Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He is most well known for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. He also played Prince Feisal in Lawrence of Arabia and George Smiley in the TV adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 2, 1914
- August 5, 2000 (aged 86)
- Marylebone, London, England, UK
- Actor, also writer
- 49 on MovieCove · 79 credits in all
Known for
What are Alec Guinness' films like?
Across their 43 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 4 · Wry 1 · Earnest 37
A split, not a type: Light 19 · Serious 8 · Dark 16
A split, not a type: Grounded 22 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 7
Gentle 10 · Charged 21 · Intense 12
Steady 18 · Shifting 20 · Whiplash 5
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 24 · Some laughs 11 · Funny 8
Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 0
Casual 16 · Engaged 21 · Full focus 6
A split, not a type: Easy watch 19 · Affecting 9 · Heavy 15
Resolved 29 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 6
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 12 of 36 analyzed roles.
Show the 36 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Oliver Twist in Oliver Twist (1948)
- Threshold guardianas The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
- Heroas George Bird in Last Holiday (1950)
- Heroas Holland in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
- Heroas Sidney Stratton in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
- Heroas Captain Henry St. James in The Captain's Paradise (1953)
- Heroas Flight Lt. Peter Ross in Malta Story (1953)
- Tricksteras Professor Marcus in The Ladykillers (1955)
- Heraldas Prince Albert in The Swan (1956)
- Heroas Capt. William Horatio Ambrose in All at Sea (1957)
- Shapeshifteras Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
- Heroas Gulley Jimson in The Horse's Mouth (1958)
- Tricksteras Gulley Jimson in The Horse's Mouth (1958)
- Heroas John Barratt in The Scapegoat (1959)
- Shadowas Jacques De Gue / Count in The Scapegoat (1959)
- Heraldas Jacques De Gue / Count in The Scapegoat (1959)
- Heroas Jim Wormold in Our Man in Havana (1959)
- Heroas Major Jock Sinclair in Tunes of Glory (1960)
- Heroas Captain Crawford in Damn the Defiant! (1962)
- Mentoras Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Mentoras Marcus Aurelius in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
- Mentoras Yevgraf in Doctor Zhivago (1965)
- Shadowas Wilhelm Frick in Situation Hopeless -- But Not Serious (1965)
- Mentoras Pol in The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
- Tricksteras Major H. O. Jones in The Comedians (1967)
- Shadowas King Charles 'Stuart' I in Cromwell (1970)
- Shapeshifteras Pope Innocent III in Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
- Shadowas Adolf Hitler in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)
- Mentoras Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
- Mentoras Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Shadowas Earl of Dorincourt in Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
- Heraldas Sigmund Freud in Lovesick (1983)
- Mentoras Professor Godbole in A Passage to India (1984)
- Mentoras William Dorrit in Little Dorrit (1987)
- Shadowas The Reaper in Mute Witness (1995)
- Shadowas James in Interview Day (1996)
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet25
- Tragic4
- Ambiguous4
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Alec Guinness' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 29 of their 49 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (15).
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) · actor · free
- Oliver Twist (1948) · actor · free
- Great Expectations (1946) · actor · free
- Tunes of Glory (1960) · actor · free
- Scrooge (1970) · actor · free
- The Man in the White Suit (1951) · actor · free
- Damn the Defiant! (1962) · actor · free
- Little Dorrit (1987) · actor · free
- Cromwell (1970) · actor · free
- Mute Witness (1995) · actor · free
- Grace Kelly: The American Princess (1987) · actor · free
- The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) · actor · free
- +3 more
- Lionsgate+, show their 4 titles on Lionsgate+
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- BFI Player, show their title on BFI Player
- Cohen Media Channel, show their title on Cohen Media Channel
- Midnight Pulp, show their title on Midnight Pulp
- Screambox, show their title on Screambox
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
Subscription and free streaming for Alec Guinness' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
79 credits, 49 with a MovieCove page; 24 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Elstree 1976(2015)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all filmsStarring Sigmund Freud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Hitler: The Comedy Years(2007)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
When Star Wars Ruled the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Interview Day(1996)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Mute Witness(1995)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
A Foreign Field (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Tales from Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Kafka(1991)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Performance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Screen One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
A Handful of Dust(1988)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Little Dorrit(1987)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Monsignor Quixote (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
The Golden Gong(1985)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
A Passage to India(1984)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Edwin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Lovesick(1983)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Smiley's People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Little Lord Fauntleroy(1980)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Raise the Titanic(1980)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
The Art of Film: The Many Roles of Alec Guinness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Murder by Death(1976)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Caesar and Cleopatra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Gift of Friendship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Brother Sun, Sister Moon(1972)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Scrooge(1970)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Cromwell(1970)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Twelfth Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
The Comedians(1967)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
The Quiller Memorandum(1966)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Hotel Paradiso (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Doctor Zhivago(1965)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Thirty-Minute Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Lawrence of Arabia(1962)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Damn the Defiant!(1962)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
A Majority of One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Tunes of Glory(1960)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Our Man in Havana(1959)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Startime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Scapegoat(1959)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
The Horse's Mouth(1958)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
All at Sea(1957)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Swan(1956)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
The Ladykillers(1955)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Prisoner (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Rowlandson's England (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
To Paris with Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Father Brown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Captain's Paradise(1953)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Malta Story(1953)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Card (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Lavender Hill Mob(1951)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Mudlark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Last Holiday(1950)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
A Run for Your Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets(1949)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Oliver Twist(1948)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Great Expectations(1946)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Evensong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 77 titles from 1934 to 2019; peak year 1961.
Biggest box office
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Highest rated
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Film career
Peak 1961 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 22 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1946Screen debut· Great Expectations
- 1950First top-billed film· Last Holiday
- 1955Career best· The Ladykillers
- 1958Oscar nomination· The Horse's Mouth
- 1960BAFTA Award nomination· Tunes of Glory
- 1977Oscar nomination· Star Wars
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
2 Oscars, a Golden Globe, 4 BAFTA Awards and 4 other major awards from 23 major nominations, 1953–1989.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, won · Film
- Berlinale award, won
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actor
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Actor
- Oscar, won
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Actor
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actor
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor (Lead or Support)
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Screenplay
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Venice award, won · Best Actor
Show 4 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
- Oscar, won · Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Golden Globe, won · Best Actor - Drama
- BAFTA Award, won · Best British Actor
+1 other major body · 2 wins
- Venice award, won ×2 · Best Actor
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best British Actor
- Oscar, nominated · Best Actor in a Leading Role
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Alec Guinness' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 49; across their 43 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up28
- 50th to 74th13
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
25 of their 49 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved15
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser25
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed7
Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 38 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Alec Guinness' work okay for kids?
Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity and profanity lighter.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Alec Guinness work with?
People who share at least 2 of Alec Guinness' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Lean shares the most, 6.
Directors
- David LeanShared titles: A Passage to India (1984), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946)See all 6 shared titles with David Lean
- Ronald NeameShared titles: Scrooge (1970), Tunes of Glory (1960), The Horse's Mouth (1958), Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946)See all 5 shared titles with Ronald Neame
- Robert HamerShared titles: The Scapegoat (1959), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Hamer
- Alexander MackendrickShared titles: The Ladykillers (1955), The Man in the White Suit (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Alexander Mackendrick
Writers
- Charles DickensShared titles: Scrooge (1970), Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946)See all 3 shared titles with Charles Dickens
- John DightonShared titles: The Swan (1956), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)See all 3 shared titles with John Dighton
- Kay WalshShared titles: Tunes of Glory (1960), The Horse's Mouth (1958), Last Holiday (1950), Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946)See all 5 shared titles with Kay Walsh
- Graham GreeneShared titles: The Comedians (1967), Our Man in Havana (1959)See all 2 shared titles with Graham Greene
Actors
- Harrison FordShared titles: Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies (2022), Elstree 1976 (2015), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 4 shared titles with Harrison Ford
- Mark HamillShared titles: Elstree 1976 (2015), Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel (2015), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 4 shared titles with Mark Hamill
- Jack HawkinsShared titles: The Golden Gong (1985), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Malta Story (1953)See all 4 shared titles with Jack Hawkins
- Carrie FisherShared titles: Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies (2022), Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 3 shared titles with Carrie Fisher
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Jack HarrisShared titles: The Scapegoat (1959), All at Sea (1957), The Ladykillers (1955), Oliver Twist (1948), Great Expectations (1946)See all 5 shared titles with Jack Harris
- Douglas SlocombeShared titles: All at Sea (1957), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)See all 4 shared titles with Douglas Slocombe
- Maurice JarreShared titles: A Passage to India (1984), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Lawrence of Arabia (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Maurice Jarre
- Arthur IbbetsonShared titles: Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980), Tunes of Glory (1960), The Horse's Mouth (1958)See all 3 shared titles with Arthur Ibbetson
Producers
- Michael BalconShared titles: The Scapegoat (1959), All at Sea (1957), The Ladykillers (1955), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Man in the White Suit (1951), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)See all 6 shared titles with Michael Balcon
- John BrabourneShared titles: Little Dorrit (1987), A Passage to India (1984), Damn the Defiant! (1962)See all 3 shared titles with John Brabourne
- Richard GoodwinShared titles: Little Dorrit (1987), A Passage to India (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Goodwin
- John HeymanShared titles: A Passage to India (1984), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)See all 2 shared titles with John Heyman
Mixed roles
- George LucasShared titles: Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber Duel (2015), Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)See all 2 shared titles with George Lucas
- Seth HoltShared titles: The Ladykillers (1955), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)See all 2 shared titles with Seth Holt
