Alec Guinness – Royal Navy

The award-winning English actor, Alec Guinness, served in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during World War II. Alec was initially a seaman but was later commissioned as Sub-lieutenant. During the Allied invasion of Sicily, Guinness commanded a landing craft. It was during the war that Alec was granted permission to leave and appear in the Broadway production called Flare Path. He appeared in several Ealing comedies as well as in films such as Great Expectations, Doctor Zhivago, and Oliver Twist. Guinness died of liver cancer on August 5, 2000, four years after he retired.