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.


Hurry Sundown (1967): $20,000/week
Gambit (1966): $250,000

His first American accent was in the film Hurry Sundown (1967). 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) Co-owned top London restaurant Langan's Brasserie. He was awarded the CBE (Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire) in the 1993 Queen's Honours List for his services to drama. Took his name from the film The Caine Mutiny (1954) He was awarded a Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his contribution to the performing arts. He owns seven restaurants: six in London, one in Miami. Father, with the late Patricia Haines, of Dominique (aka Nikki). Has two brothers. Younger brother Stanley Caine appeared in at least three of Caine's films: Billion Dollar Brain (1967), Play Dirty (1968) and The Italian Job (1969). He 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. Lodged with composer John Barry in the early 1960s for a few months, after being forced to leave his own flat, penniless. He returned the favor in 1998 when agreeing to introduce the composer's Royal Albert Hall concert - his first in the UK for 25 years. 2001: Was voted fifth in the Orange Film Survey of greatest British actors. He and Quincy Jones were born on the same day. Upon meeting Laurence Olivier for the first time on the set of Sleuth (1972), 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." 1987: Was not present at the Academy Awards ceremony when he won best supporting actor for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) because he was filming Jaws: The Revenge (1987), for which he was nominated for worst supporting actor at the Razzie awards the following year. The soundstage at Shepperton Studios, in which he filmed Batman Begins (2005), is also the one where he filmed his very first film, A Hill in Korea (1956). 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. 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. He played Charlie Croker in The Italian Job (1969). His Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) co-star Seth Green appeared in the re-make The Italian Job (2003). Near the end of The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), he passes by a store called "Micklewhite's." His real name is Maurice Micklewhite. Mike Myers said that he based the character of Austin Powers partially on Caine's character in Alfie (1966). Caine would play Austin Powers father in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). 1979: Left England for tax reasons, and did not return until 1987. Has been nominated for an Oscar at least once in five consecutive decades (1960s-2000s). 12/18/05: Attended the party at his close friend Sir Elton John's Old Windsor mansion after the singer married David Furnish in a civil partnership ceremony. Originally had the lead role of Switching Channels (1988) but was held up by production delays on Jaws: The Revenge (1987). Alfie (1966) and Sleuth (1972) were both remade with Jude Law taking over his role. His all-time favorite actor, his inspiration to become an actor and his hero is Humphrey Bogart. He was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of his outstanding contribution to film culture. Chosen by GQ magazine as one of the 50 Most Stylish Men in the Past 50 Years. Lives in Fetcham, Surrey, United Kingdom.