The venerable actor, whose career spanned 66 years and included a Best Actor Oscar for Kwai, had taken ill on Thursday at his home in Hampshire and was rushed to nearby King Edward VII Hospital in West Sussex. Although the hospital would not confirm the cause of death, several British media outlets say the iconic thespian had succumbed to liver cancer.
"He was one of the most talented and respected actors of his generation and brought an amazing range and versatility to his work," said Star Wars creator George Lucas.
A tall man with striking blue eyes and a distinctive baritone voice, Guinness was the last of Britain's World War II crop of great actors, on equal footing with Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud.
Guinness first found success on the big screen in the 1946 adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, directed by Sir David Lean. Two years later, he was barely recognizable under heavy makeup as the villainous Fagin in Lean's Oliver Twist.
But it was Guinness' work in comedies that really showed his versatility. In the late '40s and '50s, the actor made a string of hits for Britain's Ealing Studios, including The Man in the White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers and the classic black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, in which he played the entire d'Ascoyne family, young and old, male and female--eight roles in all.
His star turn in Lean's 1957 World War II epic The Bridge on the River Kwai as the whistling POW officer who refuses to crack earned him both an Oscar and a knighthood.
Guinness continued a partnership with Lean throughout the rest of the actor's career, appearing in Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago and finally in A Passage to India in 1984.
For the typically humble Guinness, who for years detested stardom, a seemingly throwaway role in a science-fiction film by a little-known director in 1977 turned out to be a curse. It was a small film you might have heard of--something called Star Wars.
Lucas said he cast Guinness as the Force-teaching, Luke Skywalker-mentoring Kenobi because the actor "brought a certain authority to the role. Someone who was powerful yet gentle, and that came across in Alec as a person and as an actor."
The role earned Guinness a Best Supporting Actor nomination and the adoration of a new generation of fans--something he wasn't particularly happy about. Speaking about his role as aging Jedi knight Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi , Guinness once told a British magazine that he had persuaded Lucas to kill off his character so he wouldn't have to say "those bloody awful lines."
"I'd had enough of the mumbo jumbo," he said, explaining how he insisted that Lucas have Kenobi slain by Darth Vader. "I shrivel up every time someone mentions Star Wars to me." Nevertheless, Guinness continued to play the role as a ghost in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
Guinness, who won an honorary Oscar in 1980 for "advancing the art of acting," announced his retirement following his Academy Award-nominated turn (his last of five Oscar nods) in 1988's Little Dorrit, saying he could no longer memorize his lines. Six years later, however, he returned to the small screen for the Masterpiece Theater production of A Foreign Field, playing an ailing, memory-challenged British vet. In 1996 he appeared in the British-produced TV movie Interview Day. It was his final role.
Born April 2, 1914, Guinness was an illegitimate child who grew up never knowing his father, although the man did pay for the boy's childhood education. Guinness took to the thespian life early, earning admission to the Fay Compton School of Acting in his youth. It was there that he met Gielgud, who was judging an acting competition. Gielgud awarded Guinness the top prize and later gave him his big break by casting him in his 1934 production of Hamlet.
He returned to the stage throughout his storied career, winning a Tony Award for his portrayal of poet Dylan Thomas in the Broadway production of Dylan.
Guinness is survived by his wife of 50-plus years, Merula Salaman, and their son, Matthew. Funeral arrangements are pending. Per Hollywood tradition, flowers have been placed on Guinness' Walk of Fame star.