Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness de Cuffe entered the world at 155 Lauderdale Mansions South in Maida Vale, London, on the 2nd of April 1914. His birth certificate listed his mother as Agnes de Cuffe but left the father's name blank. This omission created a lifelong puzzle regarding his true parentage. The identity of his biological father was never officially confirmed by any court or official record. Agnes Cuff had worked as a barmaid at the Royal Yacht Squadron clubhouse during the Cowes Regatta of 1913. Several members of the wealthy Guinness family attended that event including Edward Guinness and his sons Ernest and Walter. Honor Guinness later claimed Alec bore a distinct resemblance to either her uncle Ernest or his brother Walter. She visited Alec's family with photo albums to point out these perceived similarities. Another cousin named Lindy believed Alec closely resembled her own father Loel. Guinness himself eventually came to believe Andrew Geddes, a Scottish banker who died in 1928, was his father. Geddes paid for Alec's boarding school education and occasionally visited posing as an uncle. He possessed a round face and sticking-out ears which mirrored Alec's features.
Guinness began his professional life writing advertising copy before stepping onto a stage. His first theatre job occurred on his 20th birthday when he played a walk-on role in Libel at the King's Theatre in Hammersmith. That initial salary stood at just one pound per week. By 1936 he joined the Old Vic company where he performed classic roles alongside future friends like John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson. He appeared as Osric in Hamlet under Gielgud's direction during that same year. The actor continued playing Shakespearean parts throughout his entire career spanning decades. In 1937 he portrayed Aumerle in Richard II and Lorenzo in The Merchant of Venice. He starred in a production of Hamlet in 1938 that won acclaim across both sides of the Atlantic. Later performances included Romeo opposite Laurence Olivier and Ferdinand in The Tempest opposite Gielgud. An early influence on his style came from film star Stan Laurel whom Guinness admired deeply. He sent a letter to Laurel in 1961 acknowledging he had unconsciously modeled his Sir Andrew Aguecheek after how Laurel might have done it.
During the Second World War Guinness served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve starting as a seaman in 1941. He received a commission as a temporary Sub-lieutenant on the 30th of April 1942. The following year he was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant. He then commanded a Landing Craft Infantry during the Allied invasion of Sicily. His duties later expanded to ferry supplies and agents to Yugoslav partisans in the eastern Mediterranean theatre. While serving he took leave to appear in the Broadway production of Terence Rattigan's Flare Path. He played Flight Lieutenant Teddy Graham in this play about RAF Bomber Command. After the war ended he returned to the Old Vic company in 1946. He stayed there until 1948 playing roles such as Abel Drugger in The Alchemist and the Fool in King Lear. He also starred in an Old Vic production of Richard II directed by himself before leaving for other projects.
Guinness made his film debut speaking in Great Expectations released in 1946. He became particularly associated with Ealing Studios comedies produced after the war. In Kind Hearts and Coronets released in 1949 he played eight different characters within a single film. Other notable films from this period included Oliver Twist in 1948 and The Lavender Hill Mob in 1951. He appeared in The Man in the White Suit that same year and The Ladykillers in 1955. All four of these films ranked among the Best British films according to later polls. A poll of British exhibitors identified Guinness as the top box office attraction in British films during 1951. He was fifth in international films based on box office returns at that time. Peter Sellers idolized him and later starred alongside his hero in The Ladykillers. Guinness also wrote the screenplay for The Horse's Mouth which he starred in during 1958. His desire to make that serious film led to a break with the Rank Organisation who refused to fund it.
David Lean directed five major films featuring Alec Guinness over several decades. Their first collaboration occurred in Great Expections where Guinness played Herbert Pocket in 1946. They worked together again for Oliver Twist in 1948 with Guinness playing Fagin. Lean gave him a starring role opposite William Holden in The Bridge on the River Kwai released in 1957. For this performance as Colonel Nicholson Guinness won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Despite a difficult relationship Lean continued casting him in character roles for later films. He appeared as Arab leader Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia released in 1962. In Doctor Zhivago from 1965 he played Bolshevik leader Yevgraf. He portrayed Indian mystic Professor Godbole in A Passage to India released in 1984. Five of these films ranked within the British Film Institute's list of greatest British films of the 20th century. At one point Guinness mistrusted Lean though he recalled the director being charming at his funeral.
Guinness agreed to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars despite calling it fairy-tale rubbish in private letters. He accepted the part only after the studio doubled his initial salary offer. He insisted on not doing any publicity to promote the film. He initially negotiated a deal for two percent of the film's royalties paid to George Lucas. Lucas offered an additional half percent bringing his share to 2.5 percent before producer Gary Kurtz revised it down. His final agreed-upon share stood at 2.25 percent of royalties paid to the director. Upon first viewing the film he wrote in his diary that it was technically brilliant but noisy. He soon became unhappy with the fan following and the fame attached to the role. He stated in a 1999 interview that he could no longer speak those banal lines. He claimed he shrivelled up every time Star Wars was mentioned to him. The income from the films allowed him to live modestly without debts or financial pressure.
Guinness appeared as George Smiley in the BBC Television serialisation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy released in 1979. He reprised the role in Smiley's People which aired in 1982. He won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor twice for this portrayal. One of his last appearances occurred in the BBC drama Eskimo Day during 1996. He died on the night of the 5th of August 2000 at King Edward VII's Hospital in Midhurst. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2000 and liver cancer two days before his death. His wife Merula died two months later on the 18th of October 2000 also suffering from liver cancer. His funeral took place at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Petersfield where he was interred. Archives acquired by the British Library in 2013 contain over 900 letters and 100 volumes of diaries spanning from the late 1930s until his death.
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Common questions
When and where was Alec Guinness born?
Alec Guinness de Cuffe entered the world at 155 Lauderdale Mansions South in Maida Vale, London, on the 2nd of April 1914. His birth certificate listed his mother as Agnes de Cuffe but left the father's name blank.
Who is the biological father of Alec Guinness according to historical records?
The identity of his biological father was never officially confirmed by any court or official record. Guinness himself eventually came to believe Andrew Geddes, a Scottish banker who died in 1928, was his father.
What role did Alec Guinness play in Great Expectations released in 1946?
David Lean directed five major films featuring Alec Guinness over several decades. Their first collaboration occurred in Great Expections where Guinness played Herbert Pocket in 1946.
How much money did Alec Guinness receive for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars?
His final agreed-upon share stood at 2.25 percent of royalties paid to the director. The income from the films allowed him to live modestly without debts or financial pressure.
When and how did Alec Guinness die?
He died on the night of the 5th of August 2000 at King Edward VII's Hospital in Midhurst. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2000 and liver cancer two days before his death.