Alec Guinness: A Life

A definitive, revealing biography of actor Alec Guinness, whose career spanned much of the twentieth century. He appeared in seventy-seven films and fifty-five plays, acclaimed for such roles as Professor Marcus in The Lady Killers, Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars and George Smiley in le Carré’s Smiley’s People. He was an astonishingly gifted actor who became a British national treasure, familiar to many. Yet Guinness was a complex, thoughtful man, careful throughout his life to reveal little of the real self beneath the roles he assumed. He died with much of the truth still submerged. Garry O’Connor’s timely biography gives us the full story, including revelations on Guinness’s childhood, his secret relationships and the fears that haunted him throughout his life. Backed by O’Connor’s usual meticulous research, including interviews with Guinness himself and those close to him, this riveting account fills in the gaps, adding a new depth to our understanding not just of Guinness’s life but of his remarkable acting talent.