Michael Caine

Michael Caine (born March 14, 1933) is a British film actor. He was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in Rotherhithe, South London and grew up in nearby Camberwell. During the Second World War he was evacuated to Norfolk. When Michael Caine first became an actor he changed his name to Michael Scott. He happened to be speaking to his agent in a telephone box in London's Leicester Square when he was informed that he had to change his name again because another actor was already using the name Michael Scott. His agent insisted that he come up with a new name immediately. Looking around for inspiration, he noted that The Caine Mutiny was being shown at the Odeon cinema, and so he decided to change his name to Michael Caine. He once joked to an interviewer that had he looked the other way, he would have ended up as Michael 101 Dalmatians.

After several minor roles, Caine came into the public eye as an upper-class British army officer in the 1963 film, Zulu. This proved to be ironic, as Caine was quickly to become notable for using a regional accent, rather than the 'BBC English' hitherto considered proper for film actors. At a time when The Beatles were unashamedly Liverpudlian, Caine's working-class cockney seemed like a breath of fresh air. Zulu was closely followed by his two best-known roles: the spy "Harry Palmer", in The Ipcress File (1965), and the woman-chasing Alfie (1966). He went on to play Palmer in a further two films. His trademark horn-rimmed glasses did not prevent him becoming a pin-up. After ending the 1960s with the equally iconic The Italian Job Caine entered the 1970s with Get Carter, one of the best British gangster films. The 1970s proved to be a lean period for Caine, with successes such as Sleuth (1972) and The Man Who Would Be King (1975) overshadowed by disasters such as The Swarm (1978) and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979).

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s Caine alternated between acclaimed performances in films such as Educating Rita (1983) and Mona Lisa (1986), and unashamedly mercenary roles in notorious duds such as Jaws: The Revenge (1978) and On Deadly Ground (1994). Of the former, Caine famously said "I have not seen the film, but I hear it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it paid for, and it is superb". By this time Caine's reputation as an icon was assured, and recent performances in Little Voice (1998), Last Orders (2001) and others have rehabilitated his critical reputation.

He has been Oscar-nominated six times, winning his first Academy Award for the 1986 film, Hannah and Her Sisters, his second in 1999 for The Cider House Rules, in both cases as a supporting actor (in common with his contemporary Sean Connery, Caine now plays supporting roles). He was created Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992 for services to drama, and in 2000 a Knight Bachelor, becoming Sir Maurice Micklewhite. Unlike some actors who adopt their stage name for everyday use, Caine still uses his real name when he is not working.

Awards

New York Film Critics' Best Actor Award for Alfie
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for Educating Rita
British Academy Award for Best Actor for Educating Rita
Golden Globe for Best Actor for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Golden Globe for Best Actor for Little Voice
Academy Award Nomination for Alfie, Sleuth, Educating Rita and The Quiet American
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules

Filmography

The Statement (2003)
Secondhand Lions (2003)
The Actors (2003)
The Quiet American (2002)
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
Shiner (2000)
Quills (2000)
Get Carter (2000)
The Cider House Rules (1999)
Midnight in St. Petersburg (1997)
Bullet to Beijing (1997)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
A Shock to the System (1990)
Jekyll & Hyde (1990)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Without a Clue (1988)
The Fourth Protocol (1987)
Half Moon Street (1986)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Educating Rita (1983)
Deathtrap (1982)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Sleuth (1972)
Kidnapped (1972)
Get Carter (1972)
The Last Valley (1971)
Too Late the Hero (1970)
Battle of Britain (1969)
The Italian Job (1969)
Play Dirty (1968)
The Magus (1968)
Deadfall (1968)
Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Woman Times Seven (1967)
Hurry Sundown (1967)
Funeral in Berlin (1966)
Gambit (1966)
The Wrong Box (1966)
Alfie (1966)
The Ipcress File (1965)
Zulu (1964)