Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, and two Grammy Awards. Guinness has also been honored with the Academy Honorary Award in 1980, a Gala Tribute from the Film Society at Lincoln Center in 1987, the Society of London Theatre Special Award in 1988, the Honorary Golden Bear in 1988, the BAFTA Fellowship in 1989, the BFI Fellowship in 1991. He was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.
For his role as British commander Colonel Nicholson in the David Lean directed epic war film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the BAFTA Award for Best British Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. He wrote and starred in the British film The Horse's Mouth (1958) he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and won the Venice International Film Festival's Volpi Cup for Best Actor. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
He gained international attention for originating the role of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the George Lucas directed space opera Star Wars (1977) for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. For his portrayal of William Dorrit in the screen adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel Little Dorrit (1987) he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
On television, he acted in Startime: The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks (1960) earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor. He portrayed George Smiley in the BBC spy drama series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and the BBC2 series Smiley's People (1982) for which he earned two British Academy Television Awards for Best Actor. The later of which also earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. He played Father Quixote in the ITV British film Monsignor Quixote (1985) earning a nomination for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.
On stage, he portrayed the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in the Sidney Michaels play Dylan (1964) on Broadway for which he earned the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. For his roles on the West End he earned two nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Actor of the Year in a New Play for playing Hilary in the play The Old Country (1977) and Andrey Botvinnik in the Lee Blessing play A Walk in the Woods (1988).
Major associations Academy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1952Best Actor The Lavender Hill Mob 1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1958 Best Adapted Screenplay The Horse's Mouth 1977 Best Supporting Actor Star Wars 1979 Academy Honorary Award 1988 Best Supporting Actor Little Dorrit
BAFTA Awards Year Category Nominated work Result British Academy Film Awards 1955Best British Actor The Prisoner 1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai 1959 Best British Screenplay The Horse's Mouth 1960 Best British Actor Tunes of Glory 1988 BAFTA Fellowship British Academy Television Awards 1980Best Actor Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 1983 Smiley's People 1986 Monsignor Quixote
Emmy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 1960 Outstanding Single Performance by an Actor Startime: The Wicked Scheme of Jebal Deeks 1983 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Special Smiley's People
Golden Globe Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1957 Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama The Bridge on the River Kwai 1977Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Star Wars 1988 Little Dorrit
Laurence Olivier Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1977Actor of the Year in a New Play The Old Country 1988 A Walk in the Woods Society of London Theatre Special Award
Tony Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1964 Best Actor in a Play Dylan
Grammy Awards Year Category Nominated work Result 1965 Best Documentary, Spoken Word or Drama Recording (other than comedy) Dylan https://www.grammy.com/artists/alec-guinness/8981 1966 Best Spoken Word or Drama Recording A Personal Choice
Miscellaneous awards Organizations Year Category Nominated work Result Broadcasting Press Guild 1980 Best Actor Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Drama League Award 1964 Distinguished Performance Dylan Evening Standard Theatre Awards 1960 Best Actor Ross Evening Standard British Film Awards 1978 Best Actor Star Wars 1994 Special Award Kansas City Film Critics Circle 1968 Best Supporting Actor The Comedians Laurel Awards 1958 Top Male Dramatic PerformanceThe Bridge on the River Kwai 1959 Top Male Comedy Performance The Horse's Mouth Los Angeles Film Critics Association 1988 Best Supporting Actor Little Dorrit Nastro d'Argento 1951 Best Foreign Actor The Lavender Hill Mob National Board of Review 1950 Best Actor Kind Hearts and Coronets 1958 Best Actor The Bridge on the River Kwai National Society of Film Critics 1988 Best Supporting Actor Little Dorrit New York Film Critics Circle 1950 Best ActorKind Hearts and Coronets 1958 Best Actor The Bridge on the River Kwai 1959 Best Actor The Horse's Mouth 1988 Best Supporting Actor Little Dorrit Sant Jordi Awards 1956 Best Foreign Actor The Prisoner 1958 Best Foreign Actor The Bridge on the River Kwai 1959 Best Foreign Actor The Horse's Mouth Saturn Awards 1978 Best Supporting Actor Star Wars Venice International Film Festival 1958 Volpi Cup for Best Actor The Horse's Mouth New Cinema Award 1960 New Cinema Award Tunes of Glory
Honorary awards Organization Year Honor Result Queen Elizabeth II 1959 Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Hollywood Walk of Fame 1960 Motion Picture Star Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 1980 Academy Honorary Award Film Society at Lincoln Center 1987 Chaplin Gala Tribute Laurence Olivier Awards 1988 Society of London Theatre Special Award Berlin International Film Festival 1988 Honorary Golden Bear British Academy of Film and Television Arts 1989 BAFTA Fellowship British Film Institute 1991 BFI Fellowship
References
External links