Sir Michael ran Ealing studios for almost 20 years.  When the studio was sold in 1955 , he placed a plaque reading "Here during a quarter of a century many films were made projecting Britain and the British character."

Knighted in 1945 for his services to the British Film Industry.

As a Film producer through Gainsborough Pictures, Gaumont-British and Ealing Studios, Balcon was responsible for a wide range of classic British films including The 39 Steps (1935), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) and The Cruel Sea (1952).