Sir Alec Guinness Dies at 86 The end of an era for stage and screen

Sir Alec Guinness, the elegant and amazingly talented British actor, died yesterday at a hospital in West Sussex, England, at the age of 86. He will be remembered by older audiences for films such as ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ and by the younger generation for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in ‘Star Wars’. 

(1) ………..… Unlike many stars who always seem to appear as the same type of character, he was able to adapt to all kinds of roles and gained a reputation as ‘an actor who makes you forget that he is acting’.

Guinness was born in London on 2nd of April, 1914, to an unmarried mother, but he never allowed his background to stand in the way of his career. (2) ………..….

After finishing school in 1932, Guinness went to work as a clerk at a London advertising agency. However, even then, he knew he wanted to work on the stage. (3) ………..….

In spite of this, young Alec managed to get into the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art, where he studied acting for seven months. During this period, he won his first major acting prize, in a competition where John Gielgud, another famous British actor, was one of the judges. (4) ………..….

Between then and 1941, when he joined the Royal Navy, Guinness gained a lot of experience in the theatre and played 34 parts in 23 plays by great writers such as Shakespeare, Chekhov and Shaw. His career as an actor in films really began to take off after the Second World War. (5) ………..….

He won an Academy Award for this performance. Getting the Oscar put him in the same class as famous actors and actresses such as Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando and Bette Davis. (6) ………..…. He was now Sir Alec Guinness.

Guinness rarely appeared on television, but when he did, he always delighted his audiences. (7) ………..…. Although Guinness made a name for himself in the theatre, on television and the big screen, it was his film performances which rocketed him to stardom around the world. This legendary actor will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all.

Adapted from the Bebusinessed website