Sir Alec Guinness dead at 86

Aug 06, 2000 by Ian Evans

Sir Alec Guinness, the British actor whose career spanned more than 60 years, died in hospital at the age of 86.

Guinness, who has had a variety of health problems in the last few years, fell ill and was rushed to the hospital last Thursday. Doctors have not yet disclosed the cause of death.

Though a younger generation may know Sir Alec best for his role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, his career covered a variety of fantastic roles.

He won an Oscar® for his portrayal of Colonel Nicholson in 1957’s The Bridge on the River Kwai. He received an honorary Oscar® in 1980 and was also nominated four other times, the last in 1989 for Little Dorrit.

He also appeared in such classics as Oliver Twist, Kind Hearts and Coronets (where he played eight roles), The Lavender Hill Mob, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and the TV mini-series Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.