from Wookieepedia:
Sir Alec Guinness (2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy.
He was born in England of Agnes Cuffe and an unknown father. His mother married a mentally ill soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. In 1938, he married actress Merula Salaman and had a son, Matthew Guinness, in 1940.
During World War II, he served the British Navy and became a commissioned officer in 1942. During his service, he thought of becoming an Anglican Priest but returned to acting after performing in Flare Path by Terence Rattigan during the war. He returned to England in 1946.
Besides his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Guinness won acclaim for many roles in live theater, on television, and in film, including his Academy Award-winning role as Lt. Col. Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He was honored with a knighthood in 1959, and an Academy Honorary Award in 1980.
In 1973, he had a role as Adolf Hitler in Hitler: The Last Ten Days, which also starred Star Wars actors Julian Glover and Kenneth Colley, and he had a prominent role in Lawrence of Arabia as Prince Feisal. Other memorable films in which he performed include Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Doctor Zhivago, and Kafka..
He died on August 5, 2000, of liver cancer at the age of 86 and was buried in Petersfield, Hampshire, England.
