His films included Oliver Twist, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man in The White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Our Man in Havana, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, Star Wars, Passage to India and Little Dorrit.
This documentary will look at a career that started in 1934 with a performance in the Playhouse Theatre. Guinness made the transition from Shakespearean theatre to the silver screen with ease. Although he won an Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai, he is perhaps best known for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars – a role he had a love/hate relationship with.
This story will be told by family and friends who knew and worked with him, with contributions from his peers. Guinness’s own words will also be used to tell his story with archive interviews and voice recordings of his autobiography.
Contributors include: Joanna McCallum, Piers Paul Read, Dame Sian Philips, Madeline Smith, Richard Goodwin, Vernon Dobthceff, Christine Edzard, Michael Jayston, Julian Glover, Simon Callow, Sally Guinness, Olivier Stockman, Miriam Margolyes, Prof Charles Barr.
"A personal, old-school feel to this rounded profile."
DAILY MAIL
"A densely packed biography of the master actor."
THE GUARDIAN
"Splendid."
THE TIMES
"Warm contributors and good anecdotes."
RADIO TIMES
"A rewarding dive into one of the great acting careers."
RADIO TIMES