Alec Guinness de Cuffe was born on 2 April 1914, in Marylebone, London, England, to mother Agnes Cuffe. He was an English actor, probably best known for his roles in films such as “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, “Dr. Zhivago”, “Hitler: The Last Ten Days” and “Star Wars”. He passed away from liver cancer in 2000.
A famous actor, how wealthy was Alec Guinness? Sources state that Guinness had established a net worth of over $100 million, acquired during his long career as an actor, and also through sales of his autobiographies.
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Alec Guinness Net Worth $100 Million
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Guinness was raised by his mother in Maida Vale north London – his father’s identity is unknown. He attended a public school at Fettes College, his education being paid by a Scottish banker Andrew Geddes, whom Guinness believed was his father. His mother later married a British soldier, but the marriage didn’t last long. Upon matriculating in 1932, Guinness worked as an apprentice copywriter in a local ad company, but then received a scholarship to the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, and made his stage debut in 1934 with “Queer Cargo”. He played classic roles at the Old Vic theater from 1936, appearing in various major stage productions such as “Hamlet”, “Thunder Rock”, “Richard II”, “The Merchant of Venice”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Twelfth Night”, “Henry V”, “The Tempest” and many others, before enlisting in the Royal Navy with the beginning of World War II. During this time, he appeared in the Broadway production of “Flare Path”.
As the war ended, Guinness returned to the Old Vic and performed in “The Alchemist”, “King Lear”, “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “Richard II”, and went on to appear in “An Inspector Calls”, “The Cocktail Party”, “Hamlet” and “Richard III”. His performance in “Dylan” earned him a Tony Award. Guinness’ last performance in theater was the 1989 play “A Walk in the Woods”. His numerous stage performances greatly added to his net worth.
Guinness made his film debut with David Lean’s 1946 film “Great Expectations”, in which he played Herbert Pocket. In 1948 he took the role of Fagin in Lean’s “Oliver Twist” and the following year he played a total of eight characters, including women, in the film “Kind Hearts and Coronets”. Paving his way to stardom, the actor went on to appear in ’50s films such as “The Lavender Hill Mob”, “The Ladykillers”, “The Swan”, “The Card” and “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, another film by Lean, for which Guinness won a Best Actor Oscar and a Golden Globe. The following year he was nominated for Oscar as a screenwriter for the satirical film “The Horse’s Mouth”. Several other roles followed, and Guinness established himself as a recognized figure in the film industry. His collaboration with Lean continued through the 60s, with his roles as Prince Faisal in “Lawrence of Arabia”, Bolshevik leader General Yevgraf Zhivago in “Doctor Zhivago” and later as Professor Godbole in “A Passage to India”, all acclaimed and adding considerably to his net worth.
One of Guinness’ best performances was his title role in the ’70s film “Hitler: The Last Ten Days”. During this time, he also appeared in the television series “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “Smiley’s People”, roles which brought him two British Academy Television Awards for Best Actor. However, Guinness is perhaps best known at that time for his role as Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi in the 1977 film “Star Wars”; the film became a worldwide sensation and a massive success at the box office, with Guinness earned recognition from at least two generations of audience, and also a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to appear in the film’s equally successful sequels in the early 80s, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi”. With his portrayal of the Jedi knight, Guinness’ net worth was significantly boosted.
Aside from his acting career, Guinness wrote three volumes of autobiography, the 1985 “Blessings in Disguise”, the 1996 “My Name Escapes Me” and the 1999 “A Positively Final Appearance”. All three books were best-sellers that improved Guinness’ fortune.
The actor had won numerous other awards and honors, such as Golden Globe, Oscar, Tony and BAFTA awards. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to arts and received his Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
In his private life, Guinness was married to artist, playwright and actress Merula Sylvia Salaman from 1938 until his death from liver cancer in 2000 in West Sussex. Their son is actor Matthew Guinness.
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