He was a superb dramatic actor but, for me, much of his greatest work was in comedies. His performance(s) as the nine members of the D'Ascoyne family in Kind Hearts and Coronets is one of the finest comic performances by an actor I have ever seen. Simply hilarious.

Of course, he famously disliked Star Wars or, more precisely, the extent to which it seemed to define his career in later years.

Some of his other memorable roles

• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• Tunes of Glory
• Oliver Twist
• The Ladykillers
• The Mudlark
• The Man in the White Suit
• The Horse's Mouth
• A Handful of Dust