Alec Guinness Professions : Actor Born : April 2, 1914 Died : August 5, 2000 Browse All Authors Top 21 quotes by Alec Guinness An actor is at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents. Alec Guinness theatre heaven two Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one. Alec Guinness explanation thousand needs An actor is totally vulnerable. His total personality is exposed to critical judgment - his intellect, his bearing, his diction, his whole appearance. In short, his ego. Alec Guinness ego acting personality We live in an age of apologies. Apologies, fake or true, are expected from the descendants of empire builders, slave owners and persecutors of heretics, and from men who -in our eyes- just got it all wrong. So, with the age of 85 coming up shortly, I want to make an apology. It appears I must apologize for being male, white, and European. Alec Guinness apology eye men I don't know what else I could do but pretend to be an actor. Alec Guinness actors knows All creative people hate mathematics. It's the most uncreative subject you can study. Alec Guinness hate creative people A person who is keen to shake your hand usually has something up his sleeve. Alec Guinness sleeves motive hands There seems to be no end to the senseless wickedness done on this little planet in a minor solar system, and we puny mortals appear to be decreasing in importance so far as the universe is concerned. Alec Guinness wickedness done littles An Actor is an interpreter of other men's words, often a soul which wishes to reveal itself to the world but dare not, a craftsman, a bag of tricks, a vanity bag, a cool observer of mankind, a child and at his best a kind of unfrocked priest who, for an hour or two, can call on heaven and hell to mesmerize a group of innocents. Alec Guinness vanity men children I never knew how good it is to be unknown until now. The last time I was unknown I was too busy trying to become known to realize the advantages of obscurity. Alec Guinness obscurity lasts trying The applause of all but very good men is no more than the precise measure of their possible hostility. Alec Guinness applause good-man men I shrivel up every time someone mentions Star Wars to me. Alec Guinness stars war Essentially, I'm a small-part actor who's been lucky enough to play leading roles for most of his life. Alec Guinness roles lucky play A superb tenor voice, like a silver trumpet muffled in silk. Alec Guinness trumpets silver voice Best performance of the year: Aston Villa v. Milan, September 1994 Alec Guinness villa theatre years Much of the day I have busied myself making notes on the small parts in Shakespeare, often nameless, which are rewarding to the actor if only he'll not dismiss them as beneath his dignity. If I can work it up into a talk I might call it, 'Only a cough and a spit ' -the phrase so often used by actors to explain away a lack of opportunity. Alec Guinness theatre actors opportunity Young men make wars, and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage, and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution. Alec Guinness vices men war Styling is designing for obsolescence. Alec Guinness obsolescence design That's no moon. It's a space station. Alec Guinness stations space moon My contribution to film has always been negligible. Alec Guinness contribution film Similar Authors Ian Mckellen actor Adhir Kalyan actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje actor Bert Lahr actor Alan Arkin actor Alan Alda actor All Authors
