The perfect British actor:  From "Tunes of Glory" to "Bridge Over River Qwai"

English actor of supreme excellence- His brilliant performance in the 'Bridge on the river Kwai' over 50 years old still is great today.

Always enjoyed his work.Some of his better performances were in the John LaCarre based films "Smiley's People" and "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy". The early british film work of the 1950s was excellent. Great skill as a comedic actor. Check out the number of awards and nominations he recieved for his work on IMDb.

I haven't seen the late Sir Alec Guinness in too many films, but in those few films his mannerisms, aura, and delivery were impressive to me. There was always something so properly British in his portrayals, and this was effective to make a scene successful if not magical (e.g. "Star Wars") or the entire movie (e.g. "The Bridge On The River Kwai").

He was good in Star wars.

It would be a disservice to limit Alec Guinness' stature to his performances in 'Doctor Zhivago' (1965) and 'Star Wars' (1977) and 'The Empire Strikes Back' (1980). Guinness was in a class of his very own about whose work this commentator feels privileged to acknowldege. Even to bring up an award winning performance such as in the very worthy 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' (1957) or in lesser parts in 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962) and 'A Passage to India' (1984) does not provide the whole picture. His legacy encompasses a diversity of roles that should include his parts in director David Lean's adaptations of Dickens' classics from 'Great Expectations' (1946) and 'Oliver Twist' (1948) to Christine Edzard's two-part 'Little Dorritt' (1987), through the Ealing comedies, 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (1949), 'The Lavender Hill Mob' (1951), or in 'Father Brown - Detective' (1954), and 'The Ladykillers' (1955). In a light comedy such as 'The Swan' (1956), Guinness is the personification of highest breeding in a man of mediocre intelligence. Very especially, he was most memorable in 'The Horse's Mouth' (1958), 'Tunes of Glory' (1960) and 'Damn the Defiant' (1962).

This, I think, was the consummate actor, he had no preformed opinion of how a role should be performed, and 'The Lavender Hill Mob' led me to purchase the re-issue with another actor I admire, Tom Hanks, and suffer great disappointment

Ham!

Bridge On the River Kwai, if you have not seen this movie then you really can not rate Sir Alec. He was the last classic British actor to pass and he will be missed. His work in the Star Wars movies was above reproach but the fact that he even agreed to do the pictures is a testament to is knowledge as an actor and being able to see a script for what it was.

Real good actor. Unfortunately Star Wars is the only thing that seems to follow him.

One of the great ones.

Like his disciple Peter Sellers, Guinness apparently lacked a sharply defined, concrete personality, but turned this behaviorial shortcoming around to benefit himself in being one of the truly great character actors by being able to easily adopt the traits, mannerisms and ethos he lacked. His early work for Ealing and other British studios is particularly brilliant, but overlooked because it's so rarely seen these days. The Ladykillers and The Man in the White Suit are the films of this vintage that show up on TV from time to time, and they're both good examples of his work at his height in the 1950s. I never saw any of his Star Wars performances, and for good reason: I wouldn't waste my time and money on such juvenile, escapist crap, leaving the ridiculous mythologies of a non-existant alternate universe to the pimply-faced adolescent louts who go in for such absurd, trivial nonsense.

hes one of the greatest to me... I cannot say why I like him so much. Just stunning as an actor.

A "brilliant" actor. No doubt, one of the top three classic British actors of all-time along with John Guilgud and Olivier. After watching these great actors, one wonders how people such as: Stallone; Eastwood; Bronson; can be even called "actors?"

You too must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderran.

Sir Alec Guiness is one of the greatest, most sophisticated and enthralling actors of all time. If you want to catch a peek at his movies, visit imdb.com. IMDB is short for Internet Movie Database.

very distinguished

One of the greatest. He was outstanding in Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago as well as the earlier British comedies such as the Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Alec Guinness is a great actor. You people should be ashamed of yourselves for giving him a 'good' rating. His performance in Star Wars and older movies like Bridge on the River Qwai obveriously show his grand acting talents. Think this one over Ricki Lake.

This guy was a classical Shakespearean actor and it was too bad he was typecasted (as Obi Wan) during the last 25 years of his elusive 60-plus year acting career, but hey at least he was noticed plus he was knighted.

The only actor to be nominated for an Oscar for a Star Wars film, he was an Oscar winner earlier in his career. His portrayal of Obi-wan Kenobi is good enough for five stars.

Now here was someone who could really act,a theatrical knight with a hugely impressive range of screen credits.Not always the most magnetic presence,perhaps,but his integrity was enormous:reflective and authoritative,content to slip quietly into the skin of less dramatic parts when required.Yet at times he could be mesmerising,a master of disguise and versatility- in Kind Hearts and Coronets(the finest,most elegant British comedy,in which he played 8 central roles!),as Fagin in Oliver Twist,(only 2 years after his break as Pip's cheery,slight young friend in Great Expectations,a colossal leap),as obsessively upright Colonel Nicholson in Bridge on the River Kwai,a mild-mannered bank-clerk turned scheming robber in The Lavender Hill Mob,a dignified Arab King in Lawrence of Arabia.He added gravitas,depth and (as Lorie's reminded me)soul to Star Wars,coming to the attention of a new generation unfamiliar with the brilliance of his earlier career.Unequivocally one of the all-time greats.

Obi-Wan kenobi, is the great one, he should be in the top.

OB1 Kenobi! Sir alec guinness is incredible. Can play an evil genius or a beacon of light and goodness. Can be quite funny at times. definitely deserves #3 of all clasic actors. Much better than many actors of our times.

For those young enough to only remember Sir Alec in "Star Wars", you need to grow up! This man could do anything in British cinema. His comedies are wonderful. He played spy-catchers, bumbling crooks, British officers, foreign dignitaries, sniveling clerks. His work in "Great Expectations," "The Ladykillers," "The Man in the White Suit," and "Captain's Paradise" will always make me laugh. But I will most remember him for "The Horse's Mouth." He was one of the greats.

I'm a huge "Star Wars" fan, but other than his decent performance as Obi-Wan, I haven't been impressed with Mr. Guinness. He always seems to play extremley similar characters without much emotional range. I've heard his best work was done on the stage...perhaps that's where he gained his reputation.

This man was awesome. I can only hope that this relatively low rating here can only mean that few voters have ever seen anything he did prior to "Star Wars". Don't let poor TV programming selections keep you from experiencing the great Guinness. The list of his work covers around six decades and is too long to go into but you can find it on imdb.com.

i just can't believe some of the people he's above

HE SUCKS

He really was a great actor, yes he will probably be remembered for Star Wars by the younger generation, but I beleive he won an academy award for his role in Bridge Over the River Qwai(sp)..

I've only seen him in Star Wars, but now, as a tribute, I'm going to start watching everything I can find. May the Force be with you, sir!

Since I'm 30 right now, my primary memory of Alec Guinness is from his role as Obi Wan Kenobi in "Star Wars." He was perfect for that part, and he brought a sense of acting legitimacy that was one of the key factors (along with the breakthrough technology and a great script that tied into universal themes) that raised Star Wars from the ranks of typical B-movies into its current position as one of the most-watched, most-loved movies of all time. Like all one-time Star Wars fanatics, I felt a sense of loss when I heard that Guinness died the other day.