Born Maurice Micklewhite in London, Michael Caine was the son of a fish-market porter and a charlady. He left school at 15 and took a series of working-class jobs before serving with the British army in Korea during the Koraen War, where he saw combat. Upon his return to England he gravitated toward the theater and got a job as an assistant stage manager. He adopted the name of Caine on the advice of his agent, taking it from a marquee that advertised The Caine Mutiny. In the years that followed he worked in more than 100 television dramas, with repertory companies throughout England and eventually in the stage hit,"The Long and the Short and the Tall." Zulu, the 1964 adventure epic retelling of a historic 19th-century battle in South Africa between British soldiers and Zulu natives, brought Caine to international attention. Instead of being typecast as a Cockney soldier, he played an effete, aristocratic officer. Although "Zulu" was a major success, it was the role of Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File and the title role in Alfie that made Caine a star of the first magnitude. He epitomized the new breed of actor in mid-'60s England, the working-class bloke with glasses and a down-home accent. However, after initially starring in some excellent films, particularly in the 1960s, including Gambit, Funeral in Berlin, Play Dirty, Battle of Britain, Too Late the Hero, The Last Valley and especially Get Carter, he often seemed to take on roles in below-average films, simply for the money he could by then command. There were some gems amongst the dross, however. He gave a magnificent performance opposite Sean Connery in The Man Who Would Be King and turned in a solid performance as a German colonel in The Eagle Has Landed. Educating Rita and Hannah and Her Sisters (for which he won his first Oscar) were highlights of the 1980s, while more recently Little Voice, The Cider House Rules (his second Oscar) and Last Orders have been widely acclaimed.
His first American accent was in the film Hurry Sundown. He was taught the Southern drawl by Vivien Leigh, who told him to say "four door Ford" all day long for weeks. (source - "What's it all about?" Michael Caine's autobiography - 1992) Ranked #55 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Co-owns top London restaurant Langan's Brasserie. Awarded British Variety Club Award for Best Film Actor 1987. Awarded CBE (Commander Of The Most Excellent Order Of The British Empire) in 1993. Owns his own film production company. Took his name from the film The Caine Mutiny Shared a London flat with actor Terence Stamp early in his career. Was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, 17 June 2000, for his contribution to the performing arts. When formally knighted at Buckingham Palace on 16 November 2000, he was knighted under his real name of Maurice Micklewhite. He will be known professionally as Sir Michael Caine. He owns seven restaurants: six in London, one in Miami. Father, with Shakira Caine, of Natasha. Father, with the late Patricia Haines, of Dominique (aka Nikki). The production offices of Mona Lisa were located in the disused St Olave's hospital, the very hospital in which Caine was born. Has two brothers. Younger brother Stanley Caine appeared in at least three of Caine's films: Billion Dollar Brain, Play Dirty and The Italian Job. Caine did not know about his elder half-brother David until their mother died. David suffered from epilepsy and had lived in a hospital his entire life. The role of Alfie was turned down by Anthony Newley and Terence Stamp before it was offered to him. Lodged with composer John Barry in the early sixties, for a few months, after being forced to leave his own flat, penniless. He returned the favour in 1998 when agreeing to introduce the composer's Royal Albert Hall concert - his first in the UK for 25 years. "Michael Caine", a top 10 song in Britain in the mid-'80s by the group Madness, had his "My Name Is Michael Caine" quote sampled into the song. Was voted fifth in the Orange 2001 Film Survey of greatest British actors. Starred with Donald Sutherland in a 1964 TV production of "Hamlet." Sutherland later starred in The Italian Job, a re-make of Caine's film The Italian Job. He and Quincy Jones were born on the same day. Lobbied for the lead role in The Day of the Jackal but was rejected by director Fred Zinnemann, who felt that the character of The Jackal, who essentially is a cipher, should not be played by a movie star. Upon meeting Laurence Olivier for the first time on the set of Sleuth, he was unsure of how to address Olivier. Olivier told him that he should be called Lord Olivier the first time, and after that, he could simply call him "Larry." Three of his memorable films (Alfie, The Italian Job, and Get Carter), and have all been remade. Was not present at the 1987 Academy Awards ceremony when he won best supporting actor for Hannah and Her Sisters because he was filming Jaws: The Revenge, for which he was nominated for worst supporting actor at the Razzie awards the following year. Has stated that the character of Vichy war criminal Pierre Brossard in The Statement was his least favorite. He said that all the other characters he played in his career, whether good or evil, had a sense of humor on some level that he would try to convey in his performance. He felt that Brossard had no sense of humor whatsoever, in part because the character was such an intense man. The soundstage at Shepperton Studios, in which he filmed Batman Begins, is also the one where he filmed his very first film, Hell in Korea. Is close friends with Sir Sean Connery, Sir Roger Moore, Sir Elton John and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Throughout the 1960s he was by his own estimation drinking two bottles of vodka and smoking at least eighty cigarettes a day. He quit smoking cigarettes following a stern lecture from Tony Curtis at a party in 1971, and finally quit smoking cigars shortly before his 70th birthday in 2003. Was the first person to be nominated for an acting Razzie award for more than one title. He was nominated for Worst Actor of 1980 at the very first Razzie awards for his roles in the films Dressed to Kill and The Island. In 1957, at Brighton University, Caine appeared in a one-act play written by a fellow actor who went by the name of David Baron. It was Baron's very first play. He later changed his name back to Harold Pinter, the name under which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. Shares a birthday with Taylor Hanson, Mercedes McNab, Kylie Tyndall and Keaton Tyndall, Quincy Jones, & Chris Klein He played Charlie Croker in The Italian Job. His Austin Powers: Goldmember co-star Seth Green appeared in the re-make The Italian Job. Superstar Swedish rock band Kent refer to him in their song "Palace and Main" Near the end of The Muppet Christmas Carol, he passes by a store called "Micklewhite's." His real name is Maurice Micklewhite. Allegedly did not get along with Steven Seagal while filming On Deadly Ground. Mike Myers said that he based the character of Austin Powers partially on Caine's character in Alfie. Caine would play Austin Powers father in Austin Powers: Goldmember. Visited John Wayne several times when the veteran star was dying of cancer in hospital. Left England in 1979 for tax reasons, and did not return until 1987. An ardent Thatcherite during the 1980s, Caine switched his support to Tony Blair's New Labour Party shortly before the 1997 General Election. Has been nominated for an Oscar at least once in five consecutive decades (1960s-2000s).