Talking Pictures: Alec Guinness

A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Alec Guinness, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.
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[@melissaking6019]

Sir Alec had the most rich, full-bodied, resonantly beautiful voice. I could listen to him for days.

[@beatrizbecker3728]

English actors are the best with their voices. Kenneth Branagh, Jeremy Irons, Timothy Dalton, the list is endless. They just learn to make the most of everything they've got.

[@patavinity1262]

He seems like such pleasant company

[@DarrenBonJovi]

His voice was like warm caramel.

[@Poever]

He has the cadence of a wizened Jedi master

[@FuturamaFiz]

I could listen to him for hours 😊

[@dalebaker9109]

I liked him. He was always, a welcome presence in any movie, which he graced.

[@oscarwilde5473]

Dale Baker ... yes, for he surely knew how to punctuate his dialogue ... 🤗 ...

[@degsbabe]

People should read his marvellous books. Great insight into his life and work.

[@MariaTorres-hc5uq]

Thank you Argonaut for providing such a Golden Fleece! Best regards from Lisbon Portugal.

[@steeleye2112]

There are some people who give the impression they know some secret to life and/or the universe and when they speak you can't help but feel they find the whole of existence ever so slightly amusing. I am struck by this in every interview Guinness ever gave, I find listening to him utterly transfixing.

[@smcfall3]

I agree, in fact I was just thinking the same thing.

[@Hereford567]

I concur

[@borassictime918]

A simply wonderful actor with such depth and breath of talent that in each role he played you could be forgiven for not realising it was him! Genius is an over-used word, but in Sir Alec’s case it certainly applied 100%.

[@angelacarleton9575]

I really enjoy British Actors there's no pretending to be something they are not. Their disciplined to Shakespeare and performance makes you feel in "awe" to them. Especially Alec Guinness is special to me - I don't know why except he enhances all films he's in. Love him for that!

[@marcziegenhain8420]

May the force be with you, Obi-Wan.

[@lliamjurdom9505]

A terribly humble creature was our Alec ....

[@IndigENous-uk3si]

He comes across as honest & real! Admire him! His humility oozes out!

[@DMEB]

Guinness as smiley. Perfection.

[@francisdrake6622]

Indeed.

[@howardchambers9679]

The film adaptation was awful. I read the book before I saw the tv series and Sir Alec played Smiley to perfection, exactly as my mind's eye saw him in the book.

[@DMEB]

@@howardchambers9679 100% agreed. The film had a great cast and I think Gary Oldman made an effort, but they butchered it. Wasted opportunity. Could have made a great mini series with the talent involved. I was rather fond of Cathy Burke as connie though. Mind you I always enjoy her in anything so I'm a little biased.

[@howardchambers9679]

@@DMEB Cathy Burke was an inspired casting, she obviously studied Beryl Read's performance and delivered. Gary Oldman as you say made a good effort but there were so many gaps he was hindered. When they entered Control's flat, there was no explanation (so far as I remember) for the chess pieces with "tinker, Taylor, soldier" taped to them. If you hadn't read the book, you'd have been mystified. And Haydon had his neck broken, not shot with a sniper rifle.

[@howardchambers9679]

As for Percy Alleline. That large bluff man that became a short snidey little man. I'm going to stop now, I have to be careful of my blood pressure!

[@bluetoad2001]

you are right about Alec’s voice. he was perfect in “Lawrence of Arabia”.

[@shirleysavitts9647]

When I came across the movie, Alec Guinness in Lavender Hill Mob I got it and took it home to watch. I had never see Sir Alec in such a role and spent time on the phone telling everyone to get it watch it or get it on KZbin if possible. So funny a character unusual from his other roles. Now his description of the animals and acting it out had me laughing ..cause he read the animals correct. Thank you for posting this.SO interesting..as usual with Sir Alec

[@mikekennedy5470]

And... 2 1/4 % of star wars made life for this man so very comfortable never again did he think let alone worry about money . such a nice man he deserved every dollar..

[@sunthimble]

eloquent as all can be

[@Glinkaism1]

My very favorite was "Man in the White Suit." It inspired me to go into some fiction writing and moviemaking.

[@Glinkaism1]

He said it at 2:32 for me! :)

[@Glinkaism1]

S000 much to write. So little time.

[@Glinkaism1]

And the days grow short when you reach September.

[@limchinpau6044]

Roger Wilco

[@seihavann]

+Seiha Vann P

[@monjiaitaly]

Lovely man, incredible actor.

[@bigshort9296]

The James Dean story is spooky and makes you think

[@fredprice2616]

greatness

[@jamesdrynan]

A great actor! That is one VERY spooky story about James Dean. Regarding his role in Star Wars, he ultimately received almost 75 million dollars due to his percentage of the gross sales.

[@dadodydo]

An extraordinary man, with an extraordinary acting talent The kind of talent and humaneness we will never see again.

[@fritula6200]

Correct.

[@fellowcitizen]

"I'm happier when I'm REHEARSING..." Are you listening producers? ❤

[@bluetoad2001]

i like the way he holds his head and closes his eyes when he is expounding

[@neil2550]

Absolutely fantastic, what a life

[@valentinamaggie1253]

Grazie Sir Alec Guinness!

[@paulpurves484]

Superb actor in my top three of all time

[@wenjingshao1673]

really thank you

[@pattysherwood7091]

I adore the little boy of this version of Oliver Twist.

[@tomaszhoff8933]

He is from a more civilized age !

[@alexdavies1662]

The best documentary about Alec Guinness would be the one called "The Secret Man." The documentary runs parallel with the authorised biography of him.

[@fritula6200]

The GREAT PRETENDED !! The GREAT ACTOR !!

[@francisdrake6622]

NICE SUIT. I love that suit.

[@dabedwards]

Tut tut! Bridge ON the River Kwai (not over)

[@davidhinzmann]

I scrolled down the comments section just to find the one that pointed the mistake out :D

[@dabedwards]

@@davidhinzmann Add it to the list of popular misquotes! Along with: HAMLET: "I knew him well, Horatio" MILTON: "Fresh fields and pastures new" CASABLANCA: "Play it again, Sam"

[@JayArgonaut]

De nada, el gusto es mio. :)

[@celticsaga]

Alec Guinness had lovely voice, accent, and mannerisms. Many old school British actors are like that: Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons, Anthony Hopkins. Their voice are very soothing to calm oneself down when one is stuck in a stressful traffic jam. Them and David Attenborough's narration of planet earth. While the only American actor's voice that can do the same thing is only Morgan Freeman :D

[@ivonahora]

Not disagreeing with your premise, but the Americans also have/had Bryan Cranston, Keith David, Chris Judge, Carrie Fisher (who was admittedly a bit of an Anglophile in her younger years)

[@c.s3369]

He's like if Alan watts was an actor 😌🎥

I wish I could speak such RP!

[@knightwarrioranimations9656]

0:54 Obi-Wan Kenobi robes

[@francisdrake6622]

..which is why my father made this war upon the Turks. My father, Mr. Lawrence, not the English. Now my father is old. And I, I long for the vanished gardens of Cordova. However, before the gardens must come fighting.

[@user-rh5is4wk8h]

Ben

[@user-rh5is4wk8h]

Ben kenobi

[@deriter64]

Guiness didn't like Star Wars. I've always thought that the producers of Star Wars went after him because the prestige of his name would let adult audiences know the movie wasn't another throw away sci fi. I enjoyed him in SW and I'm glad, I guess, that he made a fortune but when I think of Sir Alec it's always the Horses Mouth or Tunes of Glory I remember.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

If it worked for Superman with Marlon Brando, then why not?

[@spockboy]

Guiness' presence gave Star Wars much more cache from an acting perspective. His chief complaint was what he referred to as "ropey dialogue" :)

[@stanthology]

Horses Mouth

[@jamesmalone9076]

He did not like the film but i bet he loved the money

[@Da1Dez]

I have to disagree with that, I'm sure he liked it and was pleased with the film, but bare in mind it was the first film to spawn a colossal amount of merchandise and following which must have overwhelmed him as a reserved actor, so he possibly wanted to distance himself from that aspect and stay to his job as purely the dramatic actor and the fans probably got to him a bit for only identifying him as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

[@thefactsoflife1093]

Thank you Alec for everything! Here’s a little something for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGTUn6Krnqt3oLM

[@Ingens_Scherz]

A sort of modernist Pip. Ironic, I suppose - career-wise.

[@kapullas]

Jamessir Bensonmum

[@user-df2ml4ro9v]

Deute. 18:10-14,

[@edmondscott7444]

Remove music accompaniment from ladies intro please.

[@johnny12022]

Most TV documentaries and interviews from this era look terrible and sound terrible. That first one one looks terrible and sounds amazing, as if they splurged on the hi-res audio equipment because of his voice haha

[@seihavann]

រឿង​ សិចអាមេរេចកាំង

[@seihavann]

រឿង​ សិច

[@seihavann]

រឿង​ សិច

[@seihavann]

+Seiha Vann P

[@setya5932]

Seiha Vann