As Two Halves of Guinness opens at the Park Theatre on 20 Apr, marking 25 years since the death of Sir Alec Guinness, it seems a good time to reflect on this most English of actors.
Alec Guinness de Cuffe (not Alexander) was born in Maida Vale in 1914 to a single mother and unknown father. Eventually, his name was settled as Alec Guinness, never sure if he was an illegitimate member of the Guinness brewery family or some other.
A generation younger than Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson, he took a long time to make his mark on the stage, dealing with waspish, sometimes crass, remarks by peers and being overlooked by critics.
Now, of course, Guinness is mentioned within their ranks, not least for his acting career on screen taking off with the role of Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946) following service in the Second World War.
He became known for a run of films at Ealing Studios, including The Ladykillers, The Man in the White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mob and Kind Hearts and Coronets. A great comedian and character player, he worked consistently – including a long association over 40 years with David Lean.
From Fagin in Oliver Twist (1948) to the Colonel in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and, of course, Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars (1977) – a film that made him wealthy for a role he found “fairy-tale rubbish” – Guinness brought many disparate characters to life.
In personal life, he was married to Merula from 1938, but it was revealed after his life that he was in fact, bisexual, but aside from a 1946 arrest, discreet. He was a private man who did not seek out the glitter and trappings of fame.
One of our greatest actors, he was knighted in 1959 in recognition of his contribution to acting, and was recognised across his career with a honorary Academy Award, a BAFTA Fellowship and a BFI Fellowship.
His last feature film appearance was as the Chief Clerk in Steven Soderberg’s Kafka (1991) and his last TV role was in the Jack Rosenthal comedy play Eskimo Day (1996). Notable on television was his appearance as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982).
The documentary Alec Guinness: A Class Act (2024) touches on a darker, conflicted, and sometimes cruel side to the man. “Don’t ever marry an actor”, his wife confided at the end of her life. Colleagues suggest “he made good use of the confessional”.
My picks from Guinness’s long film and TV career that are often overlooked would include Last Holiday (1950), The Horse’s Mouth (1958), the musical of Scrooge (1970, as Jacob Marley) and A Foreign Field (1993).
Two Halves of Guinness is at the Park Theatre 200 from 20 Apr-2 May. Details here.