Alec Guinness Biography

Fast Facts

• Unable to afford drama school, earned $3
• 50 a week as a junior copywriter in an ad agency at age 18
• Attended Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art at the recommendation of actor Sir John Gielgud
• Met future wife, playwright Merula Salaman, in a 1935 stage production of Noah
• Honed acting skills in plays by the likes of Shakespeare and Chekhov at The Old Vic
• Joined the Royal Navy in 1941 as a seaman and the following year was commissioned a lieutenant
• Ever versatile, the master of disguise delighted in the eight parts created for his film classic Kind Hearts and Coronets
• Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his stage and screen achievements in 1959
• Annually designed an original Christmas card
• Published two autobiographies, Blessings in Disguise (1985) and My Name Escapes Me (1997)
• Though known for his biting wit he was notoriously shy
• Did not embrace his most famous and lucrative role, Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi from Star Wars, with high regard