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Michael CaineAdd to My CelebsAge 79 Birthday Mar. 14th, 1933 Born in Rotherhithe, London, England, UK Height 6' 2 |
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB
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 joining the British army and serving in Korea during the Korean 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 (1954). 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 (1964), the 1964 epic retelling of a historic 19th-century battle in South Africa between British soldiers and Zulu warriors, brought Caine to international attention. Instead of being typecast as a low-ranking Cockney soldier, he played a snobbish, aristocratic officer. Although "Zulu" was a major success, it was the role of Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File (1965) and the title role in Alfie (1966) 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 (1966), Funeral in Berlin (1966), Play Dirty (1968), Battle of Britain (1969), Too Late the Hero (1970), The Last Valley (1970) and especially Get Carter (1971), he 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 (1975) and turned in a solid one as a German colonel in The Eagle Has Landed (1976). Educating Rita (1983) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (for which he won his first Oscar) were highlights of the 1980s, while more recently Little Voice (1998), The Cider House Rules (1999) (his second Oscar) and Last Orders (2001) have been widely acclaimed.
TRIVIA:
- 'Mike Myers (I)' (qv) said that he based the character of Austin Powers partially on Caine's character in _Alfie (1966)_ (qv). Caine would play Austin Powers father in _Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)_ (qv).
- Is close friends with Sir 'Sean Connery' (qv), Sir 'Roger Moore (I)' (qv), Sir 'Elton John' (qv) and Sir 'Andrew Lloyd Webber' (qv).
- 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 (I)' (qv) at a party in 1971, and finally quit smoking cigars shortly before his 70th birthday in 2003.
- In an interview with "The Sunday Telegraph" on 26 April 2009, Caine admitted that he is considering becoming a tax exile again if Labour Prime Minister 'Gordon Brown (VI)' (qv) increases taxes on high earners.
- Father, with the late 'Patricia Haines' (qv), of Dominique (aka Nikki).
- 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 (1980)_ (qv) and _The Island (1980)_ (qv).
- His all-time favorite actor, his inspiration to become an actor and his hero is 'Humphrey Bogart' (qv).
- 12/18/05: Attended the party at his close friend Sir 'Elton John' (qv)'s Old Windsor mansion after the singer married 'David Furnish' (qv) in a civil partnership ceremony.
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