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Alec Guinness

Alec GuinnessAKA Alec Guinness de Cuffe

Born: 2-Apr-1914
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 5-Aug-2000
Location of death: Midhurst, West Sussex, England [1]
Cause of death: Cancer - Liver
Remains: Buried, Petersfield Cemetery, Hampshire

Gender: Male
Religion: Roman Catholic
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Bisexual [2]
Occupation: Actor

Nationality: England
Executive summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars


[1] King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, West Sussex, England.

[2] See "Sir Alec Guinness was bisexual", BBC News, 16 April 2001, citing three separate biographies coming to that conclusion, including his authorized biography. Also see John Ezard, The Guardian, 16 April 2001, "Sir Alec Guinness had a homosexual side which remained publicly unknown in his lifetime because of the flair for evasion and secrecy which was also his trademark as an actor." Both stories cite a 1946 arrest and conviction for committing a homosexual act in a public restroom.

Wife: Merula Salaman (m. 20-Jun-1938, until his death, d. 17-Oct-2000)
Son: Matthew Guinness (b. 6-Jun-1940)

    Garrick Club
    Oscar for Best Actor 1958 for The Bridge on the River Kwai
    Oscar (honorary) 1980
    Golden Globe 1958 for The Bridge on the River Kwai
    Laurence Olivier Theatre Award 1989 Special Award (West End Theatre)
    Hollywood Walk of Fame 1551 Vine St.
    Commander of the British Empire 1955
    Knight of the British Empire 1959
    Converted to Catholicism
    Risk Factors: Prostate Cancer

    FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
    Mute Witness (21-Oct-1994)
    A Foreign Field (10-Sep-1993)
    Kafka (15-Nov-1991)
    Little Dorrit (11-Sep-1988)
    A Handful of Dust (24-Jun-1988)
    A Passage to India (14-Dec-1984)
    Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (25-May-1983)
    Lovesick (18-Feb-1983)
    Smiley's People (20-Sep-1982)
    Little Lord Fauntleroy (25-Nov-1980)
    Raise the Titanic (1-Aug-1980)
    Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (21-May-1980)
    Star Wars (25-May-1977)
    Murder by Death (23-Jun-1976)
    Hitler: The Last Ten Days (20-Apr-1973)
    Brother Sun, Sister Moon (3-Mar-1972)
    Scrooge (5-Nov-1970)
    Cromwell (16-Jul-1970)
    The Comedians (31-Oct-1967)
    The Quiller Memorandum (15-Dec-1966)
    Hotel Paradiso (14-Oct-1966)
    Doctor Zhivago (22-Dec-1965)
    The Fall of the Roman Empire (26-Mar-1964)
    Lawrence of Arabia (10-Dec-1962)
    HMS Defiant (6-Aug-1962)
    A Majority of One (11-Jan-1962)
    Tunes of Glory (20-Dec-1960)
    Our Man in Havana (27-Jan-1960)
    The Scapegoat (6-Aug-1959)
    The Horse's Mouth (11-Nov-1958)
    The Bridge on the River Kwai (18-Dec-1957)
    Barnacle Bill (17-Dec-1957)
    The Swan (26-Apr-1956)
    The Ladykillers (Dec-1955)
    The Prisoner (19-Apr-1955)
    Father Brown (8-Jun-1954)
    The Captain's Paradise (9-Jun-1953)
    The Malta Story (1953)
    The Card (14-Aug-1952)
    The Man in the White Suit (28-Jan-1952)
    The Lavender Hill Mob (Jun-1951)
    The Mudlark (28-Nov-1950)
    Last Holiday (13-Nov-1950)
    Kind Hearts and Coronets (20-Jan-1949)
    Oliver Twist (28-Jun-1948)
    Great Expectations (26-Dec-1946)

Author of books:
My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor (1996, memoir)



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