- guardian.co.uk, Monday 7 August 2000 11.53 BST
The star of films such as the Bridge Over the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, he died on Saturday evening at the King Edward VII Hospital, in Midhurst, West Sussex, after taking ill at his home on Thursday. His death was not announced until early today.
A spokesman for the hospital said Sir Alec had died "very peacefully". He would not identify the cause of death, but Sir Alec had been in poor health for a number of years.
Sir Alec's acting career spanned 60-years and ranged from Shakespearian classics to Ealing comedies, and his acclaimed television portrayal of the spymaster Smiley.
In 1959 he won an Oscar for his role as the colonel in the classic Bridge Over the River Kwai, a role which also led to his knighthood the same year.
The younger generation will remember him for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas' 1977 film Star Wars.
Despite the phenomenal success of the film it was a role that the veteran actor despised saying he threw all the fan mail away unopened.
The son of a banker, he always wanted to be an actor as a boy and often walked three miles from his home in Bayswater, central London, to the Old Vic to spend his pocket money on watching performances there.
He married the playwright Merula Salaman in 1938, and had one son, Matthew.
Related articles
•
Obituary
• 'The shy introvert who shone on stage and screen'
• Picture gallery
