Alec Guinness

Alec Guinness c. 1991, photo by newsfocus1/Bigstock.com

Birth Name: Alec Guinness De Cuffe

Date of Birth: 2 April, 1914

Place of Birth: Paddington, London, England, U.K.

Date of Death: 5 August, 2000

Place of Death: King Edward VII’s Hospital, Midhurst, West Sussex, England, U.K.

Ethnicity:
*mother – English, some Scottish

Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).

Alec’s mother was Agnes Cuff. She was of mostly English descent, with some distant Scottish roots. The identity of Alec’s biological father is not publicly certain; a Scottish banker named Andrew Geddes is usually cited as his biological father.

Alec was married to artist, playwright, and actress Merula Salaman, until his death, with whom he had a son, actor Matthew Guinness.

Alec’s maternal grandfather was Edward Charles Cuff (the son of Edward Cuff and Mary Woods). Alec’s grandfather Edward was born in Lambeth, London, England. Alec’s great-grandfather Edward was the son of Richard Cuff and Mary Elizabeth Walby. Alec’s great-grandmother Mary was the daughter of Thomas Woods.

Alec’s maternal grandmother was Mary Ann Benfield (the daughter of William Benfield and Mary Ann Spring). Alec’s grandmother Mary Ann was born in Weymouth, Dorset, England. William was the son of Thomas Benfield and Sarah Fookes. Alec’s great-grandmother Mary Ann was the daughter of John Spring and Elizabeth Bishop. Elizabeth was born, c. 1802, in Devon, England.

Sources: Genealogies of Alec Guinness (focusing on his mother’s side) – http://www.wikitree.com
https://www.geni.com