Dutch' Holland

...On Seeing Film
1958
as Self

Mute Witness
1995
as The Reaper

H.M.S. Defiant
1962
as Captain Crawford

Cromwell
1970
as King Charles I

The Man in the White Suit
1951
as Sidney Stratton

The Quiller Memorandum
1966
as Pol

Scrooge
1970
as Jacob Marley's Ghost

Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel
2015
as Self

Pasternak
1965
as Self (archive footage)

A Handful of Dust
1988
as Mr. Todd

Hitler: The Last Ten Days
1973
as Adolf Hitler

Our Man in Havana
1960
as Jim Wormold

Edwin
1984
as Sir Fennimore Truscott

Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies
2022
as Self - (archive footage)

The Comedians
1967
as Major H. O. Jones

Hitler: The Comedy Years
2007
as Adolf Hitler (archive footage) (uncredited)

Brother Sun, Sister Moon
1972
as Papst Innozenz III.

Last Holiday
1950
as George Bird

A Foreign Field
1993
as Amos
Starring Sigmund Freud
2012
as (archive footage)

Audrey Hepburn: Remembered
1993
as Self (archive footage)

SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back
1980
as Obi Wan Kenobi (archive footage)

Malta Story
1953
as Flight Lt. Peter Ross

Hotel Paradiso
1966
as Benedict Boniface

Lovesick
1983
as Sigmund Freud

Grace Kelly: Destiny of a Princess
2006
as Self - Actor (archive footage)

Tunes of Glory
1960
as Maj. Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M.

The Swan
1956
as Prince Albert

The Captain's Paradise
1953
as Captain Henry St. James

Kafka
1991
as The Chief Clerk
Rowlandson's England
1955
as Narrator

Situation Hopeless — But Not Serious
1965
as Wilhelm Frick

A Majority of One
1961
as Koichi Asano

Barnacle Bill
1957
as Captain William Horatio Ambrose

Grace Kelly: The American Princess
1987
as Self (archive footage)

Caesar and Cleopatra
1976
as Caesar

The Card
1952
as Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin

Raise the Titanic
1980
as John Bigalow

The Mudlark
1950
as Benjamin Disraeli

Little Dorrit
1987
as William Dorrit

The Horse's Mouth
1958
as Gulley Jimson

Tales from Hollywood
1992
as Heinrich Mann

A Run for Your Money
1949
as Whimple

The Gift of Friendship
1974
as Jocelyn Broome

Eskimo Day
1996
as James

To Paris with Love
1955
as Sir Edgar Fraser

Father Brown
1954
as Father Brown

When Star Wars Ruled the World
2004
as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive footage)

The Prisoner
1955
as The Cardinal

The Comedians in Africa
1967
as Self (uncredited)

The Making of 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'
2000
as Self (archive footage)

Evensong
1934
as W.W.I. soldier in concert audience (uncredited)

The Stratford Adventure
1954
as Self

The Rise and Fall of a Jungle Giant
1958
as Self
A Pee, a Poop, a Plate: Paradise (Heidi in Dreamland)
2021
as Self (archive footage)

David Lean: A Life in Film
1985
as Self

The Ealing Comedies
1970
as Self
The Art of Film: The Many Roles of Alec Guinness
1978
About Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He is most well known for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. He also played Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia and George Smiley in the TV adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, S… With 101 credits spanning from 1934 to 2022, Alec Guinness has appeared in 82 films and 19 TV shows.
Fans searching for Alec Guinness movies, Alec Guinness filmography, or the latest projects starring Alec Guinness can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Alec Guinness Movies
- Star Wars (1977) — as Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive voice)
- The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — as Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) — as Obi-Wan Kenobi (archive sound) (uncredited)
- Return of the Jedi (1983) — as Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi
Where to Watch Alec Guinness Films
Most Alec Guinness movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Alec Guinness, check our movies catalogue and browse page.