Sir Alec was definitely among the greatest actors of our lifetimes. I loved all the films mentioned above and some others that weren't mentioned.

We just got through watching "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "Smiley's People", which I taped in the early 80's, when they were first broadcast. My daughter had never seen Alec Guinness. She was a baby, when "Star Wars" came out. We both agreed that his performance as Smiley was incredibly perfect. Every gesture, every expression, every move told volumes about the character. If you had read the books, you would know what I mean. I think THAT performance was his masterpiece.

He made a very big splash, with younger audiences, in "Star Wars". They didn't know who he was till then, and they never identified him with his earlier, better work.

The Force IS with him.