A Deeply Missed Talent

I read with appreciation and more than a twinge of sadness Charles Champlin’s sensitive tribute to Sir Alec Guinness (“An Unassuming Talent of Immense Depth,” Aug. 8). I say “more than a twinge of sadness” not only for Sir Alec’s passing, but also for Champlin’s passing over of Sir Albert Finney, whom, sadly, he omitted from his list of “the British tradition of fine actors . . . of great talent and range.”

TONY GOODSTONE

Los Angeles

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As a young aspiring actress in San Francisco in the late ‘70s, I took the dare of a friend of mine and wrote to Alec Guinness (my acting god) about which London drama schools he would recommend. Imagine my astonishment when, instead of a form letter from his management, I received a letter handwritten in his tiny, hard-to-decipher script that said, “I am not sure that I greatly believe in drama schools, there are too many of them in this country and some are just phony, run by failed, embittered, would-be actors . . .” and going on to wish me luck.

I went to London anyway, and as a student at a minor drama school was thrilled when he was announced as a speaker. When the pompous head of the school dared to ask, “And what, Sir Alec, did you learn from drama school?” I was convulsed to hear him respond in that inimitable voice, “I learned to tap dance.”

After this, I wrote to him again, asking him to come and see me in “Macbeth” at the school, in which production I was playing a witch. He responded, “I am not sure I can face ‘Macbeth’ again. You must have confidence in yourself and not in the opinions of people like me.”

He has been a hero of my life, both as an artist and a man, and I will deeply miss him.

JANIS HASHE

Los Angeles