Guinness on Tap
Ten — or is it 17? — of the most memorable faces of Sir Alec:
Oliver Twist (1948)
Guinness' full-bodied playing of Fagin made
him a sensation in Britain — and got the film censored for
perceived anti-Semitism in the U.S.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Dennis Price has to murder eight
of his twitty noble relations to win a dukedom. Luckily for
audiences, all eight (male and female) are played by Guinness.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
''Call me 'Dutch,''' insists the meek
bank clerk overseeing a million-pound gold-bullion heist.
Guinness creates a devilishly funny study in bourgeois greed.
The Ladykillers (1955)
More comic larceny from Ealing Studios,
with the star resorting to goofy teeth as the ringleader of a
gang foiled by a little old lady.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Bogart and Olivier were
considered for the part of stiff-upper-lip WWII POW Col.
Nicholson, but only Guinness could have made the man so
maddening and so moving.
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
In addition to starring as obnoxious
artist Gully Jimson, Guinness adapted the script for this
too-little-seen comedy — and was Oscar nominated for doing so.
Tunes of Glory (1960)
A shockingly extroverted role — as the
boozing, blustery, macho commander of a Scottish Highland
regiment — this was also Sir Alec's personal favorite.
Star Wars (1977)
''He did everything with a natural grace,'' recalls actress Carrie Fisher. ''He wore his Obi-Wan outfit as if
it were a tuxedo. While the rest of us were sitting on the set,
it was as if he were sitting on the deck of a yacht.'' In other
words, Guinness brought the class necessary to help make a
comic-book flick into something far grander.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979)
Guinness' masterful
portrayal of George Smiley — a retired Cold Warrior pulled back
into the spy game — anchors this brilliant five-hour BBC
miniseries based on the John le Carre novel. (A sequel, Smiley's People, followed in 1981.)
Little Dorrit (1988)
His film career began with a Dickens
adaptation, so it's fitting that Guinness' last major
performance was as the title heroine's vainglorious father in
this sooty two-part epic.
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