Michael Caine

Sir Michael Caine CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr., 14.3.1933)

Michael Caine is an Oscar and BAFTA Award winning British actor. He has appeared in more than 100 films.

Michael Caine: Childhood

Michael Caine was born in the Rotherhithe area of London, to Ellen Frances Marie (a cook) and Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Sr. (a fish market worker). Although Maurice Sr. was a Catholic, his son was raised in the Protestant tradition, like his mother.

During World War II, Caine attended Wilson's Grammar in Camberwell and was evacuated to Norfolk. In 1952, he did his National Service in the Royal Fusiliers and served in both Germany and Korea.

Michael Caine: Acting Career

Caine's first stage name was Michael Scott, until his agent informed him that somebody was already using that name. Under pressure to choose a new name, he took his name from The Caine Mutiny, which was showing in Leicester Square at the time.

Caine initially got walk-on parts at the Carfax Theatre but in 1964, he was cast in Zulu. As an actor, he stood out, for his Cockney accent, which was incongruous amongst the traditional received pronunciation that actors used at the time. Shortly after Zulu, Caine appeared in The Ipcress File, perhaps one of his most famous roles, along with Alfie, released in 1966.

He then reprised his role from The Ipcress File in four sequels, Funeral In Berlin (1966), Billion-Dollar Brain (1967), Bullet to Beijing (1995) and Midnight in St. Petersburg (1995).

Michael Caine rounded off the 1960s with his iconic role in The Italian Job, alongside Noel Coward. His first film of the 1970s was Get Carter, a British gangster movie and in 1972, starred alongside Sir Laurence Olivier in Sleuth. Three years later, he shared screen time with Sean Connery in The Man Who Would Be King.

The 1980s were not such a successful period for Caine and he has since admitted that he undertook a number of low-quality projects, simply for the money. Films such as The Swarm, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure and The Hand were all commercial failures. However, he still managed to pull off some decent performances in this era, such as his BAFTA winning appearance in Educating Rita in 1983. In 1986, Caine won an Oscar for his role in Hannah and her Sisters.

During the 1990s, Michael Caine took the role of Scrooge in Muppet Christmas Carol which is frequently re-shown on TV over the festive period and his role in Little Voice, alongside Jane Horrocks, won him a Golden Globe Award. His second Oscar came for his role in The Cider House Rules, released in 1999. In the recent remake of Alfie, Jude Law took Caine's old role, whilst Caine himself took the role originally played by Laurence Olivier. In Christopher Nolan's Batman adaptations, Caine was cast as Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne's butler.

In 1993, Michael Caine was awarded a CBE for services to drama. Seven years later, he was knighted, using his birth name, which he has never surrendered.

Michael Caine: Personal Life

Between 1955 and 1958, Michael Caine was married to Patricia Haines, an actress. The couple had one daughter together, Dominique. In 1973, Caine married Shakira Baksh, an actress and a model. They also have one daughter together, Natasha.