Sir Alec Guinness, who died on 5 August, 2000, at the age of 86, was the last surviving member of a great generation of British actors.

In a career that spanned 60 years, Sir Alec made his name alongside such distinguished stars as Sir Laurence Olivier , Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson.

A double Academy Award winner, he will be remembered for roles in films such as 'The Bridge on the River Kwai ', 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Star Wars'.

Alec Guinness de Cuffe was born on 2 April, 1914, in Marylebone, London. Despite harbouring acting aspirations, Sir Alec began working as a copywriter for an advertising firm at the age of 18.

His passion for acting got the better of him though, and he won a scholarship at the Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art in 1933, debuting at the London theatre a year later in the play 'Libel! '.

After joining the 'Old Vic' Theatre, Sir Alec was provided with his first major role by Sir John Gielgud, when he was offered the role of Osric in a production of ‘Hamlet’.

Just as his acting career was beginning to gather pace the Second World War began. Sir Alec served in the Royal Navy during the conflict and was commissioned in 1942.

At the end of the war Sir Alec returned to the 'Old Vic', but before long he had caught the attention of major film studios. Roles in 'Great Expectations' (1946) and 'Oliver Twist' (1948) followed, before he began a very successful association with the Ealing Studios.

Roles in 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' (1949) - in which he played eight different characters - 'The Lavender Hill Mob' (1951), 'The Man in the White Suit' (1951) and 'The Ladykillers ' (1955) increased his reputation further.

It was his performance as Colonel Nicholson in 1957's 'The Bridge on the River Kwai ' that gained Sir Alec his most unprecedented acclaim, winning him the Oscar for Best Actor at that year's Academy Awards, whilst also leading to his Knighthood in 1959.

Further impressive performances followed, as Sir Alec consolidated his status as one of Britain's greatest actors in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) and ‘Hitler: The Last Ten Days’ (1973).

He then opened himself up to a younger generation in 1977 when he appeared as Obi-Wan Kenobi in ‘Star Wars’. Sir Alec did not enjoy the attention he received as a result of the film though, despite having agreed to a two per cent cut of its profits as payment, which made him an extremely rich man.

A second Academy Award arrived in 1980, when he was awarded an honorary Oscar for what the Academy described as “advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances”.

Despite his success Sir Alec remained an extremely elusive character, seen by many as something of an enigma. Devoutly Roman Catholic, he valued his faith, family and friends above all else and once claimed that his idea of heaven was to “sit on the terrace on a summer's evening, enjoy a drink with one or two close friends and listen to the silence”.

Sir Alec died from liver cancer at Midhurst in West Sussex. He had been receiving hospital treatment for glaucoma, and had been diagnosed with prostate cancer weeks before. He was survived by his wife, Merula, and son Matthew.