Michael picked up the best actor prize for his portrayal of a retired composer in Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth, as well as an honorary award – the latter he referred to as “a bit like a knighthood”. He was emotional as he accepted his trophies at a star-studded night in Berlin.“Well, there’s a surprise,” he said on stage. “It’s been 50 years and I‘ve never won an award in Europe and I’ve won two in one evening! It’s unbelievable.”

At a press conference following the ceremony, he spoke at length about his career, detailing his personal distaste at actors who seek to impart wisdom to younger colleagues.

“I always say to any actor: don’t listen to advice from actors, especially if they’re older than you,” he said. “Because when I was very young, I asked lots of older actors for advice and every single one of them said to me ‘Give it up, you can’t act and you’ve got a rotten accent.’”