Alec Guinness's performances in films such as Oliver Twist, Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Bridge on the River Kwai, as well as in countless plays and television dramas, have ensured his position as one of the greatest actors of the post-war world. Published in the year of his 80th birthday, this full-scale biography of Guinness delves into his complex and enigmatic personality, and traces the formative events in his life. Drawing on interviews with scores of friends and colleagues, Garry O'Connor probes the nature of the actor's remarkable talent and closely relates the man to the roles he played, providing a penetrating analysis of Guinness's long and distinguished career.