Alec Guinness

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9.7 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Guest on Late Night With David Letterman
Gender:
Male
Born:
4-2-1914
Died:
8-5-2000 (Liver Cancer)
Birthplace:
Marylebone, London, England, UK
Birth Name:
Alec Guinness de Cuffe
AKA:
Sir Alec Guinness, Alec Guiness
Alec was born in London in 1914. For years he was known by his step-father, David's surname of Stiven, or his mother's name of de Cuffe, and it was only at 14 was he told that he real name was Guinness, and it was rumoured his real father was a wealthy businessman. David was a mentally ill soldier, recovering from the Anglo-Irish war, who was most likely suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Alec never liked him.

Guinness first worked as a copy writer in the advertising industry before making his debut at the Albery Theatre in 1936 at the age of 22. While working,

… More he studied at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art. During World War Two (1941), Alec Guinness served in the Royal Navy and was commissioned in 1942. He commanded a landing craft taking part in the invasion of Sicily and Elba and later ferried supplies to the Yugoslav partisans.

He married acterss Merula Salaman, in 1938, and in 1940 their son, Matthew (also an actor) was born. Alec's granddaughter is Sally Guinness, his great-grandson, Otis Marlon Simeon Guinness-Walker was born in 1995. In the 1950s, Alec and his wife converted to Catholicism.

Alec died in 2000, from Liver Cancer, in Midhurst, West Sussex, and he was buried at Saint Lawrence's Roman Catholic Church, Petersfield, in Hampshire. His widow, Merula, died just two months after him.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    A man of class, integrity, and intelligence. And not to mention a great actor! hide show

    Alec Guinness is possibly my favorite actor. Whether it be him playing 9 members of the same family in Kind Hearts and Coronets or the heroic Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwaii or the wise old Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Guinness was a master at whatever he did. He could play both drama and comedy equally well, and was a well balanced actor. I first saw him, of course, in Star Wars but soon I began to see other films he was in and love those as well. He was a classy, intelligent man who rarely made a bad career choice and will be remembered as one of the greatest actors of his time. What a loss the world suffered when Alec Guinness died in 2000.

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    mysteryfan427 Added Feb 3, 2006 All my reviews
 

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