He’s one of two men to have been nominated for Oscars in every decade since the 1960s, a knight of the realm and also quite right-wing – now, not a lot of people know that. Michael Caine is a British cinematic institution, most recently known for his role as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy.

Caine’s early career, however, features a fantastic range of roles and films which represent some of the finest cinema ever crafted. Despite being well known in his cockney Gangster persona, Caine cut his teeth in traditionally British roles such as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead in 1964’s colonial war epic Zulu. The most critically acclaimed of these is The Man who would be King. Released in 1974, this was another colonial era adventure based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling charting the adventures of Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot, played by the dream duo of Michael Caine and Sean Connery. The film follows them in their adventures from British India to becoming rulers of part of Afghanistan.

Though Caine has said he would like to be remembered most for The Man who would be King, his most influential and culturally recognisable work is undoubtedly his roles in British gangster films of the late sixties and early seventies. The two most prominent of these are the classic The Italian Job (1969) and the much more dark and violent Get Carter (1971).

The Italian Job tells the story of a crack group of thieves in their endeavours to steal a transfer of gold from Turin, led by Caine’s Charlie Croker. Croker is the archetypal Caine role, a dapper, cheeky, cockney gangster who don’t take no shit. In Get Carter however, the role is given a much darker twist – Caine plays Jack Carter, a man out to avenge the death of his brother through a series of brutal and violent murders. The film is notable for its violence, and for being set in Newcastle. The differences between the two roles are a tribute to Caine’s acting ability; the only differences between the cool but wrathful Carter and the suave Croker are a handful of facial expressions and voice patterns.

Caine’s ability to portray strong characters does not merely extend to violence and leadership. In Alfie (1966), Caine played the titular, professional, unreliable narrator – womanising his way through the female population until a series of devastating events change his life.

The emotional journey, coupled with breaking of the fourth wall and continuous pathological lying, make for a thoroughly challenging role and perhaps Caine’s finest performance. The incredibly complex and nuanced character that is depicted as a result is a piece of cinematic mastery.

Michael Caine is one of the titans of twentieth century cinema, starring in some of the most popular and critically acclaimed British films of the last 20 years. Despite his views about bringing back national service, he deserves his position as a classic hallmark of cinema.