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Michael Caine

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Biography

Icon of British cool in the 1960s, leading action star in the late '70s, and knighted into official respectability in 1993, Michael Caine has enjoyed a long, varied, and enviably prolific career. Although he played a part in some notable cinematic failures, particularly during the 1980s, Caine remains one of the most established performers in the business, serving as a role model for actors and filmmakers young and old.

The son of a fish-porter father and a charwoman mother, Caine's beginnings were less than glamorous. Born Maurice Micklewhite on May 14, 1933, in the squalid South London neighborhood of Bermondsey, Caine got his first taste of the world beyond when he was evacuated to the countryside during World War II. A misfit in school, the military (he served during the Korean War), and the job pool, Caine found acceptance after answering a want ad for an assistant stage manager at the Horsham Repertory Company. Already star struck thanks to incessant filmgoing, Caine naturally took to acting, even though the life of a British regional actor was one step away from abject poverty. Changing his last name from Micklewhite to Caine in tribute to one of his favorite movies, The Caine Mutiny (1954), the actor toiled in obscurity in unbilled film bits and TV walk-ons from 1956 through 1962, occasionally obtaining leads on a TV series based on the Edgar Wallace mysteries.

Caine's big break occurred in 1963, when he was cast in a leading role in the epic, star-studded historical adventure film Zulu. Suddenly finding himself bearing a modicum of importance in the British film industry, the actor next played Harry Palmer, the bespectacled, iconoclastic secret agent protagonist of The Ipcress File (1965); he would go on to reprise the role in two more films, Funeral in Berlin (1966) and The Billion Dollar Brain (1967). After 12 years of obscure and unappreciated work, Caine was glibly hailed as an "overnight star," and with the success of The Ipcress Files, advanced to a new role as a major industry player. He went on to gain international fame in his next film, Alfie (1966), in which he played the title character, a gleefully cheeky, womanizing cockney lad. For his portrayal of Alfie, Caine was rewarded with a Golden Globe award and an Oscar nomination. One of the most popular action stars of the late '60s and early '70s, Caine had leading roles in films such as the classic 1969 action comedy The Italian Job (considered by many to be the celluloid manifestation of all that was hip in Britain at the time); Joseph L. Manckiewicz's Sleuth (1972), in which he starred opposite Laurence Olivier and won his second Oscar nomination; and The Man Who Would Be King (1976), which cast him alongside Sean Connery. His international status was further confirmed with his role in the much-acclaimed California Suite (1978), in which he headlined a cast including Jane Fonda, Maggie Smith, Walter Matthau, Bill Cosby, and Elaine May.

During the 1980s, Caine gained additional acclaim with an Oscar nomination for Educating Rita (1983) and a 1986 Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Hannah and Her Sisters. He also appeared in the smaller but similarly acclaimed Mona Lisa (also 1986), and two years later once again proved his comic talents with the hit comedy Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, in which he and Steve Martin starred as scheming con artists. Although Caine was no less prolific during the 1990s, his career began to falter with a series of lackluster films. Among the disappointments were Steven Seagal's environmental action flick On Deadly Ground (1994) and Blood and Wine, a 1996 thriller in which he starred with Jack Nicholson and Judy Davis. In the late '90s, Caine began to rebound, appearing in the acclaimed independent film Little Voice (1998), for which he won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a seedy talent agent. In addition, Caine -- or Sir Michael, as he was called after receiving his knighthood in 2000 -- got a new audience through his television work, starring in the 1997 miniseries Mandela and de Klerk. The actor, who was ranked 55 in Empire Magazine's 1997 Top 100 Actors of All Time list, also kept busy as the co-owner of a successful London restaurant, and enjoyed a new wave of appreciation from younger filmmakers who praised him as the film industry's enduring model of British cool. This appreciation was further evidenced in 2000, when Caine was honored with a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of an abortionist in The Cider House Rules.

After starting off the new millennium with both a revitalized career momentum and newfound popularity among fans who were too young to appreciate his early efforts, Caine once again scored a hit with the art-house circuit as the torturous Dr Royer-Collard in director Phillip Kaufman's Quills. Later paid homage by Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone when the muscle-bound actor stepped into Caine's well-worn shoes for a remake of Get Carter (in which Caine also appeared in a minor role) the actor would gain positive notice the following year for his turn as a friend attempting to keep a promise in Last Orders. As if the Get Carter remake wasn't enought to emphasize Caine's coolness to a new generation of moviegoers, his turn as bespectacled super-spy Austin Powers' father in Austin Powers in Goldfinger proved that even years beyond The Italian Job Caine was still at the top of his game. Moving seamlessly from kitsch to stirring /drama, Caine's role in 2002's The Quiet American earned the actor not only some of the best reviews of his later career, but another Golden Globe nomination as well. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Actors, The (2003) .... O'Malley
Statement, The (2003)
Secondhand Lions (2003) .... Garth
Quiet American, The (2002) .... Thomas Fowler
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) .... Nigel Powers
Jaws: The E! True Hollywood Story (2002) (TV) .... Himself (archive footage from Jaws: The Revenge)
Quicksand (2001/I) .... Jake Mellows
Last Orders (2001) .... Jack
... aka Letzte Runde (2002) (Germany)
BBC and the BAFTA Tribute to Michael Caine, The (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Miss Congeniality (2000) .... Victor Melling
... aka Miss Undercover (2001) (Europe: DVD title)
John Barry: Licence to Thrill (2000) (TV) .... Himself
... aka Omnibus: John Barry - Licence to Thrill (2000) (TV) (UK: series title)
Get Carter (2000) .... Cliff Brumby
Shiner (2000) .... Billy 'Shiner' Simpson
Quills (2000) .... Dr. Royer-Collard
... aka Quills - Macht der Besessenheit (2001) (Germany)
Orange British Academy Film Awards, The (2000) (TV) .... Himself
Debtors, The (1999)
Cider House Rules, The (1999) .... Dr. Wilbur Larch
Curtain Call (1999) .... Max Gale
Little Voice (1998) .... Ray Say
Shadow Run (1998) .... Haskell
70th Annual Academy Awards, The (1998) (TV) (uncredited) .... Himself (Past Oscar Winner Tribute Sequence)
Making of Special: '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea', The (1997) (TV) .... Captain Nemo
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997/II) (TV) .... Captain Nemo
Mandela and de Klerk (1997) (TV) .... F.W. de Klerk
Blood and Wine (1997) .... Victor Spansky
... aka Blood & Wine (1997) (video box title)
Bullet to Beijing (1995) .... Harry Palmer
... aka Len Deighton's Bullet to Beijing (1995) (USA: complete title)
Midnight in St. Petersburg (1995) .... Harry Palmer
Roger Moore: A Matter of Class (1995) (TV) .... Himself
World War II: When Lions Roared (1994) (TV) .... Joseph Stalin
... aka Then There Were Giants (1994) (TV)
On Deadly Ground (1994) .... Michael Jennings
American Film Institute Salute to Elizabeth Taylor, The (1993) (TV) .... Himself
Muppet Christmas Carol, The (1992) .... Ebenezer Scrooge
Blue Ice (1992) .... Harry Anders
Noises Off... (1992) .... Lloyd Fellowes
Into the Blue: Dolphin Rescue (1991) (TV) .... Himself (narrator)
Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Michael Caine: On Acting in Film, Arts, and Entertainment (1991) .... Himself
Rabbit Ears: King Midas and the Golden Touch (1991) (V) (voice) .... Himself (narrator)
Siskel & Ebert: Actors on Acting (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Bullseye! (1990) .... Sidney Lipton/Doctor Hicklar
Mr. Destiny (1990) .... Mike the Bartender
Shock to the System, A (1990) .... Graham Marshall
Jekyll & Hyde (1990) (TV) .... Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde
Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making (1989) (TV) .... Himself
Cary Grant: A Celebration of a Leading Man (1988) (TV) .... Himself/Host
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1988) .... Himself
... aka John Huston (1989) (USA)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) .... Lawrence Jamieson
Jack the Ripper (1988) (TV) .... Chief Insp. Frederick Abberline
Without a Clue (1988) .... Sherlock Holmes/Reginald Kincaid
... aka Sherlock and Me (1988)
Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup (1987) (voice) .... Himself (presenter, Best Supporting Actor)
... aka Hero (1987/I) (short title)
Trouble with Michael Caine, The (1987) (TV) .... Himself
Surrender (1987) .... Sean Stein
Fourth Protocol, The (1987) .... John Preston
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) .... Hoagie Newcombe
Whistle Blower, The (1986) .... Frank Jones
Half Moon Street (1986) .... Lord Bulbeck
Mona Lisa (1986) .... Mortwell
Sweet Liberty (1986) .... Elliott James
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) .... Elliot
Water (1985/I) .... Baxter Thwaites
Holcroft Covenant, The (1985) .... Noel Holcroft
Terror in the Aisles (1984) (archive footage) .... Dr. Robert Elliott (segment "Dressed To Kill")
... aka Time for Terror (1984) (Europe: video title English title)
Blame It on Rio (1984) .... Matthew Hollis
American Film Institute Salute to John Huston, The (1983) (TV) .... Himself
Jigsaw Man, The (1983) .... Philip Kimberly/Sergei Kuzminsky
Honorary Consul, The (1983) .... Charley Fortnum
... aka Beyond the Limit (1983) (USA)
Educating Rita (1983) .... Dr. Frank Bryant
Deathtrap (1982) .... Sidney Bruhl
Hand, The (1981) .... Jon Lansdale
Victory (1981/I) .... Capt. John Colby
... aka Escape to Victory (1981)
Dressed to Kill (1980) .... Doctor Robert Elliott
Island, The (1980) .... Blair Maynard
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979) .... Captain Mike Turner
Ashanti (1979) .... Dr. David Linderby
... aka Ashanti, Land of No Mercy (1979)
California Suite (1978) .... Sidney Cochran
... aka Neil Simon's California Suite (1978)
Swarm, The (1978) .... Brad Crane
50th Annual Academy Awards, The (1978) (TV) .... Himself (presenter, Best Supporting Actor)
Silver Bears (1977) .... Doc Fletcher
Bridge Too Far, A (1977) .... Lt. Col. J.O.E. Vandeleur
Eagle Has Landed, The (1976) .... Colonel Kurt Steiner
Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) .... Adam Worth
Don Rickles: Buy This Tape You Hockey Puck (1975) (V) .... Himself
Peeper (1975) .... Leslie C. Tucker
... aka Fat Chance (1975)
Man Who Would Be King, The (1975) .... Peachy Carnehan
... aka Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King (1975) (USA: complete title)
Romantic Englishwoman, The (1975) .... Lewis Fielding
... aka Une anglaise romantique (1975) (France)
Wilby Conspiracy, The (1975) .... Jim Keogh, Mining Engineer
Destructors, The (1974) .... John Deray
... aka Marseille Contract, The (1974) (UK)
... aka Marseille contrat (1974) (France)
Black Windmill, The (1974) .... Major John Tarrant
Pulp (1972) .... Mickey King
Sleuth (1972) .... Milo Tindle
Zee and Co. (1972) .... Robert Blakeley
... aka X, Y and Zee (1972) (USA)
Kidnapped (1971) .... Alan Breck
Get Carter (1971) .... Jack Carter
Last Valley, The (1970) .... The Captain
Simon Simon (1970) .... Himself
Too Late the Hero (1970) .... Pvt. Tosh Hearne
... aka Suicide Run (1970) (USA: TV title)
Battle of Britain (1969) .... Squadron Leader Canfield
Italian Job, The (1969) .... Charlie Croker
Saturday-Night Theatre: Cornelius (1969) (TV) .... Cornelius
Male of the Species (1969) (TV) .... Guest
Play Dirty (1968) .... Capt. Douglas
Magus, The (1968) .... Nicholas Urfe
Deadfall (1968) .... Henry Clarke
Tonite Let's All Make Love in London (1967) .... Himself
... aka London Scene, The (1967)
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) .... Harry Palmer
Woman Times Seven (1967) .... Handsome Stranger
... aka Sept fois femme (1967) (France)
... aka Sette volte donna (1968) (Italy)
Hurry Sundown (1967) .... Henry Warren
Funeral in Berlin (1966) .... Harry Palmer
Wrong Box, The (1966) .... Michael Finsbury
Gambit (1966) .... Harry
Alfie (1966) .... Alfie
Ipcress File, The (1965) .... Sergeant Harry Palmer
... aka Len Deighton's The Ipcress File (1965) (UK: complete title)
Hamlet (1964/III) (TV) .... Horatio
... aka Hamlet at Elsinore (1964) (TV)
Zulu (1964) .... Lt. Gonville Bromhead
Funny Noises with Their Mouths (1963) (TV)
Wrong Arm of the Law, The (1963) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Solo for Sparrow (1962) .... Paddy Mooney
... aka Edgar Wallace Mysteries: Solo for Sparrow (1962) (UK: series title)
Compartment, The (1961) (TV)
Foxhole in Cairo (1961) .... Weber
Day the Earth Caught Fire, The (1961) (uncredited) .... Policeman
... aka Day the Sky Caught Fire, The (1961)
Ship That Couldnt Stop, The (1961) (TV) .... Helmsman
... aka Armchair Theatre: The Ship That Couldn't Stop (1961) (TV) (UK: series title)
Ring of Truth (1961) (TV)
Bulldog Breed, The (1960) (uncredited) .... Sailor in Cinema Fight
Danger Within (1959) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
... aka Breakout (1959/II) (USA)
Blind Spot (1958) .... Johnny Brent
Passport to Shame (1958) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
... aka Girl in Room 43, The (1958)
... aka Room 43 (1959) (USA)
Two-Headed Spy, The (1958) .... Gestapo Agent
Woman of Mystery, A (1958) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Carve Her Name with Pride (1958) (uncredited) .... Extra
Steel Bayonet, The (1957) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957) .... Gilrony
... aka Uncle George (1957)
Hill in Korea, A (1956) .... Pvt. Lockyer
... aka Hell in Korea (1956) (USA)
Sailor Beware! (1956) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
... aka Panic in the Parlor (1956) (USA)

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