# Alec Guinness on stage and screen

Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (1914–2000) was an English actor. In the British Film Institute listing of 1999 of the 100 most important British films of the 20th century, Guinness was single most noted actor, represented across nine films — six in starring roles and three in supporting roles.
After an early career on the stage, Guinness made a name for himself in six Ealing Comedies, starting in 1949 with both A Run for Your Money and Kind Hearts and Coronets — in which he played nine different characters — going on to lead roles in The Lavender Hill Mob and The Man in the White Suit both in 1951, The Ladykillers in 1955, and culminating with Barnacle Bill in 1957.
Guinness is known for his six collaborations with David Lean: Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946), Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948), Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor), Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), General Yevgraf Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Professor Godbole in A Passage to India (1984).
Guinness is also known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas's original Star Wars trilogy; for the original film, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 50th Academy Awards.
Guinness continued his acting in theatre throughout his working life, but his later life was closely associated with his definitive depiction of the leading role of George Smiley in the two BBC television series of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People by John le Carré.

## Theatre

Stage credits of Guinness :
| Year | Production | Role | Theatre (London, unless otherwise noted) | Notes |
| 1934 | Libel! | Junior Counsel | Playhouse Theatre | Non-speaking role |
| 1934 | Queer Cargo | Chinese coolie, French Pirate and English Sailor | Piccadilly Theatre | |
| 1934 | Hamlet | Osric and Third Player | New Theatre | |
| 1935 | Noé/Noah | Wolf | New Theatre | |
| 1935 | Romeo and Juliet | Sampson and Apothecary | New Theatre | |
| 1936 | The Seagull | Workman then Yakov | New Theatre | |
| 1936 | Love's Labour's Lost | Boyet | The Old Vic | Start of a season with the Old Vic Company; September 1936 – April 1937. |
| 1936 | As You Like It | Le Beau and William | The Old Vic | |
| 1936 | The Witch of Edmonton | Old Thorney | The Old Vic | |
| 1937 | Hamlet | Osric and Reynaldo | The Old Vic | |
| 1937 | Twelfth Night | Sir Andrew Aguecheek | The Old Vic | |
| 1937 | Henry V | Exeter | The Old Vic | |
| 1937 | Hamlet | Osric, Player Queen and Reynaldo | Elsinore Castle, Helsingør, Denmark | Put on by the Old Vic Company at Elsinore Castle |
| 1937 | Richard II | Aumerle and The Groom | Queen's Theatre | Start of a season with John Gielgud's Company at the Queen's Theatre, September 1937 – May 1938. |
| 1937 | The School for Scandal | Snake | Queen's Theatre | |
| 1938 | The Three Sisters | Fedotik | Queen's Theatre | |
| 1938 | The Merchant of Venice | Lorenzo | Queen's Theatre | |
| 1938 | The Doctor's Dilemma | Louis Dubedat | Richmond Theatre | |
| 1938 | Trelawny of the 'Wells' | Arthur Gower | The Old Vic | Start of a season with the Old Vic Company. September to December 1938. |
| 1938 | Hamlet | Hamlet | The Old Vic | |
| 1938 | The Rivals | Bob Acres | The Old Vic | |
| 1939 | Hamlet | Hamlet | The Old Vic | Start of Tour of Europe and Egypt with the Old Vic Company. January to April 1939. |
| 1939 | Henry V | Chorus | The Old Vic | Tour |
| 1939 | The Rivals | Bob Acres | The Old Vic | Tour |
| 1939 | Libel! | Emile Flordan | The Old Vic | Tour |
| 1939 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Sheffield Playhouse, Sheffield | |
| 1939 | The Ascent of F6 | Michael Ransom | The Old Vic | |
| 1939 | Romeo and Juliet | Romeo | Perth Theatre, Perth, Scotland | Part of the first Perth Scottish Theatre Festival |
| 1939 | Great Expectations | Herbert Pocket | Rudolf Steiner Hall | Version adapted by Guinness from Charles Dickens novel; Performed by The Actor's Company, a group Guinness had formed with George Devine and Marius Goring. |
| 1940 | Cousin Muriel | Richard Meilhac | Globe Theatre | |
| 1940 | Saint Joan | The Dauphin | Palace Theatre | |
| 1940 | The Tempest | Ferdinand | The Old Vic | |
| 1940 | Thunder Rock | Charleston | Tour of England | |
| 1940 | Flare Path | Fl. Lt. Graham | Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, United States | Was temporarily released from his war service to perform in this production. |
| 1946 | The Brothers Karamazov | Mitya | Lyric Theatre | Adapted by Guinness from Fyodor Dostoevsky. |
| 1946 | The Vicious Circle | Garcin | Arts Theatre | |
| 1946 | King Lear | The Fool | New Theatre | Start of a season with the Old Vic Company at the New Theatre. September 1946 – May 1947. |
| 1946 | An Inspector Calls | Eric Birling | New Theatre | |
| 1946 | Cyrano De Bergerac | De Guiche | New Theatre | |
| 1947 | The Alchemist | Abel Drugger | New Theatre | |
| 1947 | Richard II | Richard II | New Theatre | Start of a season with the Old Vic Company at the New Theatre. September 1947 – May 1948. |
| 1947 | Saint Joan | The Dauphin | New Theatre | |
| 1948 | The Government Inspector | Khlestakov | New Theatre | |
| 1948 | Coriolanus | Menenius Agrippa | New Theatre | |
| 1948 | Twelfth Night | - | New Theatre | Director only for the Old Vic Company at the New Theatre. September 1948. |
| 1949 | The Human Touch | Dr. James Simpson | Savoy Theatre | |
| 1949 | The Cocktail Party | Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly | Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland. | |
| 1950 | The Cocktail Party | Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly | Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City, USA | |
| 1951 | Hamlet | Hamlet | New Theatre | This production was also directed by Guinness. |
| 1952 | Under the Sycamore Tree | The Ant Scientist | Aldwych Theatre | |
| 1953 | Richard III | Richard III | Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ontario, Canada | Start of a season at the Stratford Festival. July to September 1953. |
| 1953 | All's Well That Ends Well | King of France | Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ontario, Canada | |
| 1954 | The Prisoner | The Cardinal | Globe Theatre | |
| 1956 | Hotel Paradiso | Boniface | Winter Garden Theatre | |
| 1960 | Ross | Aircraftman Ross / T. E. Lawrence | Theatre Royal Haymarket | Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Best Actor |
| 1963 | Exit the King | Berenger the First | Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh and Royal Court Theatre | |
| 1964 | Dylan | Dylan Thomas | Plymouth Theatre, New York City, USA | Drama League Awards-Distinguished Performance Award; Tony Awards- Best Actor |
| 1966 | Incident at Vichy | Von Berg | Phoenix Theatre | |
| 1966 | Macbeth | Macbeth | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 1967 | Wise Child | Jock Masters/Mrs. Artminster | Wyndham's Theatre | |
| 1968 | The Cocktail Party | Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly | Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, Sussex, Wyndham's Theatre, Theatre Royal Haymarket | Production was also directed by Guinness. |
| 1970 | Time out of Mind | John | Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, Surrey. | |
| 1971 | A Voyage Round My Father | Father | Theatre Royal Haymarket | |
| 1973 | Habeas Corpus | Dr. Wickstead | Lyric Theatre | |
| 1975 | A Family and a Fortune | Dudley | Apollo Theatre | |
| 1976 | Yahoo | Dean Swift | Queen's Theatre | Adapted by Guinness from the works of Jonathan Swift. |
| 1977 | The Old Country | Hilary | Queen's Theatre | |
| 1984 | Merchant of Venice | Shylock | Chichester Festival Theatre | |
| 1988 | A Walk in the Woods | Andrey Botvinnik | Comedy Theatre | |

## Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1934 | Evensong | | Uncredited extra |
| 1946 | Great Expectations | Herbert Pocket as an adult | |
| 1948 | Oliver Twist | Fagin | |
| 1949 | Kind Hearts and Coronets | The Duke, The Banker, The Parson, The General, The Admiral, Young D'Ascoyne, Young Henry, Lady Agatha | National Board of Review Award for Best ActorNominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor |
| 1949 | A Run for Your Money | Whimple | |
| 1950 | Last Holiday | George Bird | |
| 1950 | The Mudlark | Benjamin Disraeli | |
| 1951 | The Lavender Hill Mob | Henry Holland | Nastro d'Argento Award for Best Foreign ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best Actor |
| 1951 | The Man in the White Suit | Sidney Stratton | |
| 1952 | The Card | Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin | |
| 1953 | The Square Mile | Narrator | Short subject |
| 1953 | The Captain's Paradise | Capt. Henry St. James | |
| 1953 | Malta Story | Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross RAF | |
| 1954 | Father Brown | Father Brown | |
| 1954 | The Stratford Adventure | Himself | Short subject |
| 1955 | Rowlandson's England | Narrator | Short subject |
| 1955 | To Paris with Love | Col. Sir Edgar Fraser | |
| 1955 | The Prisoner | The Cardinal | Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign ActorNominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleNominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor |
| 1955 | The Ladykillers | Professor Marcus | |
| 1956 | The Swan | Prince Albert | |
| 1957 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Col. Nicholson | Academy Award for Best ActorBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading RoleGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture DramaNational Board of Review Award for Best ActorNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best ActorSant Jordi Award for Best Foreign ActorNominated—Laurel Award for Top Male Dramatic Performance |
| 1957 | Barnacle Bill | Captain William Horatio Ambrose | |
| 1958 | The Horse's Mouth | Gulley Jimson | Also writerSant Jordi Award for Best Foreign ActorVolpi Cup for Best ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best British ScreenplayNominated—Laurel Award for Top Male Comedy PerformanceNominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor |
| 1959 | The Scapegoat | John Barratt/Jacques De Gue | |
| 1959 | Our Man in Havana | Jim Wormold | |
| 1960 | Tunes of Glory | Maj. Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M. | Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| 1961 | A Majority of One | Koichi Asano | |
| 1962 | H.M.S. Defiant | Captain Crawford | |
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | Prince Faisal | |
| 1964 | The Fall of the Roman Empire | Marcus Aurelius | |
| 1965 | Pasternak | Himself | Short subject |
| 1965 | Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious | Wilhelm Frick | |
| 1965 | Doctor Zhivago | Lieutenant General Yevgraf Andreyevich Zhivago | |
| 1966 | Hotel Paradiso | Benedict Boniface | |
| 1966 | The Quiller Memorandum | Pol | |
| 1967 | The Comedians in Africa | Himself | Short subject Uncredited |
| 1967 | The Comedians | Major H.O. Jones | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1970 | Cromwell | King Charles I | |
| 1970 | Scrooge | Jacob Marley's ghost | |
| 1972 | Brother Sun, Sister Moon | Pope Innocent III | |
| 1973 | Hitler: The Last Ten Days | Adolf Hitler | |
| 1976 | Murder by Death | Jamesir Bensonmum | |
| 1977 | Star Wars | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best ActorSaturn Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Obi-Wan Kenobi | |
| 1980 | Raise the Titanic | John Bigalow | |
| 1983 | Lovesick | Sigmund Freud | |
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | Obi-Wan Kenobi | |
| 1984 | A Passage to India | Professor Godbole | |
| 1987 | Little Dorrit | William Dorrit | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureNominated—National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| 1988 | A Handful of Dust | Mr. Todd | |
| 1991 | Kafka | The Chief Clerk | |
| 1994 | Mute Witness | The Reaper | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Obi-Wan Kenobi (voice) | Posthumous release; archival audio |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | Obi-Wan Kenobi (voice) | Posthumous release; archival audio |

## Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Baker's Dozen | The Major | Television film |
| 1959 | The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks | Jebal Deeks | Television film |
| 1969 | Conversation at Night | The Executioner | Television film |
| 1970 | Twelfth Night | Malvolio | Television film |
| 1974 | The Gift of Friendship | Jocelyn Broome | Television film |
| 1976 | Caesar and Cleopatra | Julius Caesar | Television film |
| 1979 | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy | George Smiley | 7 episodes British Academy Television Award for Best ActorBroadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actor |
| 1980 | Little Lord Fauntleroy | Earl of Dorincourt | Television film |
| 1982 | Smiley's People | George Smiley | 6 episodes British Academy Television Award for Best ActorNominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1984 | Edwin | Sir Fennimore Truscott | Television film |
| 1987 | Monsignor Quixote | Monsignor Quixote | Television film Nominated—British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 1992 | Tales from Hollywood | Heinrich Mann | Television film |
| 1993 | A Foreign Field | Amos | Television film |
| 1996 | Eskimo Day | James | Television film |