Quotes from Alec Guinness

A superb tenor voice, like a silver trumpet muffled in silk.

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.

I don't know what else I could do but pretend to be an actor.

The point of a knighthood for British actors is to enable them to play butlers.

I neither suffer myself, nor other fools, gladly.

I'm afraid I was a little abrupt recently with a producer who sent me a screenplay. It was rubbish, really. I sent it back with a polite rejection. Then he came back with the plea that 'we tailored it just for you.' I replied simply, 'But no one came to take the measurements.

The Times reports I've made £4.5 million in the last year (from my Star Wars income). Where do they get such nonsense?

The Times reports I've made £4.5 million in the past year (from my Star Wars income). Where do they get such nonsense?

Essentially, I'm a small-part actor who's been lucky enough to play leading roles for most of his life.

Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn't need one.

Who is more foolish? The fool or the fool that follows it?

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.

Acting is happy agony.

The applause of all but very good men is no more than the precise measure of their possible hostility.