Short answers, pulled from the story.
Alec Guinness was an English actor born on the 2nd of April 1914 who won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, a Tony Award, and a Volpi Cup over his career. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959 and is the single most noted actor in the British Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest British films of the 20th century, appearing in nine of them.
Guinness played Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy, beginning with the 1977 film. In letters to friends he described the film as "fairy-tale rubbish" and later said he "shrivelled up" every time Star Wars was mentioned, though he acknowledged the royalties allowed him to live comfortably and decline work that did not interest him.
Guinness won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), directed by David Lean. He also received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in 1980 and was nominated as Best Supporting Actor for the original Star Wars (1977).
Guinness played eight different characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), all members of the same aristocratic family. The film was one of the Ealing comedies that established him as the most popular British star at the domestic box office in 1951.
Guinness converted to the Catholic Church in 1956, following several formative experiences. While filming Father Brown in Burgundy in 1954, a local child mistook him for a real priest and took his hand, an encounter that left a deep impression. When his son Matthew fell ill with polio at the age of 11, Guinness began visiting a church to pray. His wife Merula converted in 1957.
Guinness negotiated a final agreed share of 2.25% of the director's royalties. Since George Lucas received one-fifth of the overall box office takings, Guinness's effective share of the overall box office gross was approximately 1.80%.