Oliver Twist (1948)
After co-starring as Herbert Pocket in David Lean's earlier Dickens adaptation, Great Expectations, Guinness rose to fame in the classic Oliver Twist. Aged 34, the actor hid under a straggly wig and heavy prosthetics to give a barnstorming performance as the weaselly Fagin. But the role attracted controversy too. So potent was Guinness that Lean's film was immediately banned in both Israel and Egypt. Israel objected to what it perceived as the actor's anti-semitic portrait of Fagin. The Egyptian authorities, conversely, felt that Guinness had made him far too sympathetic.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
Robert Hamer's dark class-war comedy remains the film that effectively branded Guinness on the public consciousness. The nominal star was Dennis Price's impoverished heir, but Guinness stole the show: split into eight different roles as the collected members of the wealthy d'Ascoyne family. His turn as the posh suffragette who "fell to earth in Berkeley Square" occupies a niche on comic history, while the news that Robin Williams is currently planning a remake (in the Guinness role) amounts to a kind of cinematic sacrilege.
The Man in the White Suit (1951)
Guinness took an altogether more subtle and restrained starring role in this keen Ealing outing from Alexander Mackendrick. He plays the lowly dishwasher at a textile-mill, whose brilliant new invention - a fabric that never needs washing - enrages his profiteering bosses. The film's gentle line in comedy masks a harsh attack on industrial corruption, if not the entire capitalist system.
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
The Lavender Hill Mob cast Guinness alongside Stanley Holloway as a pair of underdog bullion robbers who plan the perfect crime. Like Oliver Twist, this expert, anarchic comedy found itself banned in various nations, including the then British-governed Rhodesia. Explaining the decision, Tory minister John Profumo (yes, that John Profumo) told the Commons that "the film was declared unsuitable for African audiences because it contained scenes likely to encourage a disrespect for law and order".
The Ladykillers (1955)
The last great Ealing comedy found Guinness (beneath lank hair and behind buck-teeth) as the sleazy ringleader of a bunch of criminals lying low at the home of a innocent old dame (Katie Johnson). A huge hit on its release, the film prompted the Daily Express to claim that "aside from Scotch whisky, Mr Alec Guinness is the best export to America we have got".
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Guinness bagged an Oscar for his starring role in David Lean's peerless wartime spectacular; a picture that went on to become the year's biggest box-office hit and one of the most namechecked war movies of all time. "Guinness etches an unforgettable portrait of the typical British army officer: strict, didactic and serene in his adherence to the book," wrote Variety.
Our Man in Havana (1960)
Directed by Carol (The Third Man) from the story by Graham Greene, Our Man in Havana was a pungent Cold War satire, with Guinness as the vacuum-cleaner salesman in pre-Revolutionary Cuba turned mischief-making British spy. The tale's use of military blueprints foreshadowed the later Cuba missile crisis, while Guinness's role seemed to prefigure his acclaimed 80s turn as the spy Smiley on BBC TV.
Tunes of Glory (1960)
It was originally intended for Guinness to play the role of the upstanding English officer who takes over a Highland regiment, and John Mills the drunken colonel who was already based there. In the end the two actors elected to swap roles - to powerful effect. "That colonel was the best role he ever gave," claims Mills today, "because it was the antithesis of Alec."
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Although Guinness was forced to play second-fiddle to Peter O'Toole, David Lean's grand camel-opera gave the 48-year-old actor another opportunity for some chameleon-like acting, gaining an Oscar-nomination as Arab leader Prince Feisal. The film itself scooped the Best Picture Oscar and was hailed by Pauline Kael as "one of the most tasteful and exciting of spectaculars".
Star Wars (1977)
Guinness would later dismiss his stint as Obi Wan on Star Wars as his most miserable movie experience, and claimed that he binned all the resulting fan-mail. But Lucas's intrepid space adventure showcased the ageing actor for a whole new generation and made him a multi-millionaire to boot - a share of the profits gained him an estimated £120m ("divide that by 20 and you might be nearer the mark," said Guinness). In 1999's The Phantom Menace, the role of the young Obi Wan was played by Ewan McGregor, who studied old Guinness movies to perfect the right vocal impression.