Guinness, Alec

Sir Alec Guinness

Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe) was born April 2, 1914 in London to Agnes de Cuffe and a father he never knew. He was 5' 11" tall. 

Young Guinness was discouraged by his headmaster at Pembroke Lodge (a boarding school), from attending school theatrical performances. While enrolled in Roborough School in Eastbourne, his role as the 'urgent messenger' in the schools' production of Macbeth rekindled his passion for acting.  His peers and teachers praised him on his small but powerful performance. 

 In 1932 Guinness finished his schooling then worked as an apprentice copywriter for an advertising agency in London.  In 1933 he applied to the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Arts which had granted him a scholarship, he was accepted, but he found the classes tedious and boring.  He left seven months later, with a major award presented by the judges, one of them John Gielgud. 

 In 1934 Guinness got three small bit parts in a production called Queer Cargo, and a walk-on part in Libel.  With little money and less food he braved the odds and called Gielgud, at the time very successful and ten years his senior.  Gielgud cast him as Osric and the Third Player in his production of Hamlet at the New Theatre.  This added to his credits and spawned other parts.

In 1938  he played Hamlet in a Tyrone Guthrie production at the Old Vic.  Between 1938 and 1941 he played 34 roles in 23 plays.  In 1941 he enlisted in the Royal Navy becoming a landing-craft operator.  After the war Guinness resumed his stage and newfound writing career portraying the role of Mitya in his own rendition of Dostoyevski's Brothers Karamazov. 

 Other roles included Sartre's Vicious Circle, the Dauphin in Shaw's Saint Joan and, in the title role of Shakespeare's Richard II.  Within the year after the war Guinness decided to try film....and what an impressive start.  The director David Lean cast him as Pocket in Dickens' Great Expectations.  He then played Fagin in Oliver Twist another Dickens classic.  In 1949 he made A Run for Your Money and Kind Hearts and Coronets (in which he played eight different characters), it was this performance that really brought him the most recognition and exploited his tremendous skill at playing a large variety of roles.  Other roles in 1949 include, a ruminative psychiatrist in T.S. Elliot's Cocktail Party (so successful he took it to Broadway).  There are a few performances that were small yet memorable: a bank clerk who masterminds the smuggling of gold bullion out of England in The Lavender Hill Mob 1951, a flirtatious skipper in the comedy The Captain's Paradise 1953 and as a sly sleuth in The Detective 1954. 

 One of the most appealing roles was as Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwai, the second film he did for David Lean, for which he won an Oscar in 1958 ( he also starred in two other David Lean films: Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago).  In the same year he was Oscar nominated for his screenplay for The Horse's Mouth AND knighted by Queen Elizabeth.  

Guinness did not leave the stage altogether, in 1964 he played the title role in Dylan (about the last months of poet Dylan Thomas), so well was this role played that Guinness won nearly every stage award given for that year.  In 1977 Guinness was cast by George Lucas in Star Wars, another small yet memorable role, he was Oscar-nominated for the part of Obi-Wan Kenobi the following year.  The part of Kenobi made Guinness famous to a whole new generation.  

In 1980 he was awarded an honorary Oscar for acting.  He played Kenobi two more times in, The Empire Strikes Back 1980 and The Return of the Jedi 1983.  He made appearances in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People on television, again small roles with a lasting impression.  

Sir Alec Guinness died of cancer at the King Edward VII Hospital in Midhurst, West Sussex on Saturday, August 5, 2000, after being in ill health for a number of years.  He was aged 86 and was survived by his wife (married June 20, 1938) actress/playwright Merula Salaman (who died just two months later) and his son Matthew (Born 1940), who is an actor.

Film
Star Wars: The Force Awakens~2015 - (archive recording) Obi-Wan Kenobi
Making of The Bridge on the River Kwai, The~2000 (V) (archive footage) - Himself
Grace Kelly: The American Princess~1991 (V) (archive footage) - uncredited Himself (relays the tomahawk story/thanks)
Grace Kelly: The American Princess~1991(V) (thanks)
Kafka~1991 - The Chief Clerk

Handful of Dust, A~1988 - Mr. Todd

Little Dorrit~1988 - William Dorrit (see Actor Connections - Film)

Passage to India, A~1984 - Professor Godbole

Lovesick~1983 - Ghost of Sigmund Freud

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi~1983 - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ben)

Raise the Titanic~1980 - John Bigalow

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back~1980 - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ben)

To See Such Fun~1977 - Himself
Star Wars~1977 - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ben)  (Guinness's favorite film- because, "it made me a millionaire!")

Murder by Death~1976 - Jamesir Bensonmum

Brother Sun, Sister Moon~1973 - Pope Innocent III

Hitler: The Last Ten Days~1973 - Adolf Hitler (see Actor Connections - Film)

Sir Alec Guinness as Hitler in Hitler: The Last Ten Days - Photo from CineKolossal.com

Scrooge~1970 - Jacob Marley's Ghost (see Actor Connections - Film)

Sir Alec Guinness as Jacob Marley's Ghost in Scrooge - Photo from CedMagic.com

Cromwell~1970 - King Charles I (see Actor Connections - Film)

Sir Alec Guinness as King Charles I in Cromwell - Photo from BBC.co.uk

Comedians in Africa, The (The Making of The Comedians)~1967 (short doc) - uncredited Himself
Comedians, The~1967 - Major H. O. Jones

Quiller Memorandum, The~1966 - Pol (see Actor Connections - Film)

Hotel Paradiso~1966 - Benedict Boniface

Pasternak~1965 (short doc) - uncredited Himself
Situation Hopeless...But Not Serious~1965 - Wilhelm Frick

Sir Alec Guinness as Wilhelm Frick in Situation Hopeless...But Not Serious - Photo from CineKolossal.com

Doctor Zhivago~1965 - General Yevgraf Zhivago

Sir Alec Guinness as General Yevgraf Zhivago in Dr. Zhivago - Photo from EmporiumPlus.com

Fall of the Roman Empire, The~1964 - Marcus Aurelius

Lawrence of Arabia~1962 - Prince Faisal (see Actor Connections - Film)

Sir Alec Guinness as Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia - Photo from gonemovies.com

H.M.S. Defiant (Damn the Defiant!)~1962 - Captain Crawford

Sir Alec Guinness as Captain Crawford in HMS Defiant with Victor Maddern - Photo from CineKolossal.com

Majority of One, A~1961 - Koichi Asano

Tunes of Glory~1960 - Major Jock Sinclair

Sir Alec Guinness as Major Jock Sinclair in Tunes of Glory - Photo from DVDscan.com

Our Man in Havana~1960 - Jim Wormold

Sir Alec Guinness as Jim Wormold in Our Man in Havana - Photo from CineKolossal.com

Scapegoat, The~1959 - John Barratt/Jacques De Gue

Horse's Mouth, The~1958 - Gulley Jimson (see Actor Connections - Film)

Sir Alec Guinness as Gulley Jimson in The Horse's Mouth

Barnacle Bill (All at Sea)~1957 - William Horatio Ambrose/six ancestors

Bridge on the River Kwai, The~1957 - Colonel Nicholson

Sir Alec Guinness as Col. Nicholson in Bridge On the River Kwai - Photo from CineKolossal.com

Swan, The~1956 - Prince Albert

Sir Alec Guinness as Prince Albert in The Swan - Photo from WashingtonPost.com

Ladykillers, The~1955 - Professor Marcus

Sir Alec Guinness as Professor Marcus in Ladykillers - Photo from Geekroar.com

Prisoner, The~1955 - The Cardinal

Rowlandson's England~1955 - Narrator
To Paris with Love~1955 - Colonel Sir Edgar Fraser

Stratford Adventure, The~1954 (doc) - Himself

Alec Guinness gives a lesson on breath control to Timothy Findley.

Father Brown (The Detective)~1954 - Father Brown

Sir Alec Guinness as Father Brown in Father Brown - Photo from SKGeissen.de

Malta Story, The~1953 - Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross

Sir Alec Guinness as Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross in The Malta Story - Photo from MerlinsOverMalta.com

Square Mile, The~1953 (short) - Narrator
Captain's Paradise, The~1953 - Captain Henry St. James

The Promoter (The Card)~1952 - Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin

Sir Alec Guinness as Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin in The Card

Lavender Hill Mob, The~1951 - Holland

Sir Alec Guinness as Holland (left) in The Lavender Hill Mob - Photo from Cinematheque.be

Man in the White Suit, The~1951 - Sidney Stratton

Sir Alec Guinness as Sidney Stratton in The Man in the White Suit - Photo from Invention.Smithsonian.org

Last Holiday~1950 - George Bird

Mudlark, The~1950 - Benjamin Disraeli

Sir Alec Guinness as Benjamin Disraeli in Mudlark - Photo from Guardian.co.uk  

Kind Hearts and Coronets~1949 - The Duke/The Banker/The Parson/The General, The Admiral/ Young Ascoyne/Young Henry/Lady Agatha d'Ascoyne

Sir Alec Guinness as The d'Ascoyne Family in Kind Hearts and Coronets - Photo from Guardian.co.uk

Run for Your Money, A~1949 - Whimple

Oliver Twist~1948 - Fagin

Great Expectations~1946 - Herbert Pocket

Sir Alec Guinness as Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations - Photo from Telegraph.co.uk

Evensong~1934 - uncredited Extra (W.W.I  soldier in concert audience)

Writer - Screenplay
Horse's Mouth, The~1958
Yahoo~1976 (co-authored)

TV
Eskimo Day~1996 - James

Mute Witness~1996 - The Reaper (mystery guest star)

Living Proof~1994 - Narrator in Plastic Fantastic
Omnibus~1983 and 1994 - Himself in:
     Gielgud: Scenes from 9 Decades

     The Old Vic
Screen One~1993 - Amos in A Foreign Field

Performance~1992 - Heinrich Mann in Tales from Hollywood
Great Performances~1987 - Father Quixote in Monsignor Quixote

Film '87 (changes each year)- Himself in 30 November 1987

Late Night with David Letterman~1986 - Himself in 26 September 1986

The London Standard Film Awards~1986 - Himself
Apostrophes~1986 - Himself in Les livres du mois (Janvier 1986)
South Bank Show~1985 - Himself in:
     Sir Alec Guinness
     David Lean: A Life in Film
Edwin~1984 - Sir Fennimore Truscott

Smiley's People~1982 - George Smiley (6 episodes)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy~1980 (mini) - George Smiley (see Actor Connections - TV)

Morecambe & Wise Show~1980 - Psychiatrist/Himself in 1980 Christmas Show
Little Lord Fauntleroy~1980 - Earl of Dorincourt

The 52nd Annual Academy Awards~1980 - Himself - Honorary Award Recipient

Great Performances~1979 - Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Parkinson~1977- Himself/guest 7.16

The Second Annual West End Theatre Awards~1977 - Himself/Presenter
The Making of 'Star Wars'~1977 - Himself
Caesar and Cleopatra~1976 - Julius Caesar

Arena~1976 - Himself in Theatre: A Dream Come True
The Gift of Friendship~1974 - Jocelyn Broome
Film Extra Programme~1973 - Himself

Tuesday's Documentary~1970 - Himself in The Ealing Comedies or Kind Hearts and Overdrafts
Solo~1970 - Himself/reader:
     Little Gidding
     A Selection from E.E. Cummings
Scrooge~1970 - Jacob Marley's Ghost

Thirty Minute Theatre~1969 - The Executioner in Conversation at Night
ITV Sunday Night Theatre~1969 - Malvolio in Twelfth Night

The Cocktail Party~1969 -
The Ed Sullivan Show~1964 - Himself

Sir Alec Guinness on The Ed Sullivan Show - Photo © Image Bank

The 18th Annual Tony Awards~1964 - Himself - Winner (Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play)

Farewell to the Vic~1963 (doc) - Himself
Startime~1959 - Jebal Deeks in The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show~1957 - Himself on set of "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

Baker's Dozen~1955 - The Major

Audio Books
The Waste Land
Four Quartets and Other Poems - T.S. Elliot, Alec Guinness (narrator)
Classics for Children - The Boston Pops with Arthur Fiedler~1952-1961 - Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf - Narrator
Classics for Children the Boston Pops with Arthur Fielder~1952-1961  Album Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf (Narrated by Sir Alec Guinness)

Theater
A Walk in the Woods~1988-89 - Andrey Botvinnik (Comedy Theatre, London, England, UK)
The Merchant of Venice~1984 - (Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, West Sussex, England, UK)
The Old Country~1977 - Hilary (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)
Yahoo~1976 - Jonathan Swift (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)

A Family and a Fortune~1975 - Dudley (Theatre Royal, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK)

Habeus Corpus~1973 - Arthur Wicksteed (Lyric Theatre, London, England, UK)

Sybil: A Celebration of Sybil Thorndike's 90th Birthday~1972 - (Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, England, UK)
A Voyage Around My Father~1971 - Father (Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, England, UK)

Time Out of Mind~1970 - John (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, England, UK)
The Cocktail Party~1968 - Harcourt-Reilly (Chichester Festival Theatre -Wyndhams' Theatre - Chichester, England, UK)
Murder in the Cathedral~1968 - (Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, Sussex, England, UK)
Skin of Our Teeth~1968 - (Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, Sussex, England, UK)
Son et Lumiere in St. Paul's~1967 - (St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England, UK)
Wise Child~1967 - Mrs. Artminster (Wyndham Theatre, London, England, UK)
Incident at Vichy~1966 - Von Berg (Phoenix Theatre, London, England, UK)
Macbeth~1966 - Macbeth (Royal Court Theatre, London, England, UK)

Cocktail Party, The~1964 - Reilly (New York)
Dylan~1964 - Dylan Thomas (Plymouth Theatre, NY, NY)

Sir Alec Guinness as Dylan Thomas in Dylan - Photo from InfoPlease.com

Exit the King~1963 - Berenger the First (Royal Court Theatre, London, England, UK; Lyceum Theatre, London, UK; Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

Alec Guinness and Googie Withers in the English Stage Company's presentation of Exit the King at the Lyceum

Ross~1960 - Ross (Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, England, UK)

As You Like It~1956 -

Love's Labour's Lost~1956 -
Witch of Edmonton, The~1956 -

Hotel Paradiso~1956 - Boniface (Winter Garden Theatre, London, England, UK)
The Prisoner~1953-54 - The Cardinal (Globe Theatre, London, England, UK)
Macbeth~1953 - Macbeth (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK) To here this play click HERE for part 1 and HERE for part 2)

Richard III~1953 - Richard III (Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada) (see Actor Connections - Theatre)

All's Well That Ends Well~1953 - The King (Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada)
Under the Sycamore Tree~1952 - The Scientist (Golders Green Hippodrome, Golders Green, London, England, UK)

Alec Guinness preparing for his role in Under the Sycamore Tree.

Hamlet~ 1951 - Hamlet (an unsuccessful and controversial production of Hamlet in which he starred and also directed)

Cocktail Party~1950 - (New York)

The Human Touch~1949 - Dr. James Y. Simpson (Savoy Theatre, London, England, UK)

Coriolanus~1948 - Menenius Agrippa (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

The Government Inspector~1948 - Hlestakov (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Saint Joan~1948 - The Dauphin (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Richard III~1947 - Richard III (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

The Alchemist~1947 - Abel Drugger (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Cyrano de Bergerac~1947 - (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)
An Inspector Calls~1946-47 - Eric Birling (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

King Lear~1946 - The Fool (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Cyrano de Bergerac~1946 - Comte de Guiche (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

The Alchemist~1947 - Abel Druggfer (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)
The Government Inspector~1946 -
Coriolanus~1946 -
Merchant of Venice~1946 -
Richard II~1946 - Richard II (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)
School for Scandal~1946 -
Three Sisters~1946 -
Twelfth Night~1946 - Andrew Aguecheek
The Human Touch~1946

Vicious Circle (Huis Clos)~1946 - Garcin (Arts Theatre Club, London, England, UK)

The Brothers Karamazov~1946 - Mitya Karamazov (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London, England, UK) (his own adaptation)
Flare Path~1942-3 - Lt. Teddy Graham (Henry Miller's Theatre, NY, NY)

Green Repertoire Sheet~1940 - (Old Vic/Sadler's Wells, London, England, UK)

Shakespeare Birthday Festival~1940 - (Old Vic, London, England, UK)
Cousin Muriel~1940 - (Old Vic, London, UK)
Rivals, The~1940 -
Thunder Rock~1940 - Charleston (Arts Theatre, London, England, UK; tour)
Trelawney of the Wells~1940 - (European and Egyptian tours)
Henry V~1940

Cousin Muriel~1940 - Richard Meilhac (Globe Theatre, London, England, UK)

Tempest, The~1939-40 - Ferdinand (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

Great Expectations~1939 - Herbert Pocket (Initially set for the Shaftesbury Theatre in London but by the time the play was ready the theatre had been bombed out by the war; Scottish Theatre Festival)
Romeo and Juliet~1939 - Romeo (Scottish Theatre Festival, Perth, Scotland)

The Ascent of F.6~1939 - Michael Ransom (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

Trelawney of the Wells~1938-39 - (Old Vic, London, England, UK)

The Rivals~1938-39 - Bob Acres (Old Vic, London, England, UK)
Hamlet~1938-39 - Hamlet (Old Vic, London, England, UK; European and Egyptian tours)

Three Sisters~1938 - Feodotik (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)

Merchant of Venice~1938 - Lorenzo (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)

Henry V~1938 - chorus (Tour Europe/Egypt)

Libel!~1938 - Emile Flordon (Tour Europe/Egypt)

Doctor's Dilemma~1938 - Louis Debedat (Richmond, )

Hamlet~1937 - Osric, Rynaldo, and the Player Queen (Kronborg Castle, Elsinore, Denmark) (a performance which went from an outdoor venue to a ballroom at the hotel they were staying at, because of bad weather)

Shakespeare Birthday Festival~1937 - (Old Vic, London, England, UK)

School For Scandal~1937 - Snake (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)

Richard III~1937 - Aumerle and The Groom (Queen's Theatre, London, England, UK)
Noah~1937 - (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)
Henry V~1936-37 - Exeter (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

Twelfth Night~1936-37 - Andrew Aguecheek (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)
Hamlet~1936-37 - Reynaldo, Osric, the player queen (Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

As You Like It~1936-37 - Le Beau and William ( Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)
The Seagull~1936-37 - Workman and Yakov (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Love's Labours Lost~1936-37 - Boyet ( Old Vic Theatre, London, England, UK)

The Witch of Edmonton~1936-37 - Old Thorney ( Old Vic, London, England, UK)

Noah~1935 - The Wolf (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Romeo and Juliet~1935 - Sampson and Apothecary (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Hamlet~1934-35 - Osric and the Third Player (cast by Gielgud) (New Theatre, Fay Compton, UK)

The Cherry Orchard~ - 

The Prisoner~1934 - The Cardinal (Globe Theatre, London, England, UK)

The Importance of Being Earnest~1934 - Jack

Libel!~1934 - Walk-on part (Playhouse Theatre, London, England, UK)

Queer Cargo~1934 - a Chinese man and a pirate (Piccadilly Theatre, London, England, UK)

Merchant of Venice~19?? - Shylock

Conversations at Night~19?? - The Visitor

Theatre Director

The Cocktail Party~1968 - (Wyndham's Theatre -Chichester-, Chichester, Sussex, England, UK)

Murder in the Cathedral~1968 (Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, Sussex, England, UK)

Hamlet~1951 (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Twelfth Night~1948 (Old Vic @ The New Theatre, London, England, UK)

Theatre Writer
Great Expectations~1939 - adaptation (Scottish Theatre Festival)

Album (vinyl)

Alec Guinness: A Personal Choice~1964 -
Alec Guinness Reads Spiritual and Religious Poetry and Prose~1961 (To hear excerpts click HERE)

Radio (reader/performer)
My Name Escapes Me (his memoirs)~1996  - Himself (5 episodes)
Camelot~1975
King Lear~1974 - King Lear
Four Quartets~1972 (see below for recordings)
T.S. Eliot~1964
     Little Gidding
     Dry Salvages
     East Coker    
     Burnt Norton
Strange Meeting~1964 (listen HERE)
The Hunting of the Snark~1963
Mystery Classics (ABC Mystery Time)~1957-58
The Three Witches of McBeth~1954
Huis Clos~1946
Man Who Could Work Miracles~
Kaleidescope

Books
Alec Guinness~2005 - Piers Paul Read (authorized)
Alec Guinness: A Celebration~2001 - John Russell Taylor
Guinness~1991 - Robert Tanitch
Alec Guinness: The Films - Kenneth Von Gunden
Alec Guinness: Master of Disguise - Garry O'Connor
Alec Guinness on Screen - Allan Hunter
Dear Alec: Guinness at 75 - Ronald Harwood
A Positively Final Appearance: A Journal 1996-98 (expressed a devotion to The Simpsons TV show)
Blessings in Disguise
My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor

Video Games
Star Wars~1983 (archive recording) voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi

Awards, Honors, and Nominations
Academy Awards (Oscar):
Nom 1989 Actor in a Supporting Role for Little Dorrit
Rec'd 1980  Honorary Award for Acting
Nom 1978 Actor in a Supporting Role for Star Wars
Nom 1959 Writing/Screenplay for The Horse's Mouth
Rec'd 1958 Actor for Bridge on the River Kwai
Nom 1953 Actor for The Lavender Hill Mob
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Films (Saturn Award):
Rec'd 1978 Best Supporting Actor for Star Wars
Berlin Film Festival:
Rec'd 1988 Honorary Golden Berlin Bear
British Academy Awards (BAFTA):
Rec'd 1989 Academy Fellowship
Nom 1986 Best Actor for Great Performances: Monsignor Quixote
Rec'd 1983 Best Actor for Smiley's People
Rec'd 1980 Best Actor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Nom 1961 Best British Actor for Tunes of Glory
Nom 1960 Best British Screenplay for The Horse's Mouth
Rec'd 1958 Best British Actor for Bridge on the River Kwai
Nom 1956 Best British Actor for The Prisoner
British Film Institute Awards:
Rec'd 1991 BFI Fellowship
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards:
Rec'd 1980 Best Actor for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Emmy (Primetime):
Nom 1983 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special for Smiley's People
Nom 1960 Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor (Lead or Support) for Startime: The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks
European Film Awards:
Rec'd 1996 Lifetime Achievement Award
Evening Standard British Film Awards:
Rec'd 1995 Special Award
Rec'd 1979 Best Actor for Star Wars
Rec'd 1961 Best Actor for Ross (playing T.E. Lawrence)

Film Society of Lincoln Center:
Rec'd 1987 Gala Tribute
Golden Globes:
Nom 1989 Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Little Dorrit, Parts I and II
Nom 1978 Best Motion Picture Actor in a Supporting Role for Star Wars
Rec'd 1958 - Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Bridge on the River Kwai
Grammy Awards:
Nom 1964 Spoken Word for A Personal Choice (collection of selected favorite poems)
Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: 
Rec'd Silver Ribbon 1952 Best Actor Foreign Film for The Lavender Hill Mob
Kansas city Film Critics Circle Awards:
Rec'd 1967 Best Supporting Actor for The Comedians (tied)
Laurel Awards:
Rec'd 1959 3rd Place Golden Laurel Top Male Comedy Performance for The Horse's Mouth
Rec'd 1958 2nd Place Golden Laurel Top Male Dramatic Performance for The Bridge on the River Kwai
London Critics Circle Film Awards:
Rec'd 1990 Special Achievement Award
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (LAFCA):
Rec'd 1988 Best Supporting Actor for Little Dorrit
National Board of Review (NBR Award): 
Rec'd 1957 Best Actor Bridge on the River Kwai
Rec'd 1950 Best Actor Kind Hearts and Coronets
National Society of Film Critics Awards:
Rec'd 1989 Best Supporting Actor for Little Dorrit
New York Film Critics Awards (NYFCA):
Rec'd 1988 2nd Place Best Supporting Actor for Little Dorrit and A Handful of Dust
Rec'd 1958 2nd Place Best Actor for The horse's Mouth
Rec'd 1957 Best Actor for Bridge on the River Kwai
Rec'd 1955 3rd Place Best Actor for The Prisoner
Rec'd 1950 3rd Place Best Actor for Kind Hearts and Coronets
Online Film & Television Association:
Rec'd 2001 OFTA Film Hall of Fame for Acting
Picturegoer Awards:
Rec'd 1951 Gold Metal Best Actor for The Mudlark
Sant Jordi Awards:
Rec'd 1961 Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero) for The Horse's Mouth and The Prisoner
Rec'd 1959 Best Foreign Actor (Mejor Actor Extranjero) for The Bridge on the River Kwai
Tony Awards:
Rec'd 1964 Best Performance for an Actor in a Play for Dylan

Venice Film Festival:
Rec'd 1958 Volpi Cup Best Actor for The Horse's Mouth
Rec'd 1958 New Cinema Award Best Actor for The Horse's Mouth
Other Honors:
1991 - Honorary Litt. D. (Litterarum doctor/doctor of letters) by Cambridge University
1977 - D. Litt (Litterarum doctor/doctor of letters) by Oxford University
1960 - Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
1955 - Commander of the British Empire (OBE)
1959 - Knighted by Queen Elizabeth

Miscellany
2014 - Two Halves of Guinness - a play based on the life of Sir Alec Guinness was performed at the University of West London in Ealing.

2014 - Remarkable Lives (stamps for people of note in the UK whose birthday year hit the 100 mark.

2005 - Named 3rd best actor of all time at Sky.com (Sir Sean Connery was 1st)

2001 - 3rd on Orange Film's Survey of greatest British film actors