Sir Michael Caine (bornMaurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor, retired as of 2023.[3] Known for his distinctCockney accent,[4] he has appeared in more than 130 films overa career that spanned eight decades and is considered a Britishcultural icon.[5][6] He has receivednumerous awards including twoAcademy Awards, aBAFTA Award, threeGolden Globe Awards, and aScreen Actors Guild Award. As of 2017, the films in which Caine has appeared have grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide.[7] Caine is one of only five male actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in five different decades.[a] In 2000, he received aBAFTA Fellowship and wasknighted byQueen Elizabeth II.
Blue plaque at the former school inNorth Runcton where, as a wartime evacuee, Caine made his stage debut
Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite atSt Olave's Hospital in theRotherhithe district of London on 14 March 1933,[11][12][b][13] the son of cook andcharwoman Ellen Frances Marie (née Burchell; 1900–1989)[14][15] and afish market porter also called Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (1899–1956). His father was from aCatholicIrish Traveller family background.[16] Caine was raised in his mother'sProtestant faith.[17] He had a younger brother,Stanley (1935–2013), who also became an actor, and an older maternal half-brother named David Burchell. He grew up in London'sSouthwark district; during theSecond World War, he wasevacuated 100 miles (160 km) toNorth Runcton, Norfolk, where he made his acting debut at the village school and had a pet horse called Lottie.[18][19]
After the war, Caine's father wasdemobilised and the family were rehoused by the council in Marshall Gardens in London'sElephant and Castle area, where they lived in aprefabricated house made in Canada[20] as much of London's housing stock had been destroyed duringthe Blitz in 1940 and 1941. Caine later wrote in his autobiography, "The prefabs, as they were known, were intended to be temporary homes while London was reconstructed, but we ended up living there for eighteen years—and for us, after a cramped flat with an outside toilet, it was luxury."[21]
At the age of 10, Caine acted in a school play as the father of the ugly sisters inCinderella. His trousers' zipper was undone, prompting the audience to laugh, which inspired him to pursue an acting career.[22] In 1944, he passed hiseleven-plus examination, winning a scholarship toHackney Downs School.[c] After a year there, he moved toWilson's School inCamberwell, which he left at age 16 after gainingSchool Certificates in six subjects. He then worked briefly as a filing clerk and messenger for a film company inVictoria, London and film producerJay Lewis onWardour Street.[24]
Caine, seeing first-hand how the Chinese usedhuman wave tactics, was left with the sense that the communistMaoist government did not care about its citizens. Having been previously sympathetic towards the ideals of communism, Caine was left repelled by it.[28] He experienced a situation in which he thought he was going to die, the memory of which stayed with him and "formed his character". In his 2010 autobiographyThe Elephant to Hollywood, he wrote that "The rest of my life I have lived every bloody moment from the moment I wake up until the time I go to sleep."[29][30][31]
Caine has said that he would like to see the return of national service in Britain, to help combatyouth violence, stating: "I'm just saying, put them in the Army for six months. You're there to learn how to defend your country. You belong to the country. Then, when you come out, you have a sense of belonging, rather than a sense of violence."[32]
Caine's film debut was an uncreditedwalk-on role inMorning Departure (1950). A few years later inHorsham, Sussex, he responded to an advertisement inThe Stage for an assistant stage manager who would also perform bit parts for the Horsham-based Westminster Repertory Company, who were performing at theCarfax Electric Theatre.[33] Adopting the stage name Michael Scott, in July 1953 he was cast as the drunkard Hindley in the company's production ofWuthering Heights.[34][35][36] He moved to theLowestoft Repertory Company inSuffolk for a year when he was 21. It was here that he met his first wife,Patricia Haines.[37] He has described the first nine years of his career as "really, really brutal"[38] as well as "more like purgatory than paradise".[18] He appeared in nine plays during his time at the Lowestoft Rep at the Arcadia Theatre with Jackson Stanley's Standard Players.
When his career took him to London in 1954 after his provincial apprenticeship, his agent informed him that there was already a Michael Scott performing as an actor in London and that he had to come up with a new name immediately.[35] Speaking to his agent from atelephone booth inLeicester Square, London, he looked around for inspiration, noted thatThe Caine Mutiny was being shown at theOdeon Cinema, and decided to change his name to Michael Caine.[35] He joked on television in 1987 that, had a tree partly blocking his view been a few feet to the left, he might have been called "Michael Mutiny". He also later joked in interviews that, had he looked the other way, he would have ended up as "MichaelOne Hundred and One Dalmatians".[39] In 1958, Caine played the minor role of a court orderly in a BBC Television adaptation of the story,The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.[40]
Caine continued to appear on television, in serialsThe Golden Girl andNo Wreath for the General, but was then cast in the playThe Compartment, written byJohnny Speight, atwo-hander also starringFrank Finlay. This was followed by main roles in other plays including the character Tosh inSomewhere for the Night, aSunday-Night Play written byBill Naughton televised on Sunday 3 December 1961, another two-hander by Johnny Speight,The Playmates, and two editions of BBC plays strandFirst Night,Funny Noises with Their Mouths andThe Way with Reggie (both 1963). He also acted in radio plays, includingBill Naughton'sLooking for Frankie on theBBC Home Service (1963). A big break came for Caine when he was cast as Meff inJames Saunders'Cockney comedyNext Time I'll Sing To You, when this play was presented at theNew Arts Theatre in London on 23 January 1963.[41] Scenes from the play's performance were featured in the April 1963 issue ofTheatre World magazine.[42]
When this play moved to theCriterion inPiccadilly withMichael Codron directing, he was visited backstage byStanley Baker, one of the four stars in Caine's first film,A Hill in Korea, who told him about the part of a Cockney private in his upcoming filmZulu, a film Baker was producing and starring in. Baker told Caine to meet the director,Cy Endfield, who informed him that he had already given the part toJames Booth, a fellow Cockney who was Caine's friend, because he "looked more Cockney" than Caine did. Endfield then told the 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall Caine that he did not look like a Cockney but like an officer, and offered him a screen test for the role of a snobbish, upper class officer after Caine assured him that he could do aposh accent. Caine believes Endfield offered him, a Cockney, the role of an aristocrat because, being American, he did not have the endemic British class-prejudice. Though he tested poorly, Endfield gave him the part that would make him a film star.[43]
Caine during filming in 1967 in his third outing as crook-turned-spyHarry Palmer
Location shooting forZulu took place inNatal, South Africa, for 14 weeks in 1963.[44][45][46] According to his 2010 autobiographyThe Elephant to Hollywood, Caine had been signed to a seven-year contract byJoseph E. Levine, whoseEmbassy Films was distributingZulu. After the return of the cast to England and the completion of the film, Levine released him from the contract, telling him, "I know you're not, but you gotta face the fact that you look like a queer on screen." Levine gave his contract to hisZulu co-star James Booth.[47] Subsequently, Caine's agent got him cast in the BBC productionHamlet at Elsinore (1964) asHoratio, in support ofChristopher Plummer'sHamlet. Horatio was the only classical role which Caine, who had never received dramatic training, would ever play. Caine wrote, "... I decided that if my on-screen appearance was going to be an issue, then I would use it to bring out all Horatio's ambiguous sexuality."[48]
Caine's roles as effete-seeming aristocrats were to contrast with his next projects, in which he was to become notable for using aregional accent, rather than theReceived Pronunciation then considered proper for film actors. At that time his working-classCockney speech stood out to American and British audiences alike, as didthe Beatles'Liverpudlian accents.Zulu was followed by two of Caine's best-known roles: the rough-edged petty-crook-turned-spyHarry Palmer inThe Ipcress File (1965) and the titular womanising young Cockney inAlfie (1966). In a 2016 interview Caine citedAlfie as his favourite film of his career, saying, "it made me a star in America as well, and it was my first nomination for an Academy Award".[49] He went on to play Harry Palmer in a further four films,Funeral in Berlin (1966),Billion Dollar Brain (1967),Bullet to Beijing (1995) andMidnight in Saint Petersburg (1996).[50] Caine made his first film in Hollywood in 1966, after an invitation fromShirley MacLaine to play opposite her inGambit. During the first two weeks, whilst staying atthe Beverly Hills Hotel, he met long-term friendsJohn Wayne and agent"Swifty" Lazar. Wayne was a fan of Caine's performance inAlfie and suggested to Caine, "Speak slow and speak low". Caine was always grateful for that advice.[51] Caine starred in the filmThe Magus (1968) which, althoughBAFTA-nominated for Best Cinematography, failed at the box office.
Caine starred in the 1969 comedycaper filmThe Italian Job as Charlie Croker, the leader of a Cockney criminal gang released from prison with the intention of doing a "big job" in Italy to steal gold bullion from an armoured security truck. One of the most celebrated roles of his career, in a 2002 poll his line "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" was voted the second-funniest line in film (after "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy" fromMonty Python'sLife of Brian),[52] and favourite one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1,000 film fans.[53] Culminating in acliffhanger,The Italian Job has one of the most discussed end scenes in film; what happened to the coachload of gold teetering over the edge of a cliff has been debated in the decades since the film was released.[54][55]
After working onThe Italian Job withNoël Coward, and a role asRAF fighter pilotsquadron leader Canfield in the all-star cast ofBattle of Britain (both 1969), Caine played the lead inGet Carter (1971), a British gangster film. Caine also starred in a comedy thriller,Pulp (1972). Caine continued with successes includingSleuth (1972) oppositeLaurence Olivier, andJohn Huston'sThe Man Who Would Be King (1975) co-starringSean Connery, which received widespread acclaim.[56] Martyn Palmer ofThe Times applauded the "lovely double act of Caine and Connery, clowning to their doom",[57] while Huston paid tribute to Caine's improvisation as an actor: "Michael is one of the most intelligent men among the artists I've known. I don't particularly care to throw the ball to an actor and let him improvise, but with Michael it's different. I just let him get on with it."[56] In 1974, Caine appeared inThe Black Windmill, co-starringDonald Pleasence.
In the 1990s, Caine found good parts harder to come by. He played the mysterious bartender Mike inMr. Destiny in 1990 and appeared withRoger Moore inBullseye! (1990). He playedEbenezer Scrooge inThe Muppet Christmas Carol (1992).[68][69] Having been chosen byBrian Henson, Caine stated: "I'm going to play this movie like I'm working with theRoyal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me."[70] He played the beleaguered stage director Lloyd Fellowes in the film adaptation ofNoises Off (1992). He also played a villain in theSteven Seagal filmOn Deadly Ground (1994). He starred in twostraight to video Harry Palmer sequels and a few television films.
Several of Caine's classic films have been remade, includingThe Italian Job,Get Carter,Alfie andSleuth. Caine appeared inGet Carter the 2000 American action thriller film directed by Stephen Kay; a remake of his 1971 filmGet Carter, in which a younger Michael Caine played the title role. Here in the 2000 remake, Caine's role was originally relegated to a one-scene cameo appearance, which he agreed to do as a favor to his friend Sylvester Stallone. However, after a test screening, additional scenes were scripted and shot to expand his role. The film was released in the U.S. on 6 October 2000. Critical reaction was negative, and the film flopped at the box office, with worldwide earnings of approximately only $19 million against a production budget of nearly $64 million. Stallone said: "Believe it or not, I thinkGet Carter was really underrated. That was a big disappointment. I learned the hard way that [remakes], even if you do it better than the original, there’s a tremendous nostalgia attached to the original. And quite often they’re not done as well." In the2007 remake ofSleuth, Caine took over the roleLaurence Olivier played in the1972 version andJude Law played Caine's original role. Caine is one of the few actors to have played a starring role in two versions of the same film. In an interview with CNN, Law spoke of his admiration for Caine: "I learned so much just from watching how he monitored his performance, and also how little he has to do. He's a master technician and sometimes he was doing stuff I didn't see, I couldn't register. I'd go back and watch it on the monitor, it was like 'Oh my God, the amount of variety he's put in there is breathtaking".[73]
In May 2019, Caine was cast as Sir Michael Crosby, a British Intelligence officer, inChristopher Nolan'sTenet (2020).[88] The film starredJohn David Washington,Robert Pattinson,Elizabeth Debicki andKenneth Branagh. The film received an American release during theCOVID-19 pandemic in September 2020 after being delayed multiple times and became a box office disappointment, despite receiving positive reviews.[89][90] Caine also appeared in the children's fantasy film,Come Away (2020) starringAngelina Jolie,David Oyelowo, andGugu Mbatha-Raw. The film premiered at theSundance Film Festival to mixed reviews, with critics praising its performances and lavish production design.[91][92] In the 2021 filmTwist, an adaptation ofCharles Dickens'Oliver Twist set in the present day, Caine playsFagin.[93] In interviews promoting the 2021 filmBest Sellers, Caine suggested that he would not make another film, citing difficulty in walking and his new interest in novel-writing developed during theCOVID-19 lockdowns.[94] However, his representatives toldVariety that he was not retiring from acting.[95] In 2022, Caine filmedThe Great Escaper, a British-French feature film starring Caine andGlenda Jackson, based on the true-life story of a BritishWorld War II veteran who 'broke out' of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversaryD-Day commemorations in France, in June 2014.[96] The film was released on 6 October 2023.[96]
Caine officially confirmed his retirement from acting on 13 October 2023, mainly because of the decreasing likelihood of him getting any more leading roles.[3] Caine announced his retirement from acting in a BBCToday radio programme interview withMartha Kearney. Referring toThe Great Escaper he said, "I keep saying I'm going to retire, well I am now, because I figured, I've had a picture which is — I played the lead and it's got incredible reviews. The only parts I'm liable to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, and I thought well I might as well leave with all this. I've got wonderful reviews. What am I going to do to beat this?"[97]
"I kept my cockney accent in order to let other working class boys know that if I made it, they could do it too."
—Caine speaking to CNN'sThe Screening Room in 2007 on retaining his accent.[73]
Caine is regarded as a British cultural icon, with Mairi Mackay of CNN stating: "Michael Caine has been personifying British cool since theswinging sixties. He has brought some of British cinema's most iconic characters to life and introduced his very own laid-backcockney gangster into pop culture. He doggedly retained a regional accent at a time when the plummy tones ofReceived Pronunciation were considered obligatory. It is a sweet irony that his accent has become his calling card."[73] In 2015The Times called Caine "the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer".[8] A trailer for his second role as Palmer described him as possessing "horn rims, cockney wit and an iron fist".[98]
With his distinctive voice and manner of speaking, Caine is a popular subject for impersonators and mimics.[99] Most Caine impressions include the catchphrase "Not a lot of people know that."[73] The catchphrase emanates from Caine's habit of informing people of obscure "interesting facts" that he has collected.[100] Referring to Caine as being the "biggest mine ofuseless information",Peter Sellers initiated thecatchphrase when he appeared on BBC1'sParkinson show on 28 October 1972 and said:[101][non-primary source needed]
Not many people know that. This is my Michael Caine impression. You see, Mike's always quoting from theGuinness Book of Records. At the drop of a hat he'll trot one out. 'Did you know that it takes a man in a tweed suit five-and-a-half seconds to fall from the top ofBig Ben to the ground?' Now there's not many people who know that!
Caine later spoke of how Sellers used his impression of him as hisanswering machine message in the 1970s: "I called Peter one day, he wasn't in. And there was me saying, 'My name is Michael Caine. I just want you to know that Peter Sellers is not in. Not many people know that.' He invented that 'not many people know that.' And then everybody who rang him, they got me saying, 'Not many people know that.'"[102] Over the years Caine himself had parodied his catchphrase and his "interesting facts", and has imitated others' impressions of him.[103] In an interview withMichael Parkinson in 2007, Caine commented on the impersonations of his voice, "I can do it. 'Hello. My name is Michael Caine. Not many people know that.' I sound like a bloody moron. You know where they've got me now? On birthday cards. 'It's your birthday today. Not many people know that'. Now they've got me on Satellite navigation. It's me going, 'take the second turn on the right, and you'll wind up right in the shit.'"[103] In 1983, Caine used his "not a lot of people know that" phrase as a joke in the filmEducating Rita.[73]
The comedy sketch showHarry Enfield's Television Programme included a series of sketches in whichPaul Whitehouse played a character called Michael Paine; an amalgam of previous Michael Caine impressions, who in a reference to Caine's characterHarry Palmer fromThe Ipcress File wears oversized, thick-rimmed glasses and a trench coat. He introduces himself with the line, "My name is Michael Paine, and I am a nosy neighbour" and in a spoof of the stakeout at the beginning ofThe Ipcress File, recounts to the camera the "suspiciously" mundane behaviour of his neighbours, before saying, "Not a lot of people know that I know that".[104] Caine's Harry Palmer character (with the glasses, the girls, and disregard for authority) was among the many British pop cultural influences forMike Myers'Austin Powers films.[105] At Myers' request, Caine himself starred inAustin Powers in Goldmember (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of Austin Powers, spoofing Harry Palmer.[105]
A parody of Caine appears in the animated seriesUgly Americans, in the episode "The Dork Knight", which also parodies the filmThe Dark Knight. In the episode, Caine appears as himself, portrayed in the light of his Alfred Pennyworth interpretation, and constantly annoys the protagonists with endless anecdotes of his career.
The 2010 television seriesThe Trip, starringRob Brydon andSteve Coogan, featured improvised scenes in which the two leads argue over who can do the better Michael Caine impression.[106] Among the lines they repeat in their attempts to outdo each other are, "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" and, "She was only sixteen years old"—fromThe Italian Job andGet Carter, respectively.[106] Coogan and Brydon later did their impressions from a balcony at the Royal Albert Hall during a celebration of Caine's work, only to be interrupted by the real Caine informing them that they were out of shape: "For me, it's a full-time job."[107]
Craig Ferguson ran segments on his show where he parodied Caine, usually while wearing aspace suit.[108] In a 2010 interview withThe Telegraph, Caine spoke of the impersonations and how everyone he meets quotes lines at him, to the point he quotes them quoting him.[104] When asked whether he is ever tired of telling his anecdotes, Caine stated: "I enjoy making people laugh. The trick is to tell them against yourself. If you praise yourself your stories aren't funny."[104]
In 2018, Caine starred in aBritish Airways pre-flight safety video, appearing with six other British celebrities, including actressesOlivia Colman andNaomie Harris. Promoting the Flying Start children's charity partnership between BA andComic Relief, they are featured 'auditioning' in humorous sketches while also highlighting important safety messages.[109]
In 1976, Caine became part owner ofLangan's Brasserie. At one point, he had ownership in seven restaurants in the UK and US.[110][page needed]
Caine has published three volumes of memoirs,What's It All About? in 1992,The Elephant to Hollywood in 2010 andBlowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life in 2018.[2][18] He has also written trivia books, including:Not Many People Know That!,And Not Many People Know This Either!,Michael Caine's Moving Picture Show, andNot a Lot of People Know This Is 1988. Proceeds from the books went to theNational Playing Fields Association, a UK charity for which Caine served as vice president, and which aims to protect and promote open spaces for sports and recreation in British cities and towns.[111]
Caine is a fan ofchill-out music, and he released a compilation CD,Cained, in 2007 on theUMTV record label.[112][113] While discussing musical tastes with his friendElton John, Caine remarked that he had been creating chilloutmix tapes as an amateur for years.[113][114] Caine and Elton John had also appeared on the same episode ofParkinson, during which they sang an impromptu version of thepub tune "Knees Up Mother Brown".[115] Also in music, Caine provided vocal samples for the ska-pop bandMadness for their 1984 song "Michael Caine", as his daughter was a fan. He has sung in film roles as well, includingLittle Voice and for the 1992 musical filmThe Muppet Christmas Carol.[116]
Caine was married to actressPatricia Haines from 1954 to 1958.[120][121] They had a daughter, Dominique (b. 14 August 1957).[120][122][25] He datedEdina Ronay,Nancy Sinatra,Natalie Wood,Candice Bergen,Bianca Jagger,Jill St. John,Élisabeth Ercy andFrançoise Pascal.[24][123][124][125][126] Caine has been married to actress and modelShakira Baksh since 8 January 1973. They met after Caine saw her in aMaxwell House coffee commercial and a friend gave him her telephone number. He called her every day for ten days until she finally agreed to meet him.[22] They have a daughter, Natasha Haleema (b. 15 July 1973).[120][127] Baksh is aMuslim while Caine is a Christian. He reflected in 2009, "My wife is a Muslim and she does Muslim stuff; I'm a Christian and I do Christian stuff, and no questions ever come up. The media view of Muslims is different from mine, which is very benign and peaceful".[122]
Proud of his working-class roots, Caine has discussed the opportunities his film career gave him: "I got to play football withPelé, for God's sake. And I danced withBob Fosse."[104] He also became close friends withJohn Lennon, stating: "With John and I it was a case of bonding because we were both working class and we shared a sense of humour. We were pretending we weren't who people thought we were."[104] His closest friends included twoJames Bond actors,Sean Connery andRoger Moore.[104] At the61st Academy Awards, the three of them presented the prize forBest Supporting Actor (which Caine and Connery have also won) toKevin Kline.[128]
In July 2014, Caine was reported to have been a celebrity investor in atax avoidance scheme called Liberty.[129]
Two years after his mother died, Caine and his younger brotherStanley learned from a news reporter working on a mental health article that they had an elder half-brother, David Burchell.[130] Born six years before Michael's mother met Michael's father, David suffered from severeepilepsy and was a wheelchair user due to a childhood hip injury.[130] He had been in and out of institutions most of his youth before residing permanently inCane Hill Hospital, a mental health facility, since age 17.[130] Although their mother visited David "nearly every Monday for five decades" at the hospital,[130] even her husband did not know of David's existence. She told Michael that she was sometimes visiting a cousin at the facility.[130] David died in 1992.[131]
Caine quit his 80-cigarettes-a-day smoking habit in the early 1970s after a lecture from actorTony Curtis.[132] Caine is a supporter of the football clubChelsea FC.[133] Caine is also a fan ofcricket.[134][135]
In July 2016, Cainechanged his name bydeed poll to his long-time stage name to simplify security checks at airports. Caine stated that because the security guard often recognised him but was unaware of his real name, it would waste a considerable amount of his time as he tried to prove that he and "Maurice Joseph Micklewhite" were the same person. "[A security guard] would say, 'Hi Michael Caine,' and suddenly I'd be giving him a passport with a different name on it. I could stand there for an hour. So I changed my name."[136]
Caine has often been outspoken about his political views, referring to himself as a "left-wing Tory" influenced by both hisworking class background andKorean War service.[137][138] He left the United Kingdom for the United States in the late 1970s, citing theincome tax levied on top earners by theLabour government ofJames Callaghan, which then stood at 83%.[139] He lived inBeverly Hills during that time, but returned to the UK eight years later when taxes had been lowered by theConservative government ofMargaret Thatcher:
I realised that's not asocialist country, it's acommunist country without a dictator, so I left and I was never going to come back. Maggie Thatcher came in and put the taxes back down and in the end, you know, you don't mind paying tax. What am I going to do? Not pay tax and drive around in aRolls-Royce, withcripples begging on the street like you see in some countries?[140]
Following the launch of his filmHarry Brown in 2009, Caine called for the reintroduction ofnational service in the UK to give young people "a sense of belonging, rather than a sense of violence".[141]
In 2009, Caine publicly criticised theLabour government ofGordon Brown for its new 50% income tax rate on top earners and threatened to return to the United States if his taxes were increased further.[138] During the run up to the2010 general election, Caine publicly endorsed theConservative Party and appeared with then-party leaderDavid Cameron for the launch of a civilian non-compulsory "National Service" for sixteen-year-olds, although Caine stated he had previously supportedNew Labour under the leadership ofTony Blair in1997.[142]
Caine voted in favour ofBrexit in the2016 European Referendum, stating he would rather be a "poor master than a rich servant".[143] He said he was a reluctant Leaver; "I don't know what to vote for. Both are scary. To me, you've now got in Europe a sort of government-by-proxy of everybody, who has now got carried away. Unless there is some extremely significant changes, we should get out."[144]
In a 2010Classic FM interview, Caine said that he had requested a doctor to deliberately give his father a fatal overdose when he was dying fromliver cancer in 1955 and endorsedvoluntary euthanasia.[146]
Caine has been nominated for an Oscar six times, winning his firstAcademy Award for the 1986 filmHannah and Her Sisters, and his second in 2000 forThe Cider House Rules, in both cases as a supporting actor. His performance inEducating Rita in 1983 earned him theBAFTA andGolden Globe Award for Best Actor. Caine is one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every consecutive decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one beingJack Nicholson);Laurence Olivier was also nominated for an acting Oscar in five consecutive decades (from the 1930s through the 1970s) as wasDenzel Washington (from the 1980s to the 2020s).Paul Newman received acting Oscar nominations at least once per each of five distinct decades (from the 1950s to the 2000s)—albeit not consecutively, having been overlooked throughout the 1970s.[citation needed]
Caine has written four memoirs across several decades. He published the first,What's It All About?, in 1992. Its title is a quote from the title song from his 1966 hit filmAlfie. The book was reviewed negatively inThe New York Times, which called it an "archetypal show-business memoir" that was engaging but tainted by the book's "name-dropping, the sexual boasting, the sensitivity to slights".[158] His second memoir,The Elephant to Hollywood, was published in 2010. Its title refers to his journey from working-class roots in theElephant and Castle neighborhood of London to Hollywood success.Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times reviewed it positively, calling Caine a "charming raconteur" and "wittily self-deprecating".[159] His third memoir,Blowing the Bloody Doors Off, was published in 2018. Its title references a quote from his 1969 hit filmThe Italian Job. His fourth memoir,Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over: My Guide to Life, was published in 2024.
Caine's first novel, a thriller entitledDeadly Game, was published in November 2023.[160]
^For an account of his evacuation and early school years, see the March 2009 newsletter of The Clove Club. This account is as sent to Jerry Pam, a fellow Hackney Downs pupil, six years Caine's senior, whom he met in the 1950s. Pam became Caine's publicist, fulfilling that role for "over 50 years".[23]
^"Style Heroes: 1960s Michael Caine".The Rake. Retrieved17 June 2022.Caine's signature was undoubtedly his thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He wore a number of subtly varying styles throughout the sixties
^"Australian Penthouse – Michael Caine: 1960s".Real Art Press. Retrieved17 June 2022.With his no-nonsense, laconic delivery, horn-rimmed glasses and sharply cut suits, he epitomised a new class of British cool. 'Michael Caine was the 1960s' ...
^"MC" [Michael Caine] (March 2009). "A Message from Evacuee Maurice Micklewhite".The Clove's Lines: The Newsletter of The Clove Club – The Old Boys ofHackney Downs School. Vol. 3, no. 2. p. 16.
^abHall, William (2004).The Biography of Sir Michael Caine; 70 Not Out. John Blake.ISBN1-84454-019-7.
^Interview with Mike Ostler by Roxanne Blakelock (15 October 2004) for theBritish Library Theatre Archive Project at www.bl.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012
^The Actors – Sir Michael Caine Q&A, Indie London at www.indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012
^Rob Carnevale,The Prestige – Michael Caine Interview, Indie London at www.indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012
^"Films Of Michael Caine".1879zuluwar.com. Zulu War 1879. 2011. Discussion and Reference Forum (A Small Victorian War in 1879). Retrieved14 January 2012.
^Caine 2010, Extracted inReader's Digest Australia. Retrieved 14 January 2012 from readersdigest.com.au.
^Stadiem, William (2014).Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years. Random House. p. 73.ISBN978-0345536976.
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