This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

List of Alec Guinness Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
33
4
Kind Hearts and Coronets
33
4
Role:
The D'Ascoyne Family: The Duke / The Banker / The Parson / The General / The Admiral / Young Ascoyne / Young Henry / Lady Agatha
Starring:
Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Audrey Fildes
Directed By:
Robert Hamer
2. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
44
6
The Bridge on the River Kwai
44
6

After Japanese commandant Colonel Saito orders British POWs to build a railway bridge over the River Kwai, senior British officer Colonel Nicholson initially opposes illegal use of prisoners but later convinces fellow soldiers against delay-tactics in order to prove British superiority. Meanwhile, escaped US commander Shears is forced to join a four-man commando mission to destroy the bridge.

Role:
Colonel Nicholson
Starring:
William Holden, Sessue Hayakawa, Jack Hawkins, James Donald
Directed By:
Awards:
Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Drama, BAFTA Award for Best British Actor
3. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
42
6
Lawrence of Arabia
PG
42
6

The movie is based on the life of T.E. Lawrence who was sent to Arabia to aide Prince Faisal. He becomes a liaison between the British and the Arabs who are fighting the Turks. His daring victories against the Turks makes Lawrence the hero, but his own exploits weigh heavily on his soul. 

Role:
Prince Feisal
Directed By:
4. Tunes of Glory (1960)
21
3
Tunes of Glory
21
3
Role:
Major Jock Sinclair, D.S.O., M.M.
Starring:
Sir John Mills, John Mills, Dennis Price, Kay Walsh, John Fraser
Directed By:
Ronald Neame
5. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
102
19
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
PG
102
19

Fleeing from a brutal imperial attack on the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker and his R2-D2 crash-lands on Dagobah, where he trains under Master Yoda. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Princess Leia flee to Bespin, where they are captured by Darth Vader as baits to eventually lure in Luke, whom he plans to seduce to the dark side.

Directed By:
Irvin Kershner
6. The Ladykillers (1955)
35
5
The Ladykillers
35
5

The Ladykillers is a black comedy crime film which tells the story of five criminals who rent rooms in an elderly widow’s home and plan and execute a bank robbery. However, when the widow discovers that they have committed a robbery, they decide that one of them needs to kill and silence her.

Role:
Professor Marcus
Starring:
Peter Sellers, Herbert Lom, Cecil Parker, Danny Green
Directed By:
Alexander Mackendrick
7. Oliver Twist (1948)
17
3
Oliver Twist
17
3

Based on the popular novel by Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist is a drama film which tells the story of an orphaned boy, and his involvement with various criminals in his search of a true home.

Role:
Fagin
Starring:
Anthony Newley, John Howard Davies, Robert Newton, Kay Walsh, Francis L. Sullivan
Directed By:
8. Star Wars (1977)
99
18
Star Wars
PG
99
18

Captured by the diabolical Darth Vader, resistance leader Princess Leia sends two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, with the blueprint of planet-destroying Death Star to Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He trains simple moisture farmer Luke Skywalker, who teams up with smuggler Han Solo, his first mate Chewbacca, and the two robots, and embarks on an epic rebel mission.

Role:
Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi
Starring:
Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Cushing
Directed By:
9. Scrooge (1970)
18
5
Scrooge
G
18
5

Scrooge is a musical film which revolves around Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter money-lender, who does not share the merriment of Christmas, unlike all people around him. He exploits his employees and even treats his own nephew and acquaintances bitterly. His life takes a turn when he is visited by the doomed ghost of his former partner, who tells him that he would be visited by three spirits on Christmas.

Starring:
Albert Finney, Edith Evans, Kenneth More, Laurence Naismith
Directed By:
Ronald Neame
10. The Gift of Friendship (1974)
9
2
The Gift of Friendship
9
2
Role:
Jocelyn Broome
Starring:
Sarah Badel, Michael Gough, Leueen MacGrath, John Rolfe
Directed By:
Mike Newell
11. The Captain's Paradise (1953)
19
5
The Captain's Paradise
19
5
Role:
Captain Henry St. James
Starring:
Yvonne De Carlo, Celia Johnson, Charles Goldner, Miles Malleson
Directed By:
Anthony Kimmins
12. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
73
18
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
PG
73
18

The conclusion film of the original Star Wars trilogy, the movie sees the rebel heroes undertake a risky mission to save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt before launching an attack to destroy the powerful mobile space station, Death Star, and ultimately defeat the evil empire. 

Starring:
Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, Carrie Fisher, Frank Oz, Ian McDiarmid, Deep Roy, Mark Hamill
Directed By:
Richard Marquand
13. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
16
4
Doctor Zhivago
PG-13
16
4

The age-old tale of romance is set against the backdrop of World War I, the 1917 Russian revolution, and the Russian Civil War. Yuri Zhivago is in love with Lara, who ends up marrying Pasha Antipov. Zhivago marries Tonya. Years later, fate brings Yuri and Lara back together again only to cruelly tear them apart. 

Role:
Yevgraf
Starring:
Rod Steiger, Julie Christie, Klaus Kinski, Geraldine Chaplin, Omar Sharif
Directed By:
14. Great Expectations (1946)
10
3
Great Expectations
10
3

Philip is an orphan who lives with his older sister and her husband who is a blacksmith. He falls for Estella, a beautiful and cruel teenage girl. However, after some time, he is unable to meet her anymore as she leaves for France, and Philip begins his apprenticeship as a blacksmith. His life takes an interesting turn when a mysterious benefactor offers to transform him into a gentleman.   

Starring:
Sir John Mills, Jean Simmons, John Mills, Tony Wager, Valerie Hobson
Directed By:
15. Baker's Dozen (1955)
7
2
Baker's Dozen
7
2
Role:
The Major
Starring:
Robert Morley, Pamela Brown, Faith Brook
Directed By:
Desmond Davis
16. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
12
3
The Lavender Hill Mob
12
3

Henry is a meek bank clerk who is in charge of overseeing the shipments of gold. Along with his eccentric neighbor, he soon plans to steal gold bars, and smuggle them out of the country.

Role:
Holland
Starring:
Audrey Hepburn, Desmond Llewelyn, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James, Alfie Bass, Marjorie Fielding
Directed By:
Charles Crichton
17. Little Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
8
3
Little Lord Fauntleroy
8
3
Role:
Earl of Dorincourt
Starring:
Connie Booth, Patrick Stewart, Ricky Schroder, Eric Porter, Colin Blakely
Directed By:
Jack Gold
18. Murder by Death (1976)
12
3
Murder by Death
PG
12
3

Eccentric millionaire Lionel Twain invites five renowned private detectives to his castle for a ‘dinner and murder,’ and after sealing off his house, he challenges them to find the killer of a murder that will occur at midnight. He announces 1million for solving the case. Long before midnight, Twain’s blind butler, Bensonmum, is found dead. What is the mystery behind the tricky set-up?

Role:
Bensonmum
Starring:
David Niven, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, Elsa Lanchester, James Cromwell, Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan
Directed By:
Robert Moore
19. A Passage to India (1984)
10
3
A Passage to India
PG
10
3

A Passage to India is an adventure drama film which takes us to the 20th century when India was still under British rule. The film revolves around Adela Quested who is sailing from England to India, with Mrs Moore, the mother of her intended bridegroom. She soon gets acquainted with Dr Aziz, whom she later accuses of attempting to rape her.

Role:
Godbole
Starring:
Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft, James Fox
Directed By:
20. The Man in the White Suit (1951)
12
3
The Man in the White Suit
12
3

Gifted chemist Sidney Stratton, obsessed with the idea of inventing everlasting fiber, loses several jobs for demanding expensive research equipment. Finally he succeeds and develops a white suit out of fiber that doesn’t stain or wear off. Though initially heralded as a great inventor, soon mill-owners and workers, who realize the threat to their livelihood, try to suppress the inventor and his invention.

Role:
Sidney Stratton
Starring:
Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger
Directed By:
Alexander Mackendrick
21. Our Man in Havana (1959)
11
3
Our Man in Havana
11
3
Role:
Jim Wormold
Starring:
Burl Ives, Maureen O'Hara, Ernie Kovacs, Noël Coward
Directed By:
Carol Reed
22. The Horse's Mouth (1958)
11
4
The Horse's Mouth
11
4
Role:
Gulley Jimson
Starring:
Kay Walsh, Renee Houston, Mike Morgan, Robert Coote
Directed By:
Ronald Neame
23. The Card (1952)
7
3
The Card
7
3

The movie revolves around the life of Edward Henry Machin who uses his wits to advance in the society from a poor man to a Mayor, gaining the reputation of being a ‘card’. However, his machinations are put to test by his lover, Ruth Earp, and his true love for Nellie Cotterill. 

Role:
Edward Henry 'Denry' Machin
Starring:
Petula Clark, Glynis Johns, Valerie Hobson, Edward Chapman
Directed By:
Ronald Neame
24. Fratello sole, sorella luna (1972)
7
4
Fratello sole, sorella luna
PG
7
4
Starring:
Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Leigh Lawson, Kenneth Cranham
Directed By:
25. H.M.S. Defiant (1962)
9
3
H.M.S. Defiant
9
3
Role:
Captain Crawford
Starring:
Dirk Bogarde, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Richard Carpenter
Directed By:
Lewis Gilbert
26. Caesar and Cleopatra (1976)
6
4
Caesar and Cleopatra
6
4
Role:
Julius Caesar
Starring:
Geneviève Bujold, Margaret Courtenay, Iain Cuthbertson, Noel Willman
Directed By:
James Cellan Jones
27. The Mudlark (1950)
7
3
The Mudlark
7
3

Queen Victoria is in mourning for last fifteen years.  Meanwhile, a street urchin finds a piece of jewelry containing her image and learns that she is the “mother of all England”. Taking this to be true, he goes to Windsor Castle, where he slips past the guards; but is ultimately caught and taken as an assassin. Luckily, help comes from an unlikely place 

Role:
Benjamin Disraeli
Starring:
Irene Dunne, Andrew Ray, Beatrice Campbell, Finlay Currie
Directed By:
Jean Negulesco
28. Edwin (1984)
6
3
Edwin
6
3
Role:
Sir Fennimore Truscott
Starring:
Renée Asherson, Paul Rogers
Directed By:
Rodney Bennett
29. Cromwell (1970)
7
3
Cromwell
G
7
3
Role:
King Charles 'Stuart' I
Starring:
Richard Harris, Timothy Dalton, Robert Morley, Dorothy Tutin, Frank Finlay
Directed By:
Ken Hughes
30. A Majority of One (1961)
7
4
A Majority of One
7
4

Bertha Jacoby, a widow who lost her son in World War II hates the Japanese. But while relocating to Tokyo, she meets Japanese Buddhist and businessman Koichi Asano on the ship. As her views change, she falls in love with Asano and plans to marry him much to the dismay of her daughter and son-in-law. 

Role:
Koichi Asano
Starring:
George Takei, Rosalind Russell, Ray Danton, Madlyn Rhue, Mae Questel
Directed By:
Mervyn LeRoy
31. The Prisoner (1955)
7
3
The Prisoner
7
3
Role:
The Cardinal
Starring:
Jack Hawkins, Wilfrid Lawson, Kenneth Griffith, Jeanette Sterke
Directed By:
Peter Glenville
32. Kafka (1991)
6
3
Kafka
PG-13
6
3

Kafka is a clerk working for an insurance company, who is drawn into a strange world of mystery and danger when a close friend and colleague disappears all of a sudden. Eventually, this event leads him to discover a mysterious and underground society, having strange objectives.

Starring:
Ian Holm, Jeremy Irons, Joel Grey, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Theresa Russell
Directed By:
33. The Scapegoat (1959)
7
3
The Scapegoat
7
3
Role:
John Barratt / Jacques De Gue
Starring:
Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey, Irene Worth, Pamela Brown
Directed By:
Robert Hamer
34. Barnacle Bill (1957)
9
4
Barnacle Bill
9
4

Though descended from a family of celebrated sailors, Royal Navy Captain Ambrose, is troubled with chronic seasickness. After the war, he buys a crumbling amusement pier in a small British coastal town of Sandcastle-on-sea, but encounters strong opposition from local authorities. However, he finds a way through the storm to save the Victorian pier from demolition and makes it a thriving venture.

Role:
Capt. William Horatio Ambrose
Starring:
Donald Pleasence, Harry Locke, Frederick Piper, Fred Griffiths, Gerald Case
Directed By:
Charles Frend
35. Father Brown (1954)
6
3
Father Brown
6
3

A professional art thief and a master of disguise, Flambeau, successfully manages to steal holy relic from Father Brown. Father Brown can figure out how a criminal mind works and therefore lays out a trap to catch Flambeau. His aim is to not only get the priceless relic back, but also save the soul of the thief.

Role:
Father Brown
Starring:
Peter Finch, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Bernard Lee
Directed By:
Robert Hamer
36. The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964)
6
3
The Fall of the Roman Empire
6
3

Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius decides that his loyal and trustworthy General Livius should be the one to succeed him. However, before he could announce this, the friends of his son Commodus, poisons him, so that they can secure their political futures. Commodus becomes the new leader, but he turns out to be quite corrupt, arrogant and ineffectual. Livius accepts him as the ruler, but changes his mind, after he threatens to kill Aurelius’s daughter.

Role:
Marcus Aurelius
Starring:
James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Mel Ferrer, Sophia Loren, Omar Sharif, Stephen Boyd
Directed By:
Anthony Mann
37. Mute Witness (1995)
6
4
Mute Witness
R
6
4
Starring:
Marina Zudina, Fay Ripley, Evan Richards, Oleg Yankovskiy
Directed By:
Anthony Waller
38. A Handful of Dust (1988)
6
4
A Handful of Dust
PG
6
4
Starring:
Stephen Fry, Kristin Scott Thomas, Judi Dench, James Wilby, Richard Beale
Directed By:
Charles Sturridge
39. Malta Story (1953)
7
3
Malta Story
7
3
Role:
Flight Lt. Peter Ross
Starring:
Jack Hawkins, Anthony Steel, Muriel Pavlow, Renée Asherson
Directed By:
Brian Desmond Hurst
40. Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)
6
3
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
PG
6
3
Role:
Adolf Hitler
Starring:
Joss Ackland, Diane Cilento, Simon Ward, Adolfo Celi, Gabriele Ferzetti
Directed By:
Ennio De Concini
41. Last Holiday (1950)
9
4
Last Holiday
9
4
Role:
George Bird
Starring:
Beatrice Campbell, Kay Walsh, Grégoire Aslan, Jean Colin
Directed By:
Henry Cass
42. A Run for Your Money (1949)
5
4
A Run for Your Money
5
4
Role:
Whimple
Starring:
Donald Houston, Meredith Edwards, Moira Lister, Hugh Griffith
Directed By:
Charles Frend
43. The Swan (1956)
6
3
The Swan
6
3
Role:
Prince Albert
Starring:
Grace Kelly, Louis Jourdan, Agnes Moorehead, Jessie Royce Landis
Directed By:
Charles Vidor
44. The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
5
3
The Quiller Memorandum
5
3
Role:
Pol
Starring:
Max von Sydow, George Segal, Senta Berger, George Sanders
Directed By:
Michael Anderson
45. The Comedians (1967)
5
3
The Comedians
5
3
Role:
Major H. O. Jones
Starring:
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Lillian Gish, Cicely Tyson, James Earl Jones, Peter Ustinov
Directed By:
Peter Glenville
46. Hotel Paradiso (1966)
5
3
Hotel Paradiso
5
3

Playwright Feydeau tries to overcome his writer’s block by observing people around. Benedict Boniface, husband of domineering Angelique, adores next-door neighbor Marcelle, ignored wife of architect Henri Cot. Boniface and Marcelle decide on a rendezvous at the ‘no-tell’ Hotel Paradiso, the place that Henri is assigned to inspect. More characters add to the ensuing confusion giving the playwright story for successful play.

Role:
Benedict Boniface
Starring:
Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peggy Mount, Duggie Byng
Directed By:
Peter Glenville
47. Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious (1965)
4
3
Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
4
3

As the Second World War is ending, two officers are forced to parachute into enemy territory, while flying over Nazi Germany. They are captured by a lonely German warden who keep them prisoner in his basement. However, even after the war has ended, he decides not to tell them, as he is delighted to have their company.                

Role:
Wilhelm Frick
Starring:
Robert Redford, Mike Connors, Anita Höfer, Mady Rahl
Directed By:
Gottfried Reinhardt
48. To Paris with Love (1955)
4
3
To Paris with Love
4
3
Role:
Col. Sir Edgar Fraser
Starring:
Odile Versois, Vernon Gray, Elina Labourdette, Jacques François
Directed By:
Robert Hamer
49. Lovesick (1983)
3
3
Lovesick
PG
3
3

Psychiatrist Saul Benjamin is smitten by a new patient, Chloe Allen, and becomes jealous of anyone else who comes close to her. He also starts neglecting his other patients, ending up being reviewed by a board of inquiry. Throughout the movie, he is warned and advised by the ghost of Dr. Sigmund Freud. 

Role:
Sigmund Freud
Starring:
Dudley Moore, Christine Baranski, John Huston, Elizabeth McGovern, Gene Saks
Directed By:
Marshall Brickman
50. Raise the Titanic (1980)
3
3
Raise the Titanic
PG
3
3
Role:
John Bigalow
Starring:
Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, David Selby, Anne Archer
Directed By:
Jerry Jameson
51. Eskimo Day (1996)
8
2
Eskimo Day
8
2
Starring:
Maureen Lipman, David Ross, Benedict Sandiford, Tom Wilkinson
Directed By:
Piers Haggard
52. Little Dorrit (1987)
7
3
Little Dorrit
G
7
3
Role:
William Dorrit
Starring:
Derek Jacobi, Miriam Margolyes, Alan Bennett, Tony Jay, Joan Greenwood, Max Wall, Patricia Hayes
Directed By:
Christine Edzard

TV Shows

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
40
6
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
TV-14
40
6
Role:
George Smiley
Starring:
Ian Richardson, Joss Ackland, Patrick Stewart, Michael Jayston, Anthony Bate, George Sewell, Bernard Hepton
Directed By:
John Irvin
Awards:
BAFTA Award for Best Actor
Smiley's People
24
4
Smiley's People
24
4
Role:
George Smiley
Starring:
Alan Rickman, Michael Lonsdale, Patrick Stewart, Eileen Atkins, Bill Paterson, Vladek Sheybal
Directed By:
Simon Langton
Awards:
BAFTA Award for Best Actor
The Morecambe & Wise Show
10
3
The Morecambe & Wise Show
10
3
Starring:
Nicholas Parsons, Glenda Jackson, Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise
Directed By:
John Ammonds, Keith Beckett
Thirty-Minute Theatre
7
2
Thirty-Minute Theatre
7
2
Starring:
Tom Conti, Marianne Faithfull, Jack Wild, Shelley Winters, John Gielgud, Phil Collins, Peter Edward Cook
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
6
3
ITV Saturday Night Theatre
6
3
Starring:
Ian McShane, Laurence Olivier, Richard Chamberlain, Michael Caine, Brian Blessed, Telly Savalas, Martin Sheen
Directed By:
Performance
5
3
Performance
5
3
Starring:
Pam Ferris, Kenneth Branagh, Bob Hoskins, Hugh Grant, John Malkovich, Corin Redgrave, Charles Durning
Directed By:
Startime
5
3
Startime
5
3
Starring:
Sydney Pollack, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Alan Young, Mary Wickes, George Burns, Rex Harrison
Screen One
5
3
Screen One
5
3
Starring:
Lauren Bacall, Keira Knightley, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor, Minnie Driver, Billy Connolly, Alfred Molina
Directed By:
Les Blair, Robert Young, Robert Bierman, Dewi Humphreys, Christopher Morahan

Special Appearance/Cameo

Evensong (1934)
10
5
Evensong
10
5

Evensong is a musical film which is inspired by the life of Nellie Melba, who was one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. She was also known for being the first Australian to have achieved international recognition in classical music.

Role:
Soldier in Concert Audience (Extra) (uncredited)
Starring:
Evelyn Laye, Fritz Kortner, Emlyn Williams, Carl Esmond
Directed By:
Victor Saville

Alec Guinness Awards

Academy Awards
The Bridge on the River Kwai Best Actor in a Leading Role 1958
Golden Globe Awards
The Bridge on the River Kwai Best Actor - Drama 1958
BAFTA Awards
Smiley's People Best Actor 1983
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Best Actor 1980
The Bridge on the River Kwai Best British Actor 1958