View source for Michael Caine

{{Short description|English actor (born 1933)}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox actor
| honorific_prefix   = [[Knight Bachelor|Sir]]
| name               = Michael Caine
| honorific_suffix   = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100|CBE}}
| image              = Michael Caine - Viennale 2012 g (cropped).jpg
| caption            = Caine in 2012
| birth_name         = Maurice Joseph Micklewhite
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|df=y|1933|3|14}}
| birth_place        = [[Rotherhithe]], London, England
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1950–2023<ref name="outofretirement">{{cite magazine |issn=0957-4948 |last=King |first=Jordan |date=8 September 2025 |title=Michael Caine To Come Out Of Retirement, Aged 92, For Vin Diesel's The Last Witch Hunter 2 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/michael-caine-to-come-out-of-retirement-aged-92-for-vin-diesels-the-last-witch-hunter-2/ |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=13 October 2023 |publisher=[[Bauer Media Group]]}}</ref><!-- Do NOT add 2025. Only add a year once it is confirmed that the filming has begun/it's in production. -->
| works              = [[Michael Caine filmography|Filmography]]
| spouse             = {{unbulleted list
  | {{marriage|[[Patricia Haines]]|1954|1958|end=divorced}}
  | {{marriage|[[Shakira Baksh]]|8 January 1973}}
  }}
| children           = 2
| relatives          = [[Stanley Caine]] (brother)
| awards             = [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Caine|Full list]]
{{Infobox military person
   |embed        = yes
   |embed_title  = Military Service
   |allegiance   = [[United Kingdom]]
   |branch       = [[British Army]]
   |serviceyears = 1951–1953
   |unit         = [[Royal Fusiliers|C Company, 1st Royal Fusiliers]]
   |rank         = Private
   |battles      = [[Korean War]]
   |awards       = {{ubl|[[Korea Medal]] | [[United Nations Service Medal Korea|UN Korea Medal]]}}
  }}
| website            = {{URL|michaelcaine.com}}
| module             = {{listen |embed=yes |filename=Michael_Caine_BBC_Radio4_Front_Row_29_Sept_2010_b00tyv8c.flac |title=Michael Caine's voice |type=speech |description=from the BBC programme ''[[Front Row (radio programme)|Front Row Interviews]]'', 29 September 2010.<ref name="FR radio4">{{cite episode |title=Michael Caine |series=Front Row |department=Interviews |series-link=Front Row (radio programme) |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tyv8c |station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |date=29 September 2010 |access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref>}}
| signature          = Michael Caine Signature.png
}}
{{Michael Caine sidebar}}
'''Sir Michael Caine''' (born '''Maurice Joseph Micklewhite'''; 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor.<ref name="mcintosh bbc">{{cite news| last = McIntosh| first = Steven | date = 13 October 2023| title = Michael Caine confirms retirement from acting after ''The Great Escaper''| work = BBC News | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67099084| access-date = 13 October 2023}}</ref> Known for his distinctive [[Cockney]] accent,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reed |first1=Rex |title=Michael Caine's 'Best Sellers' Has Something to Say About the Death of Literacy, If You Can Manage to Stay Awake |url=https://observer.com/2021/09/michael-caines-best-sellers-has-something-to-say-about-the-death-of-literacy-if-you-can-manage-to-stay-awake/ |work=Observer |date=16 September 2021 |language=en |access-date=20 August 2022}}</ref> he has appeared in more than 130 films over [[Michael Caine filmography|a career]] that spanned eight decades and is considered a British [[cultural icon]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/michael-caine-retiring-best-sellers-b1939591.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/michael-caine-retiring-best-sellers-b1939591.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Michael Caine 'not retiring' despite saying Best Sellers was his 'last part' |work=[[The Independent]] |first=Roisin |last=O'Connor |date=16 October 2021 |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/sir-michael-caine-story-british-film-icon-558117 |title=Sir Michael Caine – story of a British film icon |work=[[The Yorkshire Post]] |first=Hannah |last=Stephenson |date=18 October 2018 |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> He has received [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Caine|numerous awards]] including two [[Academy Awards]], a [[BAFTA Award]], three [[Golden Globe Awards]], and a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]]. As of 2017, the films in which Caine has appeared have grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/person/22680401-Michael-Caine#tab=summary=acting |title=Michael Caine – Box Office Data Movie Star |website=The-numbers.com|access-date=20 March 2014}}</ref> Caine is one of only five male actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in five different decades.{{efn|The others are [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Jack Nicholson]] and [[Denzel Washington]].}} In 2000, he received a [[BAFTA Fellowship]] and was [[Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom|knighted]] by [[Queen Elizabeth II]].

Often playing a cockney, Caine made his breakthrough in the 1960s with starring roles in British films such as ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'' (1964), ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965), ''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969), and ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' (1969). During this time he established a distinctive visual style wearing thick [[horn-rimmed glasses]] combined with sharp suits and a laconic vocal delivery; he was recognised as a style icon of the 1960s.<ref name="The Times">{{cite news |title=Classic film of the week: ''The Ipcress File'' (1965) |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/classic-film-of-the-week-the-ipcress-file-1965-386gnbsqgz5 |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=[[The Times]] |quote=Michael Caine is the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer. His cockney smarts, his horn-rimmed glasses}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Style Heroes: 1960s Michael Caine |url=https://therake.com/stories/style/michael-caine-1960s-style-hero/ |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=The Rake |quote=Caine's signature was undoubtedly his thick, horn-rimmed glasses. He wore a number of subtly varying styles throughout the sixties}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Australian Penthouse – Michael Caine: 1960s |url=https://www.reelartpress.com/press/details/135 |access-date=17 June 2022 |work=Real Art Press |quote=With his no-nonsense, laconic delivery, horn-rimmed glasses and sharply cut suits, he epitomised a new class of British cool. 'Michael Caine was the 1960s' ...}}</ref> He solidified his stardom with roles in ''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971), ''[[The Last Valley (film)|The Last Valley]]'' (1971), ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' (1975), ''[[The Eagle Has Landed (film)|The Eagle Has Landed]]'' (1976), and ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977).

Caine received two [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor]] for his roles as Elliot in [[Woody Allen]]'s [[dramedy]] ''[[Hannah and Her Sisters]]'' (1986), and as Dr. Wilbur Larch in [[Lasse Hallström]]'s drama ''[[The Cider House Rules (film)|The Cider House Rules]]'' (1999). His other Oscar-nominated film roles were in ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966), ''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]'' (1972), ''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983), and ''[[The Quiet American (2002 film)|The Quiet American]]'' (2002)—all four of which were for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|the leading actor category]]. Other notable performances occurred in the films ''[[California Suite]]'' (1978), ''[[Dressed to Kill (1980 film)|Dressed to Kill]]'' (1980), ''[[Mona Lisa (film)|Mona Lisa]]'' (1986), ''[[Little Voice (film)|Little Voice]]'' (1998), ''[[Quills (film)|Quills]]'' (2000), ''[[Children of Men]]'' (2006), ''[[Harry Brown (film)|Harry Brown]]'' (2009), and ''[[Youth (2015 film)|Youth]]'' (2015).

Caine is also known for his performance as [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' (1992), and for his comedic roles in ''[[Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (film)|Dirty Rotten Scoundrels]]'' (1988), ''[[Miss Congeniality (film)|Miss Congeniality]]'' (2000), ''[[Austin Powers in Goldmember]]'' (2002), and ''[[Secondhand Lions]]'' (2003). Caine portrayed [[Alfred Pennyworth]] in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s [[Batman in film|''Batman'' trilogy]] (2005–2012). He has also had roles in five other Nolan films: ''[[The Prestige (film)|The Prestige]]'' (2006), ''[[Inception]]'' (2010), ''[[Interstellar (film)|Interstellar]]'' (2014), ''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]'' (2017), and ''[[Tenet (film)|Tenet]]'' (2020). He announced his retirement from acting in October 2023 and his final film was ''[[The Great Escaper]]'', which came out in the same month.

==Early life==
{{multiple image
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| width = 220
| image1 = Sir Michael Caine Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 497396.jpg
| width1 =
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| caption1 = [[Blue plaque]] marking Caine's birthplace at [[St Olave's Hospital]] in [[Rotherhithe]], south-east London
| image2 = -2019-07-04 Michael Caine Blue Plaque, North Runcton, Norfolk.jpg
| width2 =
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = Blue plaque at the former school in [[North Runcton]] where, as a wartime evacuee, Caine made his stage debut
}}
Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite at [[St Olave's Hospital]] in the [[Rotherhithe]] district of London on 14 March 1933,{{sfn|Caine|1992}}<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Caine "Michael Caine Biography"], ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. Accessed 9 July 2023.</ref>{{efn|Rotherhithe did not become part of the London Borough of Southwark until its creation in 1965. In 1933, it was part of the [[Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey]] in the [[County of London]] (abolished 1965).}}{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=16}} the son of cook and [[charwoman]] Ellen Frances Marie (née Burchell; 1900–1989)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timedetectives.co.uk/doc/MichaelCaineFamilyTree.pdf |title=Michael Caine Family Tree |access-date=26 April 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780805093902/page/6 6]}} and a [[fish market]] porter also called Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (1899–1956). His father was from a [[Catholic]] [[Irish Traveller]] family background.<ref name="IT1">{{cite news |last1=Clarke |first1=Donald |title=Michael Caine: Still willing to blow the bloody doors off |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/michael-caine-still-willing-to-blow-the-bloody-doors-off-1.3619061 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |publisher=Irish Times Trust |access-date=4 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240604135127/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/michael-caine-still-willing-to-blow-the-bloody-doors-off-1.3619061 |archive-date=4 June 2024 |location=[[Tara Street, Dublin]] |language=en |date=8 September 2018}}</ref> Caine was raised in his mother's [[Protestant]] faith.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/2009/05/01/caine-s-magical-performance-in-is-anybody-out-there-91466-23519005/ |title=Lifestyle – Caine's magical performance in Is Anybody Out There? |website=WalesOnline |date=1 May 2009 |access-date=6 July 2012}}</ref> He had a younger brother, [[Stanley Caine|Stanley]] (1935–2013), who also became an actor, and an older maternal half-brother named David Burchell. He grew up in London's [[Southwark]] district; during the [[Second World War]], he was [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] {{convert|100|mi|km}} to [[North Runcton]], Norfolk, where he made his acting debut at the village school and had a pet horse called Lottie.{{sfn|Caine|2018}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.runctonweb.co.uk/mcaine.html |title=Michaorfolk childhood |website=Runctonweb.co.uk |access-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830215052/http://www.runctonweb.co.uk/mcaine.html |archive-date=30 August 2009}}</ref>

After the war, Caine's father was [[demobilised]] and the family were rehoused by the council in Marshall Gardens in London's [[Elephant and Castle]] area, where they lived in a [[prefabricated house]] made in Canada{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=28}} as much of London's housing stock had been destroyed during [[the Blitz]] in 1940 and 1941. Caine later wrote in his autobiography, "The prefabs, as they were known, were intended to be temporary homes while London was reconstructed, but we ended up living there for eighteen years—and for us, after a cramped flat with an outside toilet, it was luxury."{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=29}}

At the age of 10, Caine acted in a school play as the father of the ugly sisters in ''[[Cinderella]]''. His trousers' zipper was undone, prompting the audience to laugh, which inspired him to pursue an acting career.<ref name= "most searched">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9obGdzeSD4 |title=Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions |type=Video presentation |date=6 April 2017 |access-date=19 March 2020 |via=YouTube|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]}}</ref> In 1944, he passed his [[eleven-plus]] examination, winning a scholarship to [[Hackney Downs School]].{{efn|For an account of his evacuation and early school years, see the March 2009 newsletter of The Clove Club. This account is as sent to Jerry Pam, a fellow Hackney Downs pupil, six years Caine's senior, whom he met in the 1950s. Pam became Caine's publicist, fulfilling that role for "over 50 years".<ref>{{cite magazine| author=(("MC" [Michael Caine]))| title=A Message from Evacuee Maurice Micklewhite |magazine=The Clove's Lines: The Newsletter of The Clove Club – The Old Boys of [[Hackney Downs School]] |volume= 3 |issue=2 |date=March 2009 |page=16}}</ref>}} After a year there, he moved to [[Wilson's School]] in [[Camberwell]], which he left at age 16 after gaining [[School Certificate (UK)|School Certificates]] in six subjects. He then worked briefly as a filing clerk and messenger for a film company in [[Victoria, London]] and film producer [[Jay Lewis (director)|Jay Lewis]] on [[Wardour Street]].<ref name=70notout>{{cite book|year=2004|first=William|last=Hall|isbn=1-84454-019-7|title=The Biography of Sir Michael Caine; 70 Not Out|publisher=John Blake}}</ref>

==Military service==
In 1951, Caine was [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|called up]] to do his [[national service]] with the [[British Army]]. After basic training and 12 months in the [[Queen's Royal Regiment]], from 1952 he served with the [[Royal Fusiliers]], first at the [[British Army of the Rhine]] Headquarters in [[Iserlohn]], [[West Germany]], and then on [[United Kingdom in the Korean War|active service]] in the [[Korean War]]. Having contracted malaria, he was sent home in 1953 and [[Military discharge#British Army|discharged from the service]].<ref name="talk">{{cite web|last=Wills |first= Dominic|url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/michael-caine/biography/83 |title=Michael Caine – Biography |website=Talk Talk |access-date=14 November 2010|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130424185145/http://www.talktalk.co.uk:80/entertainment/film/biography/artist/michael-caine/biography/83? |archive-date=24 April 2013 |page=27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stilwell |first1=Blake |title=Listen to Actor Michael Caine Talk About Fighting in Korea |url=https://www.military.com/history/listen-actor-michael-caine-talk-about-fighting-korea.html |website=Military.com |language=en |date=13 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sir Michael Caine |url=https://www.fusiliermuseumlondon.org/art24491 |website=Fusilier Museum London |id=Research by David Ingle |date=n.d.}}</ref>

Caine, seeing first-hand how the Chinese used [[human wave]] tactics, was left with the sense that the communist [[Maoist]] government did not care about its citizens. Having been previously sympathetic towards the ideals of communism, Caine was left repelled by it.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halliday |first1=Jon |last2=Chang |first2=Jung |title=Mao: The Unknown Story |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |date=2 June 2005 |page=446}}</ref> He experienced a situation in which he thought he was going to die, the memory of which stayed with him and "formed his character". In his 2010 autobiography ''The Elephant to Hollywood'', he wrote that "The rest of my life I have lived every bloody moment from the moment I wake up until the time I go to sleep."<ref>{{cite web |title=Michael Caine |url=https://the-talks.com/interview/sir-michael-caine/ |website=The Talks |date=14 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Caine|2010}}: Extract from the Macmillan Audiobook edition {{isbn|9781427211781}} at {{YouTube|DxJI7Uz8xnU|"The Interesting Military Career of Sir Michael Caine"}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Michael Caine Biography and Interview |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-michael-caine/#interview}}</ref>

Caine has said that he would like to see the return of national service in Britain, to help combat [[Juvenile delinquency|youth violence]], stating: "I'm just saying, put them in the Army for six months. You're there to learn how to defend your country. You belong to the country. Then, when you come out, you have a sense of belonging, rather than a sense of violence."<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Child|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/11/michael-caine-national-service|title=Michael Caine: bring back national service |work=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|date=11 November 2009|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

==Acting career==
=== 1950–1963: Acting debut and early roles ===
Caine's film debut was an uncredited [[Bit part|walk-on]] role in ''[[Morning Departure]]'' (1950). A few years later in [[Horsham]], Sussex, he responded to an advertisement in ''[[The Stage]]'' for an assistant stage manager who would also perform bit parts for the Horsham-based Westminster Repertory Company, who were performing at the [[Horsham#Town centre|Carfax]] Electric Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiddenhorsham.co.uk/30/electrictheatre.htm |title=Horsham Carfax Electric Theatre&nbsp;– Hidden Horsham |publisher=Hidden Horsham |access-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821111100/http://www.hiddenhorsham.co.uk/30/electrictheatre.htm |archive-date=21 August 2009 }}</ref> Adopting the stage name Michael Scott, in July 1953 he was cast as the drunkard Hindley in the company's production of ''[[Wuthering Heights]]''.<ref>'Storms Outside - and Within: Theatre Royal Horsham', ''West Sussex County Times'', 17 July 1953, p. 4.</ref><ref name="Caine 2019">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/michael-caine-tales-of-a-jobbing-cockney-34385708.html|title=Michael Caine: Tales of a jobbing cockney|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=24 January 2016|access-date=7 February 2019}}</ref><ref>Interview with Mike Ostler by Roxanne Blakelock (15 October 2004) for the [[British Library]] Theatre Archive Project at www.bl.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> He moved to the [[Lowestoft]] Repertory Company in [[Suffolk]] for a year when he was 21. It was here that he met his first wife, [[Patricia Haines]].<ref>The Actors – Sir Michael Caine Q&A, Indie London at www.indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> He has described the first nine years of his career as "really, really brutal"<ref>Rob Carnevale, ''The Prestige'' – Michael Caine Interview, Indie London at www.indielondon.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2012</ref> as well as "more like purgatory than paradise".{{sfn|Caine|2018}} He appeared in nine plays during his time at the Lowestoft Rep at the Arcadia Theatre with Jackson Stanley's Standard Players.

When his career took him to London in 1954 after his provincial apprenticeship, his agent informed him that there was already a Michael Scott performing as an actor in London and that he had to come up with a new name immediately.<ref name="Caine 2019"/> Speaking to his agent from a [[telephone booth]] in [[Leicester Square]], London, he looked around for inspiration, noted that ''[[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|The Caine Mutiny]]'' was being shown at the [[Odeon Cinema]], and decided to change his name to Michael Caine.<ref name="Caine 2019"/> He joked on television in 1987 that, had a tree partly blocking his view been a few feet to the left, he might have been called "Michael Mutiny". He also later joked in interviews that, had he looked the other way, he would have ended up as "Michael [[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]".<ref>{{cite news|first=Barry|last=Norman|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1998/nov/06/1 |title=Michael Caine (I) |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=6 November 1998|access-date=17 October 2009}}</ref> In 1958, Caine played the minor role of a court orderly in a BBC Television adaptation of the story, ''[[The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (play)|The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5473d4de8f7148c3af8a412baf672fa9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807191804/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/5473d4de8f7148c3af8a412baf672fa9|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2022|title=Sunday-Night Theatre presents: ''The Caine Mutiny Court Martial''|date=June 1958 |publisher=[[BBC]]|access-date=7 August 2022}}</ref>

Caine moved in with another rising cockney actor, [[Terence Stamp]], and began hanging out with him and [[Peter O'Toole]] in the London party scene after he had become O'Toole's [[understudy]] in [[Lindsay Anderson]]'s [[West End theatre|West End]] staging of [[Willis Hall]]'s ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (play)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]'' in 1959.<ref name="Caine 2019"/> Caine took over the role when O'Toole left to make ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'' and went on to a four-month tour of the UK and Ireland.<ref name="Caine 2019"/> Caine's first film role was as one of the privates in [[George Baker (British actor)|George Baker]]'s platoon in the 1956 film ''[[A Hill in Korea]]''. The stars of the film were Baker, [[Harry Andrews]], [[Stanley Baker]] and [[Michael Medwin]], with [[Stephen Boyd]] and [[Ronald Lewis (actor)|Ronald Lewis]]; [[Robert Shaw]] also had a small part. Caine also appeared regularly on television in small roles. His first credited role on the BBC was in 1956, where he played Boudousse in the [[Jean Anouilh]] play ''[[The Lark (play)|The Lark]]''. Other parts included three roles in ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'' in 1957, 1958 and 1959, prisoner-of-war series ''[[Escape (UK TV series)|Escape]]'' (1957), and the crime/thriller drama ''[[Mister Charlesworth]]'' (1958).

Caine continued to appear on television, in serials ''The Golden Girl'' and ''No Wreath for the General'', but was then cast in the play ''[[The Compartment]]'', written by [[Johnny Speight]], a [[two-hander]] also starring [[Frank Finlay]]. This was followed by main roles in other plays including the character Tosh in ''Somewhere for the Night'', a ''[[Sunday-Night Play]]'' written by [[Bill Naughton]] televised on Sunday 3 December 1961, another two-hander by Johnny Speight, ''The Playmates'', and two editions of BBC plays strand ''[[First Night]]'', ''Funny Noises with Their Mouths'' and ''The Way with Reggie'' (both 1963). He also acted in radio plays, including [[Bill Naughton]]'s ''Looking for Frankie'' on the [[BBC Home Service]] (1963). A big break came for Caine when he was cast as Meff in [[James Saunders (playwright)|James Saunders]]' [[Cockney]] comedy ''Next Time I'll Sing To You'', when this play was presented at the [[New Arts Theatre]] in London on 23 January 1963.<ref>{{cite web|date = 29 August 2009 |title=Bibliography: ''Next Time I'll Sing To You'' by James Saunders (1962) |website= James Saunders.org |url= http://www.jamessaunders.org/jsnext.htm |access-date=14 January 2012}}</ref> Scenes from the play's performance were featured in the April 1963 issue of ''Theatre World'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phyllis.demon.co.uk/theatricalia/14mags/thw60s.htm |title=ROB WILTON THEATRICALIA Theatre World Magazines 1960s |publisher=Phyllis.demon.co.uk |date=4 December 1965 |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-date=23 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423105320/http://www.phyllis.demon.co.uk/theatricalia/14mags/thw60s.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 1964–1975: Stardom and acclaim ===
[[File:Michael-caine-trailer.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Caine in the trailer for ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'' (1964)]]
When this play moved to the [[Criterion Theatre|Criterion]] in [[Piccadilly]] with [[Michael Codron]] directing, he was visited backstage by [[Stanley Baker]], one of the four stars in Caine's first film, ''A Hill in Korea'', who told him about the part of a Cockney private in his upcoming film ''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'', a film Baker was producing and starring in. Baker told Caine to meet the director, [[Cy Endfield]], who informed him that he had already given the part to [[James Booth]], a fellow Cockney who was Caine's friend, because he "looked more Cockney" than Caine did. Endfield then told the {{convert|6|ft|2|in|m}} tall Caine that he did not look like a Cockney but like an officer, and offered him a screen test for the role of a snobbish, upper class officer after Caine assured him that he could do a [[posh accent]]. Caine believes Endfield offered him, a Cockney, the role of an aristocrat because, being American, he did not have the endemic British class-prejudice. Though he tested poorly, Endfield gave him the part that would make him a film star.{{sfn|Caine|2010|pp=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780805093902/page/50 50–52]}}

[[File:Michael-Caine-in-Helsinki-1967-c.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Caine during filming in 1967 in his third outing as crook-turned-spy [[Harry Palmer]]]]
Location shooting for ''Zulu'' took place in [[Natal (Province)|Natal]], South Africa, for 14 weeks in 1963.<ref>{{cite news | title= The Two-Headed Spy| publisher= Turner Classic Movies |website= tcm.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=1879zuluwar.com | publisher= Zulu War 1879 |id=Discussion and Reference Forum (A Small Victorian War in 1879) |title=Films Of Michael Caine |date=2011 |url=https://www.1879zuluwar.com/t3518-films-of-michael-caine|access-date=14 January 2012}}</ref>{{sfn|Caine|2010|loc=Extracted in ''Reader's Digest Australia''. Retrieved 14 January 2012 from readersdigest.com.au}} According to his 2010 autobiography ''The Elephant to Hollywood'', Caine had been signed to a seven-year contract by [[Joseph E. Levine]], whose [[Embassy Pictures|Embassy Films]] was distributing ''Zulu''. After the return of the cast to England and the completion of the film, Levine released him from the contract, telling him, "I know you're not, but you gotta face the fact that you look like a queer on screen." Levine gave his contract to his ''Zulu'' co-star James Booth.{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=62}} Subsequently, Caine's agent got him cast in the BBC production ''[[Hamlet at Elsinore]]'' (1964) as [[Horatio (character)|Horatio]], in support of [[Christopher Plummer]]'s [[Prince Hamlet|Hamlet]]. Horatio was the only classical role which Caine, who had never received dramatic training, would ever play. Caine wrote, "{{nbsp}}... I decided that if my on-screen appearance was going to be an issue, then I would use it to bring out all Horatio's ambiguous sexuality."{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=63}}

Caine's roles as effete-seeming aristocrats were to contrast with his next projects, in which he was to become notable for using a [[Regional accents of English|regional accent]], rather than the [[Received Pronunciation]] then considered proper for film actors. At that time his working-class [[Cockney]] speech stood out to American and British audiences alike, as did [[the Beatles]]' [[Liverpudlian]] accents. ''Zulu'' was followed by two of Caine's best-known roles: the rough-edged petty-crook-turned-spy [[Harry Palmer]] in ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965) and the titular womanising young Cockney in ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966). In a 2016 interview Caine cited ''Alfie'' as his favourite film of his career, saying, "it made me a star in America as well, and it was my first nomination for an Academy Award".<ref>{{cite web |title=Sir Michael Caine admits he has never seen the much-derided ''Jaws 4'' |url=https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-news/sir-michael-caine-admits-he-has-never-seen-the-much-derided-jaws-4-34366505.html |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=15 January 2016 |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> He went on to play Harry Palmer in a further four films, ''[[Funeral in Berlin (film)|Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1966), ''[[Billion Dollar Brain]]'' (1967), ''[[Bullet to Beijing]]'' (1995) and ''[[Midnight in Saint Petersburg]]'' (1996).<ref>{{cite news |title=''The Ipcress File'': how a bespectacled 'anti-Bond' changed Michael Caine's life |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ipcress-file-bespectacled-anti-bond-changed-michael-caines-life/ |work=The Telegraph |access-date=22 June 2022}}</ref> Caine made his first film in Hollywood in 1966, after an invitation from [[Shirley MacLaine]] to play opposite her in ''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]''. During the first two weeks, whilst staying at [[the Beverly Hills Hotel]], he met long-term friends [[John Wayne]] and agent [[Irving Paul Lazar|"Swifty" Lazar]]. Wayne was a fan of Caine's performance in ''Alfie'' and suggested to Caine, "Speak slow and speak low". Caine was always grateful for that advice.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hamilton |first=Fiona |title=Best of Times Worst of Times Michael Caine |url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2006928.ece |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110616185212/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2006928.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 June 2011 |work=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=1 July 2007 |access-date=5 April 2010}}</ref> Caine starred in the film ''[[The Magus (film)|The Magus]]'' (1968) which, although [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]]-nominated for Best Cinematography, failed at the box office.
[[File:Get-carter-trailer.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Caine in the trailer for ''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971)]]
Caine starred in the 1969 comedy [[caper film]] ''[[The Italian Job]]'' as Charlie Croker, the leader of a Cockney criminal gang released from prison with the intention of doing a "big job" in Italy to steal gold bullion from an armoured security truck. One of the most celebrated roles of his career, in a 2002 poll his line "You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" was voted the second-funniest line in film (after "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy" from [[Monty Python]]'s ''[[Life of Brian]]''),<ref>{{cite news |first=Sarah|last=Womack|title=''Life of Brian'' wins the vote for film's best laughter line |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1385293/Life-of-Brian-wins-the-vote-for-films-best-laughter-line.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1385293/Life-of-Brian-wins-the-vote-for-films-best-laughter-line.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=19 February 2002 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=19 August 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and favourite one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1,000 film fans.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1424181/Caine-takes-top-billing-for-the-greatest-one-liner-on-screen.html | title = Caine takes top billing for the greatest one-liner on screen |first= Michael |last=Paterson | date = 10 March 2003 |work = [[The Daily Telegraph]] | access-date = 25 October 2017}}</ref> Culminating in a [[cliffhanger]], ''The Italian Job'' has one of the most discussed end scenes in film; what happened to the coachload of gold teetering over the edge of a cliff has been debated in the decades since the film was released.<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Brown |title='I had a better idea': writer's original finish for 'Italian Job' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/i-had-a-better-idea-writers-original-finish-for-italian-job-435666.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/i-had-a-better-idea-writers-original-finish-for-italian-job-435666.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=9 February 2007 |work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Richard|last=Alleyne|title= At last Michael Caine reveals ending to the Italian Job|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3533647/At-last-Michael-Caine-reveals-ending-to-the-Italian-Job.html |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/3533647/At-last-Michael-Caine-reveals-ending-to-the-Italian-Job.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|date=28 November 2008|access-date=19 August 2019 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

After working on ''The Italian Job'' with [[Noël Coward]], and a role as [[RAF]] fighter pilot [[squadron leader]] Canfield in the all-star cast of ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' (both 1969), Caine played the lead in ''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971), a British gangster film. Caine also starred in a comedy thriller, ''[[Pulp (1972 film)|Pulp]]'' (1972). Caine continued with successes including ''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]'' (1972) opposite [[Laurence Olivier]], and [[John Huston]]'s ''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' (1975) co-starring [[Sean Connery]], which received widespread acclaim.<ref name="king"/> Martyn Palmer of ''[[The Times]]'' applauded the "lovely double act of Caine and Connery, clowning to their doom",<ref name= double>{{cite news| url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2856533.ece| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080718184146/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2856533.ece| first= Martyn| last= Palmer| title= Double act: Michael Caine and Jude Law (lunch and discussion)| work= The Times| date= 17 November 2007| archivedate= 2008-07-18| access-date= }}</ref> while Huston paid tribute to Caine's improvisation as an actor: "Michael is one of the most intelligent men among the artists I've known. I don't particularly care to throw the ball to an actor and let him improvise, but with Michael it's different. I just let him get on with it."<ref name="king">{{cite book|first=William|last=Hall|date=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b4UxBwAAQBAJ&q=the+man+who+would+be+king+-+michael+caine+would+like+to+be+remembered+for&pg=PT201|title=Sir Michael Caine – The Biography|publisher=[[John Blake Publishing]]|location=London |isbn= 9781784185350}}</ref> In 1974, Caine appeared in ''[[The Black Windmill]]'', co-starring [[Donald Pleasence]].

=== 1976–1997: Established star ===
[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - Michael Caine in 'Ashanti'.jpg|thumb|upright|Caine in [[Ashanti (1979 film)|Ashanti]]]]
In 1976, Caine appeared in [[Tom Mankiewicz]]'s screen adaptation of the [[Jack Higgins]] novel ''[[The Eagle Has Landed (film)|The Eagle Has Landed]]'' as ''[[Oberst]]'' ([[Colonel]]) Kurt Steiner, the commander of a [[Luftwaffe]] paratroop unit disguised as Polish [[paratrooper]]s, whose mission was to kidnap or kill the then-[[British Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]], alongside co-stars [[Donald Sutherland]], [[Robert Duvall]], [[Jenny Agutter]] and Donald Pleasence. Caine also was part of an all-star cast in ''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977).<ref>{{cite news|title=''A Bridge Too Far'', for allied forces and for viewers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/15/a-bridge-too-far-reel-history|access-date=4 November 2021|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> In 1978, Caine starred in ''[[Silver Bears]]'', an adaptation of [[Paul Erdman]]'s 1974 novel of the same name, and co-starred in the Academy Award-winning ''[[California Suite (film)|California Suite]]''. In the late 1970s, Caine's choice of roles was frequently criticised{{mdash}}something to which he has referred with self-deprecating comments about taking parts strictly for the money. He averaged two films a year, but these included such films as ''[[The Swarm (1978 film)|The Swarm]]'' (1978) (although critically panned it was Academy Award-nominated for Best Costume Design), ''[[Ashanti (1979 film)|Ashanti]]'' (1979) and ''[[Beyond the Poseidon Adventure]]'' (1979).

In the early 1980s Caine appeared in ''[[The Island (1980 film)|The Island]]'' (1980), ''[[The Hand (1981 film)|The Hand]]'' (1981), and had a reunion with his ''Sleuth'' co-star Laurence Olivier in ''[[The Jigsaw Man (film)|The Jigsaw Man]]'' (1982). During the 1980s Caine enjoyed further acclaimed roles and awards attention. He co-starred with [[Julie Walters]] in ''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983), for which he won a BAFTA and a [[Golden Globe Award]]. In 1986, he portrayed the neurotic Elliot in [[Woody Allen]]'s ensemble comedy ''[[Hannah and Her Sisters]]'', starring [[Barbara Hershey]], [[Dianne Wiest]], and [[Mia Farrow]]. For his performance he won his first [[Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Thomas |title=Three-time loser Caine becomes Oscar winner |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19870430&id=DucrAAAAIBAJ&pg=3349,7713188 |newspaper=Kentucky New Era |agency=Associated Press |date=30 April 1987 |access-date=21 October 2014}}</ref> [[Peter Bradshaw]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' wrote in 2011, "Caine's performance, so fervent, so agonisingly dedicated, actually gains in force and touching sincerity with the years."<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/dec/22/hannah-and-her-sisters-film-review|title= ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' – review|website= The Guardian|date= 22 December 2011|access-date= September 21, 2023|last1= Bradshaw|first1= Peter}}</ref> Caine also played a suave English conman, opposite a clumsy American played by [[Steve Martin]], in the crime comedy ''[[Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (film)|Dirty Rotten Scoundrels]]'' (1988), directed by [[Frank Oz]]. The film earned him a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] nomination, losing to [[Tom Hanks]] in ''[[Big (film)|Big]]'' (1988).<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/dirty-rotten-scoundrels | title= Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | work=Golden Globes | access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>

Caine's other successful films (critically or financially) were the 1980 Golden Globe-nominated [[slasher film]] ''[[Dressed to Kill (1980 film)|Dressed to Kill]]'', the 1981 [[war film]] ''[[Escape to Victory]]'' featuring [[Sylvester Stallone]] and footballers from the 1960s and 1970s, including [[Pelé]] and [[Bobby Moore]], the 1982 film ''[[Deathtrap (film)|Deathtrap]]'', and ''[[Mona Lisa (film)|Mona Lisa]]'' (1986). In 1987, Caine narrated ''[[Hero (1987 film)|Hero]]'', the [[List of official FIFA World Cup films|official film]] of the [[1986 FIFA World Cup]].<ref>[http://www.fifafilms.com/fileadmin/fifafilms/user_upload/pdf/FIFAFilms_Factsheet_March_2012_very_low_res.pdf "FIFA World Cup and Official FIFA Events: Programming"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417225504/http://www.fifafilms.com/fileadmin/fifafilms/user_upload/pdf/FIFAFilms_Factsheet_March_2012_very_low_res.pdf |date=17 April 2016 }}. FIFA Films. Retrieved 28 January 2013</ref> That year he starred in the thriller and spy film ''[[The Fourth Protocol (film)|The Fourth Protocol]]'' alongside [[Pierce Brosnan]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Filmink|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|date=11 September 2025|access-date=11 September 2025|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-british-film-studios-the-rank-organisation-1982-1997/|title=Forgotten British Film Studios: The Rank Organisation 1982-1997}}</ref>  In 1988 he played Chief Insp. [[Frederick Abberline]] in the two-part TV drama ''[[Jack the Ripper (miniseries)|Jack the Ripper]]'', which co-starred [[Jane Seymour (actress)|Jane Seymour]] and was produced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the [[Jack the Ripper]] murder spree in Victorian London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimesbacknumbers.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=4195|title=TVT 1988/42 – 15–21 October 1988 (TVS and C4) JACK THE RIPPER (ITV) with cover photo of Michael Caine and Jane Seymour.|website=www.radiotimesbacknumbers.com|language=en|access-date=26 August 2021|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329222607/https://www.radiotimesbacknumbers.com/index.php?route=product%2Fproduct&product_id=4195|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Despite his success in the 1980s, Caine also appeared in some poorly received films such as ''[[Blame It on Rio]]'' (1984), the [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]] comedy ''[[Water (1985 film)|Water]]'' (1985), the fourth and final film in the [[Jaws (franchise)|''Jaws'' franchise]], ''[[Jaws: The Revenge]]'' (1987), and ''[[Without a Clue]]'' (1988) (portraying [[Sherlock Holmes]]). Caine's commitment to filming ''Jaws: The Revenge'' in the [[Bahamas]] meant that he was unable to receive his Academy Award for ''Hannah and Her Sisters'' in person and Dianne Wiest accepted it on his behalf. Caine said of ''Jaws: The Revenge'', "I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/michael_caine_biog/25 |title=Michael Caine Biography |publisher=Tiscali |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060910095949/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/michael_caine_biog/25 |archive-date=10 September 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Collin|first=Robbie|author-link=Robbie Collin|date=14 March 2013|title=Michael Caine: Extraordinarily good and spectacularly awful|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9926680/Michael-Caine-extraordinarily-good-and-spectacularly-awful.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314200211/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9926680/Michael-Caine-Extraordinarily-good-and-spectacularly-awful.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 March 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=24 July 2014}}</ref>

{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="It was absolutely perfect at that time for what I wanted. I could make it, and my daughter could see it. That's why I did it. And it was lovely."|source=―Caine on playing [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Caine Loves ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' as Much as You Do |url=https://www.gq.com/story/michael-caine-muppet-christmas-carol-interview |access-date=1 December 2019 |work=GQ}}</ref>}}
In the 1990s, Caine found good parts harder to come by. He played the mysterious bartender Mike in ''[[Mr. Destiny]]'' in 1990 and appeared with [[Roger Moore]] in ''[[Bullseye! (1990 film)|Bullseye!]]'' (1990). He played [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' (1992).<ref>{{cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-muppet-christmas-carol-1992 |title=''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' Movie Review (1992) |website=rogerebert.com |date= 11 December 1992|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=McGlynn, Anthony|url=https://screenrant.com/best-christmas-movies-all-time/2/|title=Best Christmas Movies Of All-Time|publisher=[[Screen Rant]]|date=23 December 2018|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref> Having been chosen by [[Brian Henson]], Caine stated: "I'm going to play this movie like I'm working with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]. I will never wink, I will never do anything Muppety. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me."<ref>{{cite interview|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/dec/21/how-we-made-the-muppet-christmas-carol|title=How we made: ''The Muppet Christmas Carol''|subject=Brian Henson, Steve Whitmire|interviewer=Ben Beaumont-Thomas|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=21 December 2015|access-date=25 December 2015}}</ref> He played the beleaguered stage director Lloyd Fellowes in the film adaptation of ''[[Noises Off (film)|Noises Off]]'' (1992). He also played a villain in the [[Steven Seagal]] film ''[[On Deadly Ground]]'' (1994). He starred in two [[straight to video]] Harry Palmer sequels and a few television films.

=== 1998–2014: Career resurgence ===
[[File:The Dark Knight European Premiere - Michael Caine.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Caine in London at the European premiere of ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', July 2008]]
Caine's performance in ''[[Little Voice (film)|Little Voice]]'' (1998) won him a [[Golden Globe Award]]. Better parts followed, including ''[[The Cider House Rules (film)|The Cider House Rules]]'' (1999), for which he won his second [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12134280 "Sir Michael Caine collects top French honour"]. ''BBC News''. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012</ref> In the 2000s, Caine appeared in the comedy ''[[Miss Congeniality (film)|Miss Congeniality]]'' (2000) as the refined pageant coach opposite [[Sandra Bullock]] as the undercover [[FBI]] agent. The film was a massive box office success and Caine earned praise for his comic turn. That same year Caine also appeared in [[Philip Kaufman]]'s controversial yet acclaimed film ''[[Quills (film)|Quills]]'' (2000) as [[Antoine-Athanase Royer-Collard|Dr. Royer-Collard]] opposite [[Geoffrey Rush]], [[Kate Winslet]], and [[Joaquin Phoenix]]. In 2001, Caine starred in the ensemble dramedy ''[[Last Orders (film)|Last Orders]]'' starring [[Helen Mirren]], [[Bob Hoskins]], and [[Tom Courtenay]]. Caine's next film ''[[The Quiet American (2002 film)|The Quiet American]]'' (2002) won him great critical acclaim with [[Roger Ebert]] writing, "[it's] a performance that seems to descend perfectly formed. There is no artifice in it, no unneeded energy, no tricks, no effort".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-quiet-american-2003 |date=7 February 2003|title= ''The Quiet American'' review|website= Rogerebert.com|access-date= September 21, 2023}}</ref> Caine earned his sixth [[Academy Award]] nomination as well as a [[Golden Globe Award]] and [[British Academy Film Award]] for his performance.

Several of Caine's classic films have been remade, including ''[[The Italian Job]]'', ''[[Get Carter]]'', ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' and ''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]''. Caine appeared in ''[[Get Carter (2000 film)|Get Carter]]'' the 2000 American action thriller film directed by Stephen Kay; a remake of his 1971 film ''[[Get Carter]]'', in which a younger Michael Caine played the title role. Here in the 2000 remake, Caine's role was originally relegated to a one-scene cameo appearance, which he agreed to do as a favor to his friend Sylvester Stallone. However, after a test screening, additional scenes were scripted and shot to expand his role. The film was released in the U.S. on 6 October 2000. Critical reaction was negative, and the film flopped at the box office, with worldwide earnings of approximately only $19 million against a production budget of nearly $64 million. Stallone said: "Believe it or not, I think ''Get Carter'' was really underrated. That was a big disappointment. I learned the hard way that [remakes], even if you do it better than the original, there’s a tremendous nostalgia attached to the original. And quite often they’re not done as well."  In the [[Sleuth (2007 film)|2007 remake]] of ''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]'', Caine took over the role [[Laurence Olivier]] played in the [[Sleuth (1972 film)|1972 version]] and [[Jude Law]] played Caine's original role. Caine is one of the few actors to have played a starring role in two versions of the same film. In an interview with CNN, Law spoke of his admiration for Caine: "I learned so much just from watching how he monitored his performance, and also how little he has to do. He's a master technician and sometimes he was doing stuff I didn't see, I couldn't register. I'd go back and watch it on the monitor, it was like 'Oh my God, the amount of variety he's put in there is breathtaking".<ref name="CNN"/>

Caine also starred in multiple comedies during this time, including playing Austin's father in ''[[Austin Powers in Goldmember]]'' (2002). In 2003 he co-starred with [[Robert Duvall]], and [[Haley Joel Osment]] in the family comedy ''[[Secondhand Lions]]''. Caine played family elder Henry Lair in the 2004 film ''[[Around the Bend]]''. Also in 2005, he played as Isabel's ([[Nicole Kidman]]) father in ''[[Bewitched (2005 film)|Bewitched]]'' alongside [[Will Ferrell]] and [[Shirley MacLaine]]. In 2005, he was cast as [[Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy)|Bruce Wayne]]'s butler [[Alfred Pennyworth]] in ''[[Batman Begins]]'', the first film in the new [[Batman]] film series known as [[The Dark Knight Trilogy|''The Dark Knight'' Trilogy]]. In 2006, he appeared in [[Alfonso Cuaron]]'s acclaimed dystopian drama ''[[Children of Men]]'' alongside [[Clive Owen]] and [[Julianne Moore]] as well as Nolan's mystery thriller ''[[The Prestige (film)|The Prestige]]'' starring [[Hugh Jackman]] and [[Christian Bale]]. In 2007 he appeared in ''[[Flawless (2007 film)|Flawless]]'', and in 2008 and 2012 he reprised his role as Alfred in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s critically acclaimed ''Batman'' sequels ''[[The Dark Knight]]'' and ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' as well as starring in the British drama ''[[Is Anybody There?]]'', which explores the final days of life. It was reported by [[Empire (film magazine)|''Empire'']] magazine that Caine had said that ''[[Harry Brown (film)|Harry Brown]]'' (released on 13 November 2009) would be his last lead role.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Pierce|first=Nev|date=27 August 2009|title=''Dirty'' Harry|magazine=[[Empire Magazine]]|location=London|issue=October 2009|page=93|issn=0957-4948}}</ref> Caine later clarified that he had no intention of retiring, stating that "You don't retire in this business; the business retires you."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://metro.co.uk/2009/09/13/caine-rules-out-retirement-rumours-405981/ |title=Caine rules out retirement rumours |date=13 September 2009 |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=20 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/for-michael-caine-vengeance-means-big-box-office/article4320004/ |last=Posner |first=Michael |title=For Michael Caine, vengeance means big box office |date=22 May 2010 |work=The Globe and Mail |access-date=7 September 2017}}</ref>

[[File:InceptionCastPremiereJuly10.jpg|thumb|right|Caine (second from right) with the cast of ''[[Inception]]'' at 10 July premiere in 2010]]
Caine appeared in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s science fiction thriller ''[[Inception]]'' as Prof. Stephen Miles, Cobb's ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]) mentor and father-in-law. The film was a financial and critical success, earning 8 [[Academy Award]] nominations including Best Picture. He voiced Finn McMissile in [[Pixar]]'s 2011 film ''[[Cars 2]]'' and also voiced a supporting role in the animated film ''[[Gnomeo & Juliet]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Goldberg |first=Matt |date=2010-11-29 |title=New ''CARS 2'' Characters and Their Voice Actors |url=https://collider.com/cars-2-new-characters-images-voice-actors/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Urquhart |first=Jeremy |date=2024-12-24 |title=10 Worst Michael Caine Movies, Ranked |url=https://collider.com/michael-caine-movies-worst-ranked/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref> He also starred in the 2012 film ''[[Journey 2: The Mysterious Island]]'', as [[Josh Hutcherson]]'s character's grandfather; the film also featured [[Dwayne Johnson]] and [[Vanessa Hudgens]]. Caine reprised his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman sequel ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'', which was released in July 2012. Caine later called [[The Dark Knight Trilogy|''The Dark Knight'' Trilogy]], "one of the greatest things I have done in my life."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Krol|first1=Charlotte|title=Michael Caine says Christopher Nolan's ''Batman'' trilogy was "one of the greatest things I have done in my life"|url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/michael-caine-says-christopher-nolans-batman-trilogy-was-one-of-the-greatest-things-i-have-done-in-my-life-2625035|work=NME|date=13 March 2020|access-date=14 March 2020}}</ref> In 2013, Caine appeared in the heist thriller ''[[Now You See Me (film)|Now You See Me]]'' starring alongside [[Jesse Eisenberg]], [[Mark Ruffalo]], [[Isla Fisher]], [[Woody Harrelson]], and [[Morgan Freeman]]. Caine played the role of Arthur Tressler, an insurance magnate and the Four Horsemen's sponsor. The film, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, was a financial success at the box office and spawned a sequel, ''[[Now You See Me 2]]'' (2016). He appeared in Nolan's 2014 science-fiction film ''[[Interstellar (film)|Interstellar]]'' as Professor Brand, a high-ranking NASA scientist, ideator of Plan A, former mentor of Cooper and father of Amelia.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.empireonline.com/news/feed.asp?NID=37375 | title=Michael Caine Heads To Interstellar | author=White, James | magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | date=5 May 2013 | access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> The film starred [[Matthew McConaughey]], [[Anne Hathaway]], and [[Jessica Chastain]]. In 2015, Caine co-starred in [[Matthew Vaughn]]'s action spy comedy ''[[Kingsman: The Secret Service]]'' starring [[Colin Firth]], [[Taron Egerton]], and [[Samuel L. Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar/statuses/357474356496044034|title=Mark Millar|work=Twitter}}</ref>

=== 2015–present: Final roles and retirement ===
[[File:Michael Caine - Viennale 2012 b cropped.jpg|alt=|thumb|left|upright|Caine at the 2012 [[Vienna International Film Festival]]]]
In May 2015, Caine starred in [[Paolo Sorrentino]]'s Italian comedy-drama film ''[[Youth (2015 film)|Youth]]'' alongside [[Harvey Keitel]], [[Rachel Weisz]], [[Paul Dano]], and [[Jane Fonda]]. Caine appeared in the lead role of retired composer Fred Ballinger, where he and the film won great acclaim at its debut at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=McCarthy|first1=Todd|title=Youth: Cannes Review|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/youth-2015/review/797046|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=20 May 2015|access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref> Caine received a [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year]] nomination for his performance. In October 2015, Caine read [[Hans Christian Andersen]]'s "Little Claus and Big Claus" for the children's fairytales app GivingTales in aid of [[UNICEF]], together with [[Sir Roger Moore]], [[Stephen Fry]], [[Ewan McGregor]], [[Dame Joan Collins]], [[Joanna Lumley]], [[David Walliams]], [[Charlotte Rampling]] and [[Paul McKenna]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Stuart |last=Dredge|title=Roger Moore backs children's fairy tales app in aid of Unicef|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/18/roger-moore-childrens-app-unicef-givingtales|work=The Guardian|date=18 June 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Sir Michael Caine, 28th EFA Awards 2015, Berlin (cropped).jpg|upright|thumb|Caine in 2015]]

In 2017, Caine was cast in a spoken [[cameo role]] in Christopher Nolan's action-thriller ''[[Dunkirk (2017 film)|Dunkirk]]'' (2017), based on the [[Dunkirk evacuation]] of [[World War II]], as a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot, as a nod to his role of RAF fighter pilot Squadron Leader Canfield in ''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' (1969).<ref name="Whitty-2017">{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/07/chris_nolan_on_dunkirk_and_leaving_the_dark_knight.html|title=Chris Nolan on 'Dunkirk,' and leaving the 'Dark Knight' behind|first=Stephen|last=Whitty|date=16 July 2017|website=[[NJ.com]]|archive-date=16 July 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170716171729/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/07/chris_nolan_on_dunkirk_and_leaving_the_dark_knight.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Faber&Faber-2017">{{cite book|last=Nolan|first=Christopher|title=Dunkirk|publisher=[[Faber and Faber|Faber & Faber; Main edition]]|isbn=978-0571336258|year=2017}}</ref> In 2018, Caine starred as [[Brian Reader (old-school villain)|Brian Reader]] in [[King of Thieves (2018 film)|''King of Thieves'']], which was based on the [[Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary]] of 2015.<ref name="new_Film">{{Cite web| title = Michael Caine and Ray Winstone crook the part as they star as the OAPs behind £25m Hatton Garden heist| author = Fifield, Nicola| newspaper = [[Daily Mirror]] | date = 27 May 2017| access-date = 27 May 2017| url = https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/michael-caine-ray-winstone-crook-10514483}}</ref><ref name="king_of_thieves">{{cite web |title=The King of Thieves – British Films Directory |url=http://film.britishcouncil.org/the-king-of-thieves |website=[[British Council]] |date=24 April 2018 |access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref>

In May 2019, Caine was cast as Sir Michael Crosby, a British Intelligence officer, in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s ''[[Tenet (film)|Tenet]]'' (2020).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/christopher-nolan-tenet-movie-cast-release-date-1202620596/|title=Christopher Nolan's New Movie Gets A Title, Final Cast As Shooting Begins|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|date=22 May 2019|access-date=22 May 2019}}</ref> The film starred [[John David Washington]], [[Robert Pattinson]], [[Elizabeth Debicki]] and [[Kenneth Branagh]]. The film received an American release during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in September 2020 after being delayed multiple times and became a box office disappointment, despite receiving positive reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2020/09/14/box-office-tent-nolan-wonder-woman-james-bond-mulan-movies/?sh=4ddaccb57cd4|title= Box Office: ''Tenet'' Absolutely Failed To Save Movie Theaters|website= Forbes|access-date= 27 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/tenet-movie-review-christopher-nolan-1047641/|title= ''Tenet'' Review: Christopher Nolan's Knockout Arrives Right on Time|magazine= Rolling Stone|date= 28 August 2020|access-date= 27 November 2020}}</ref> Caine also appeared in the children's fantasy film, ''[[Come Away]]'' (2020) starring [[Angelina Jolie]], [[David Oyelowo]], and [[Gugu Mbatha-Raw]]. The film premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] to mixed reviews, with critics praising its performances and lavish production design.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/film-festivals/2020/01/22/sundance-come-away-david-oyelowo/|title= David Oyelowo on reinventing classic fairy-tale characters for Sundance-bound ''Come Away''|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|access-date= 28 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/come-away-review-1272733|title= ''Come Away'': Film Review – Sundance 2020|website= The Hollywood Reporter|date= 24 January 2020|access-date= 28 November 2020}}</ref> In the 2021 film [[Twist (2021 film)|''Twist'']], an adaptation of [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[Oliver Twist]]'' set in the present day, Caine plays [[Fagin]].<ref>{{cite news |title= ''Twist'': Michael Caine, Lena Headey, Rita Ora & Raff Law Lead Cast In Sky Movie Update Of Charles Dickens Classic |url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/twist-michael-caine-lena-headey-rita-ora-raff-law-sky-movie-charles-dickens-1202761507/ |access-date=27 November 2020 |work=Deadline}}</ref> In interviews promoting the 2021 film ''[[Best Sellers (film)|Best Sellers]]'', Caine suggested that he would not make another film, citing difficulty in walking and his new interest in novel-writing developed during the [[COVID-19 lockdowns]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/18/michael-caine-on-brexit-boris-johnson-and-big-breaks-ive-done-150-movies-i-think-thats-enough|title=Michael Caine on Brexit, Boris Johnson and big breaks: "I've done 150 movies. I think that's enough"|first=Xan |last=Brooks|work=The Guardian|date=18 October 2021|access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> However, his representatives told ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' that he was not retiring from acting.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/michael-caine-not-retiring-best-sellers-1235090863/|title=Michael Caine Is Not Retiring From Acting|date=16 October 2021|magazine=Variety|access-date=18 October 2021}}</ref> In 2022, Caine filmed ''[[The Great Escaper]]'', a British-French feature film starring Caine and [[Glenda Jackson]], based on the true-life story of a British [[World War II]] veteran who 'broke out' of his nursing home to attend the 70th anniversary [[D-Day]] commemorations in France, in June 2014.<ref name=ES1>{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-great-escaper-2023-michael-caine-glenda-jackson-b1096548.html|title=''The Great Escaper'': release date and plot for Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson's upcoming film|first=Elizabeth|last=Gregory|work=The Evening Standard|date=26 July 2023|access-date=29 July 2023}}</ref> The film was released on 6 October 2023.<ref name=ES1/>

Caine officially confirmed his retirement from acting on 13 October 2023, mainly because of the decreasing likelihood of him getting any more leading roles.{{r|mcintosh bbc}} Caine announced his retirement from acting in a BBC ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' radio programme interview with [[Martha Kearney]]. Referring to ''The Great Escaper'' he said, "I keep saying I'm going to retire, well I am now, because I figured, I've had a picture which is — I played the lead and it's got incredible reviews. The only parts I'm liable to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, and I thought well I might as well leave with all this. I've got wonderful reviews. What am I going to do to beat this?"<ref name=BBCToday>{{cite episode |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0glfdvw |department=Best of ''Today'' |title=Michael Caine: I'm retiring from film |series=Today|station=[[BBC Radio 4]] |type=Radio programme |date=14 October 2023|access-date=15 October 2023}}</ref>

In September 2025, it was reported that Caine will end his retirement to negotiate a deal with [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]], in order to work on [[The Last Witch Hunter 2|''The Last Witch Hunter 2'']] and reprise his role from its predecessor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=2025-09-08 |title=Michael Caine Coming Out of Retirement at 92 Years Old for Vin Diesel’s ‘Last Witch Hunter 2’ at Lionsgate |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/michael-caine-ends-retirement-last-witch-hunter-2-1236512021/ |access-date=2025-12-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{Quote box
| width = 30%
| align = right
| quote = "I kept my cockney accent in order to let other working class boys know that if I made it, they could do it too."
| source = —Caine speaking to CNN's ''The Screening Room'' in 2007 on retaining his accent.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news|first= Mairi |last=Mackay |title=Screening Room Special: Michael Caine|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/30/caine.october/|work=CNN|issue=29 October 2007|date=25 June 2015|access-date=22 January 2013|archive-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029152452/https://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/30/caine.october/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
}}

Caine is regarded as a British cultural icon, with Mairi Mackay of CNN stating: "Michael Caine has been personifying British cool since the [[swinging sixties]]. He has brought some of British cinema's most iconic characters to life and introduced his very own laid-back [[cockney]] gangster into pop culture. He doggedly retained a regional accent at a time when the plummy tones of [[Received Pronunciation]] were considered obligatory. It is a sweet irony that his accent has become his calling card."<ref name="CNN" /> In 2015 ''[[The Times]]'' called Caine "the epitome of Sixties cool in his first outing as the secret agent Harry Palmer".<ref name="The Times"/> A trailer for his second role as Palmer described him as possessing "horn rims, cockney wit and an iron fist".<ref>{{cite news |title=H – Opticians Soho |url=http://www.eye-company.co.uk/a-to-z-of-eyewear/h/ |access-date=18 June 2022 |work=The Eye Company}}</ref>

With his distinctive voice and manner of speaking, Caine is a popular subject for impersonators and mimics.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-29475358 "'My name is ...': Sir Michael Caine mimics the impersonators"]. ''BBC''. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014</ref> Most Caine impressions include the catchphrase "Not a lot of people know that."<ref name="CNN" /> The catchphrase emanates from Caine's habit of informing people of obscure "interesting facts" that he has collected.<ref name="Caine facts"> "Michael Caine Interview". ''Parkinson''. BBC TV. 15 December 2007.</ref> Referring to Caine as being the "biggest mine of [[useless information]]", [[Peter Sellers]] initiated the [[catchphrase]] when he appeared on BBC1's ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' show on 28 October 1972 and said:<ref>"Peter Sellers Interview". ''Parkinson''. BBC TV. 28 October 1972.</ref>{{primary-inline|date=September 2025}}

{{blockquote|Not many people know that. This is my Michael Caine impression. You see, Mike's always quoting from the ''Guinness Book of Records''. At the drop of a hat he'll trot one out. 'Did you know that it takes a man in a tweed suit five-and-a-half seconds to fall from the top of [[Big Ben]] to the ground?' Now there's not many people who know that!}}

Caine later spoke of how Sellers used his impression of him as his [[answering machine]] message in the 1970s: "I called Peter one day, he wasn't in. And there was me saying, 'My name is Michael Caine. I just want you to know that Peter Sellers is not in. Not many people know that.' He invented that 'not many people know that.' And then everybody who rang him, they got me saying, 'Not many people know that.{{' "}}<ref>{{cite episode|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFycoDdIs0 |title=Michael Caine Interview (part two) |network=BBC TV |series= [[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]] |time=0:49–1:28 |date=20 July 2007 |via=Youtube}}</ref> Over the years Caine himself had parodied his catchphrase and his "interesting facts", and has imitated others' impressions of him.<ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news|date=7 January 2011 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/07/michael-caine-impersonate_n_805852.html |title=Michael Caine Impersonates Michael Caine|work= [[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> In an interview with [[Michael Parkinson]] in 2007, Caine commented on the impersonations of his voice, "I can do it. 'Hello. My name is Michael Caine. Not many people know that.' I sound like a bloody moron. You know where they've got me now? On birthday cards. 'It's your birthday today. Not many people know that'. Now they've got me on Satellite navigation. It's me going, 'take the second turn on the right, and you'll wind up right in the shit.{{' "}}<ref name="huffingtonpost.com" /> In 1983, Caine used his "not a lot of people know that" phrase as a joke in the film ''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]''.<ref name="CNN" />

[[File:Mme Tussaud museum (2848368706).jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0|Waxwork of Caine as [[Harry Palmer]] (from 1965's ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'') at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]]

The comedy sketch show ''[[Harry Enfield's Television Programme]]'' included a series of sketches in which [[Paul Whitehouse]] played a character called Michael Paine; an amalgam of previous Michael Caine impressions, who in a reference to Caine's character [[Harry Palmer]] from ''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' wears oversized, thick-rimmed glasses and a trench coat. He introduces himself with the line, "My name is Michael Paine, and I am a nosy neighbour" and in a spoof of the stakeout at the beginning of ''The Ipcress File'', recounts to the camera the "suspiciously" mundane behaviour of his neighbours, before saying, "Not a lot of people know that I know that".<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|title=Michael Caine interview – for his autobiography ''The Elephant to Hollywood''|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8037074/Michael-Caine-interview-for-his-autobiography-The-Elephant-to-Hollywood.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/8037074/Michael-Caine-interview-for-his-autobiography-The-Elephant-to-Hollywood.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Telegraph|date=25 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Caine's Harry Palmer character (with the glasses, the girls, and disregard for authority) was among the many British pop cultural influences for [[Mike Myers]]' ''[[Austin Powers]]'' films.<ref name="Powers">{{cite web |last=Mottram |first=James |title=Michael Caine: ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' |date=17 February 2002 |department=Films |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/07/17/michael_caine_austin_powers_goldmember_interview.shtml |access-date=20 October 2019 |website=BBC}}</ref> At Myers' request, Caine himself starred in ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002), with his portrayal of Nigel Powers, father of Austin Powers, spoofing Harry Palmer.<ref name="Powers"/>

[[File:De La Warr Pavilion, 28 August 2012 (6).jpg|thumb|The artwork ''Hang On a Minute Lads, I've Got a Great Idea'', the famous line by Caine at the end of ''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969), by [[Richard Wilson (sculptor)|Richard Wilson]] on the [[De La Warr Pavilion]], [[Bexhill-on-Sea]], England]]
A parody of Caine appears in the animated series ''[[Ugly Americans (TV series)|Ugly Americans]]'', in the episode "The Dork Knight", which also parodies the film ''The Dark Knight''. In the episode, Caine appears as himself, portrayed in the light of his Alfred Pennyworth interpretation, and constantly annoys the protagonists with endless anecdotes of his career.{{citation needed|date=December 2025}}

The 2010 television series ''[[The Trip (2010 TV series)|The Trip]]'', starring [[Rob Brydon]] and [[Steve Coogan]], featured improvised scenes in which the two leads argue over who can do the better Michael Caine impression.<ref name="Brydon">{{cite news| url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/steve-coogan-rob-brydon-s_n_781011.html |title= This Is How Michael Caine Speaks: Steve Coogan & Rob Brydon Compare Impressions| work= Huffington Post| date= 9 November 2010| accessdate= 26 June 2015}}</ref> Among the lines they repeat in their attempts to outdo each other are, "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" and, "She was only sixteen years old"—from ''[[The Italian Job]]'' and ''[[Get Carter]]'', respectively.<ref name="Brydon" /> Coogan and Brydon later did their impressions from a balcony at the Royal Albert Hall during a celebration of Caine's work, only to be interrupted by the real Caine informing them that they were out of shape: "For me, it's a full-time job."<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeC0-tj_IMA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/BeC0-tj_IMA| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status= live|title=Coogan, Brydon and Caine – together at last!| first=Tommy| last= Pearson|date=19 April 2016|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In a 2010 interview with ''[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]'', Caine spoke of the impersonations and how everyone he meets quotes lines at him, to the point he quotes them quoting him.<ref name="Telegraph" /> When asked whether he is ever tired of telling his anecdotes, Caine stated: "I enjoy making people laugh. The trick is to tell them against yourself. If you praise yourself your stories aren't funny."<ref name="Telegraph" />

In 2018, Caine starred in a [[British Airways]] pre-flight safety video, appearing with six other British celebrities, including actresses [[Olivia Colman]] and [[Naomie Harris]]. Promoting the Flying Start children's charity partnership between BA and [[Comic Relief]], they are featured 'auditioning' in humorous sketches while also highlighting important safety messages.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Latest BA safety video stars Sir Michael Caine, Olivia Colman and Joanna Lumley |url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/306790/latest-ba-safety-video-stars-sir-michael-caine-olivia-colman-and-joanna-lumley-video |magazine=Travel Weekly |access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref>

==Other pursuits==
In 1976, Caine became part owner of [[Langan's Brasserie]]. At one point, he had ownership in seven restaurants in the UK and US.{{sfn|Caine|2010|p=}}{{pn|date=September 2025}} 

Caine has published three volumes of memoirs, ''What's It All About?'' in 1992, ''The Elephant to Hollywood'' in 2010 and ''Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life'' in 2018.{{r|FR radio4}}{{sfn|Caine|2018}} He has also written trivia books, including: ''Not Many People Know That!'', ''And Not Many People Know This Either!'', ''Michael Caine's Moving Picture Show'', and ''Not a Lot of People Know This Is 1988''. Proceeds from the books went to the [[National Playing Fields Association]], a UK charity for which Caine served as vice president, and which aims to protect and promote open spaces for sports and recreation in British cities and towns.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/stnew/article/1998dec8.pdf |title= Every Child Deserves a Place to Play| publisher= NPFA| via= msu.edu | date= 29 July 2015| access-date= }}</ref> 

Caine is a fan of [[chill-out music]], and he released a compilation CD, ''Cained'', in 2007 on the [[UMTV]] record label.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.umtv.co.uk/release.php?id=524 |title=Various Artists – ''Cained'' |publisher=UMTV |access-date=17 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110720000411/http://www.umtv.co.uk/release.php?id=524 |archive-date=20 July 2011 }}</ref><ref name= "wiredcained">{{cite magazine |last=Van |first=Eliot |url=https://www.wired.com/listening_post/2007/09/actormixtape-ma |title=Actor Michael Caine Releases Chill Compilation: ''Cained'' |magazine=Wired |access-date=26 April 2013}}</ref> While discussing musical tastes with his friend [[Elton John]], Caine remarked that he had been creating chillout [[mix tapes]] as an amateur for years.<ref name="wiredcained" /><ref>{{cite news| url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2174336.ece |url-status= | title= Michael Caine to release chill-out album| work= The Times| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20110616185828/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article2174336.ece| archivedate= 2011-06-16| access-date= 31 July 2007}}</ref> Caine and Elton John had also appeared on the same episode of ''Parkinson'', during which  they sang an impromptu version of the [[drinking song|pub tune]] "[[Knees Up Mother Brown]]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Caine interview: Legendary actor recalls singing pub tunes with 'good friend' Elton John|url=https://www.smoothradio.com/news/entertainment/michael-caine-interview-elton-john/ |work=Smooth Radio |access-date=26 November 2019 }}</ref> Also in music, Caine provided vocal samples for the ska-pop band [[Madness (band)|Madness]] for their 1984 song "[[Michael Caine (song)|Michael Caine]]", as his daughter was a fan. He has sung in film roles as well, including ''[[Little Voice (film)|Little Voice]]'' and for the 1992 musical film ''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' at 25: how Michael Caine perfected Scrooge |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/muppet-christmas-carol-michael-caine-516831 |access-date=26 November 2019 |work=Inews}}</ref>

==Personal life==
[[File:Shakira and Michael Caine in Venice.jpg|thumb|right|Caine and his wife [[Shakira Caine|Shakira]] in [[Venice]], Italy, in 2014]]
{{As of|2023}}, Caine divides his time between residences in [[Chelsea Harbour]] and [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]], London.<ref name = Brown>{{cite news|url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2023/09/19/michael-caine-the-great-escaper-glenda-jackson-shakira/|title = Michael Caine interview: 'Everybody's going to die – at least I've lived to f---ing 90'|last = Brown|first = Mick|date = 19 September 2023|access-date = 21 September 2023|newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]]|url-access = subscription}}</ref> He previously lived in [[Leatherhead]], Surrey, in a house with a theatre which cost him £100,000 to build.<ref name = Brown/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pbltz|title=Sir Michael Caine, ''Desert Island Discs'' | publisher= BBC Radio 4| access-date=}}</ref> He was patron to the Leatherhead Drama Festival.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.leatherheaddramafestival.org/home.html |title=Welcome to the Leatherhead Drama Festival 2008 |publisher= Leatherhead Drama Festival |access-date= 17 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604150257/http://www.leatherheaddramafestival.org/home.html |archive-date= 4 June 2009 }}</ref> He has also lived in [[North Stoke, Oxfordshire]]; [[Clewer]], Berkshire and [[Lowestoft]], Suffolk. Caine owns a flat  at the Apogee in [[Miami Beach, Florida]]. He still keeps a small flat near where he grew up in London. 

Caine was married to actress [[Patricia Haines]] from 1954 to 1958.<ref name=timeline>{{cite web| first=Mark | last= Duff |url= http://www.michaelcaine.com/timeline |title=Michael Caine's Important dates |website= michaelcaine.com |access-date=17 October 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Houseman |first= Victoria|title=Made in Heaven: The Marriages and Children of Hollywood Stars|year=1991|publisher=Bonus Books|page=45}}</ref> They had a daughter, Dominique (b. 14 August 1957).{{r|timeline|Hind|talk}} He dated [[Edina Ronay]], [[Nancy Sinatra]], [[Natalie Wood]], [[Candice Bergen]], [[Bianca Jagger]], [[Jill St. John]], [[Élisabeth Ercy]] and [[Françoise Pascal]].<ref name="70notout"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Stadiem, William|title=Jet Set: The People, the Planes, the Glamour, and the Romance in Aviation's Glory Years|year=2014|publisher=Random House|isbn=978-0345536976|page=73}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= https://zeenews.india.com/entertainment/celebrity/michael-caine-doles-out-relationship-advice-to-david-walliams_45627.html |title= Michael Caine doles out relationship advice to David Walliams| work= [[Zee News]]| date= 6 November 2009| access-date= }}</ref><ref name=Thorpe>{{Cite news |last=Thorpe |first= Vanessa |date=8 October 2017 |title=Michael Caine on how the 1960s broke class barriers: 'I've met lots of equals. No betters' |language=en |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/07/michael-caine-1960s-class-barriers-my-generation}}</ref> Caine has been married to actress and model [[Shakira Baksh]] since 8 January 1973. They met after Caine saw her in a [[Maxwell House]] coffee commercial and a friend gave him her telephone number. He called her every day for ten days until she finally agreed to meet him.{{r|most searched}} They have a daughter, Natasha Haleema (b. 15 July 1973).<ref name=timeline/><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.findmypast.co.uk/births-indexes-search-start.action |title= Births England and Wales 1837–2006| work= findmypast.co.uk| publisher= | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20150713215257/http://www.findmypast.co.uk/births-indexes-search-start.action |archivedate= 13 July 2015| access-date= }}</ref> Baksh is a [[Muslim]] while Caine is a Christian. He reflected in 2009, "My wife is a Muslim and she does Muslim stuff; I'm a Christian and I do Christian stuff, and no questions ever come up. The media view of Muslims is different from mine, which is very benign and peaceful".<ref name="Hind">{{cite news|last=Hind |first=John |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/13/interview-michael-caine |title=This Much I Know, an Interview with Michael Caine |work=The Observer {{!}} The Guardian |access-date=5 June 2024 |date=13 September 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2008 Scarlett Johansson Michael Caine.jpg|thumb|upright|Caine with [[Scarlett Johansson]] at the [[Nobel Peace Prize Concert]], December 2008]]
Proud of his working-class roots, Caine has discussed the opportunities his film career gave him: "I got to play football with [[Pelé]], for God's sake. And I danced with [[Bob Fosse]]."<ref name="Telegraph" /> He also became close friends with [[John Lennon]], stating: "With John and I it was a case of bonding because we were both working class and we shared a sense of humour. We were pretending we weren't who people thought we were."<ref name="Telegraph" /> His closest friends included two [[James Bond]] actors, [[Sean Connery]] and [[Roger Moore]].<ref name="Telegraph" /> At the [[61st Academy Awards]], the three of them presented the prize for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (which Caine and Connery have also won) to [[Kevin Kline]].<ref>{{cite AV media | title=Kevin Kline Wins Supporting Actor: 1989 Oscars | via=YouTube | date=24 November 2010 | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Scvtm0MwE |publisher=The Oscars | access-date= }}</ref>

In July 2014, Caine was reported to have been a celebrity investor in a [[tax avoidance]] scheme called Liberty.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/george-michael-and-michael-caine-accused-of-tax-avoidance-through-liberty-scheme-9594976.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=George Michael and Michael Caine accused of tax avoidance through Liberty scheme |work=The Independent|date=9 July 2014|access-date=11 July 2014}}</ref>

Two years after his mother died, Caine and his younger brother [[Stanley Caine|Stanley]] learned from a news reporter working on a mental health article that they had an elder half-brother, David Burchell.<ref name= older>{{cite news| url= https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/older-brother-michael-caine-never-knew-he-had/| title= The older brother Michael Caine never knew he had| work= [[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]]| first= Michael| last= Gordon| date= 2024-11-25 |language= en-gb| place= UK| access-date= 2025-10-14}}</ref> Born six years before Michael's mother met Michael's father, David suffered from severe [[epilepsy]] and was a wheelchair user due to a childhood hip injury.<ref name= older /> He had been in and out of institutions most of his youth before residing permanently in [[Cane Hill Hospital]], a mental health facility, since age 17.<ref name= older /> Although their mother visited David "nearly every Monday for five decades" at the hospital,<ref name= older /> even her husband did not know of David's existence. She told Michael that she was sometimes visiting a cousin at the facility.<ref name= older /> David died in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |title= Michael Caine| url= http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/577:584/1/Michael_Caine.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090329090646/http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/577%3A584/1/Michael_Caine.htm |website= thebiographychannel.co.uk| publisher= The Biography Channel |archive-date=29 March 2009 |access-date= 17 October 2009}}</ref>

Caine quit his 80-cigarettes-a-day smoking habit in the early 1970s after a lecture from actor [[Tony Curtis]].{{sfn|Caine|1992|p=325}} Caine is a supporter of the football club [[Chelsea FC]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=White |first1=Mark |title=Every Premier League club's most famous fan |url= https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/every-premier-league-club-most-famous-fan-man-utd-liverpool-arsenal-chelsea-tottenham-spurs-stormzy-daniel-craig-noel-gallagher-hugh-jackman |magazine=FourFourTwo |date=2 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Caine is also a fan of [[cricket]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1= Narayanan |first1=Nishi |title=It's a hit! Hollywood goes to cricket. You won't find this on TMZ |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/clickbait-hollywood-and-cricket-916097 |website= ESPNcricinfo.com |date=4 September 2015 |language=en |access-date=12 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last= Jones |first=Dylan |title=Men of the Year 2007: Michael Caine |url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/michael-caine-2007-lifetime-achievement |magazine=[[GQ]] |date=29 March 2012 |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>

In July 2016, Caine [[Name change#United Kingdom|changed his name]] by [[Deed of change of name|deed poll]] to his long-time stage name to simplify security checks at airports. Caine stated that because the security guard often recognised him but was unaware of his real name, it would waste a considerable amount of his time as he tried to prove that he and "Maurice Joseph Micklewhite" were the same person. "[A security guard] would say, 'Hi Michael Caine,' and suddenly I'd be giving him a passport with a different name on it. I could stand there for an hour. So I changed my name."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Chan|first=Rosalie|date=21 July 2016|title=Michael Caine Has Changed His Name|url=https://time.com/4418838/michael-caine-maurice-micklewhite-name-change/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=23 July 2016}}</ref>

In February 2018, Caine suffered a fall on some ice and broke his ankle, which necessitated the use of a walking stick.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brinsford |first=James |date=2019-05-31 |title=Michael Caine holds trusty walking stick as he recovers from ankle injury |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-caine-holds-trusty-walking-16230604 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531035635/https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/michael-caine-holds-trusty-walking-16230604 |archive-date=2019-05-31 |access-date=2025-12-20 |work=mirror}}</ref>

In February 2022, Caine underwent back surgery as a result of spinal stenosis, as revealed by his wife, Shakira.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-05-16 |title=David Walliams helps Sir Michael Caine, 90, with walking frame on night out |url=https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/16/david-walliams-helps-michael-caine-90-with-walker-on-night-out-18791087/?ico=mosaic_tag |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018193826/https://metro.co.uk/2023/05/16/david-walliams-helps-michael-caine-90-with-walker-on-night-out-18791087/?ico=mosaic_tag |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=2025-12-20 |work=Metro |language=en-GB}}</ref>

As of 2025, Caine was using a wheelchair for public appearances, including when collecting an award at the [[Red Sea International Film Festival]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pope |first1=Milo |title=Sir Michael Caine, 92, helped by US actor as he is pictured using wheelchair for first time |url=https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/10/sir-michael-caine-92-helped-us-actor-replaces-zimmer-frame-wheelchair-2-23632896/ |website=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=10 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250908230802/https://metro.co.uk/2025/07/10/sir-michael-caine-92-helped-us-actor-replaces-zimmer-frame-wheelchair-2-23632896/ |archive-date=8 September 2025 |date=10 July 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yasmin |first1=Shahana |title=Vin Diesel pushes Michael Caine’s wheelchair along Red Sea festival red carpet |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/vin-diesel-michael-caine-wheelchair-health-red-sea-festival-b2878600.html |website=[[The Independent]] |access-date=10 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251210111255/https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/vin-diesel-michael-caine-wheelchair-health-red-sea-festival-b2878600.html |archive-date=10 December 2025 |date=5 December 2025}}</ref>

==Political views==
Caine has often been outspoken about his political views, referring to himself as a "[[One-nation conservatism|left-wing Tory]]" influenced by both his [[working class]] background and [[Korean War]] service.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Clarke|first=Donald|title=Michael Caine: Still willing to blow the bloody doors off|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/michael-caine-still-willing-to-blow-the-bloody-doors-off-1.3619061|access-date=26 July 2021|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref>{{r|gov limit}} He lived in [[Beverly Hills]] during that time, but returned to the UK eight years later when taxes had been lowered by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government of [[Margaret Thatcher]]:

{{blockquote|I realised that's not a [[socialist]] country, it's a [[communist]] country without a dictator, so I left and I was never going to come back. Maggie Thatcher came in and put the taxes back down and in the end, you know, you don't mind paying tax. What am I going to do? Not pay tax and drive around in a [[Rolls-Royce Motor Cars|Rolls-Royce]], with [[cripple]]s begging on the street like you see in some countries?<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Caine-comes-circle/story-12649493-detail/story.html | title= Caine comes full circle | work= [[Essex Chronicle]] | date= 9 November 2009 | access-date= 26 January 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140201212616/http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Caine-comes-circle/story-12649493-detail/story.html | archive-date= 1 February 2014 | url-status=dead | df= dmy-all }}</ref>}}

Following the launch of his film ''[[Harry Brown (film)|Harry Brown]]'' in 2009, Caine called for the reintroduction of [[national service]] in the UK to give young people "a sense of belonging, rather than a sense of violence".<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://news.sky.com/story/738277/put-young-people-in-the-army-says-caine |work=Sky News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929153937/http://news.sky.com/story/738277/put-young-people-in-the-army-says-caine |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 September 2013 |title=Put Young People In The Army, Says Caine |date=29 September 2013 |access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref>

In 2009, Caine publicly criticised the [[Brown ministry|Labour government]] of [[Gordon Brown]] for its new 50% income tax rate on top earners and threatened to return to the United States if his taxes were increased further.<ref name="gov limit">{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5221192/Michael-Caine-The-Government-has-reached-its-limit-with-me.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5221192/Michael-Caine-The-Government-has-reached-its-limit-with-me.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Michael Caine: 'The Government has reached its limit with me' | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | date=25 April 2009 | access-date=26 January 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> During the run up to the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], Caine publicly endorsed the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] and appeared with then-party leader [[David Cameron]] for the launch of a civilian non-compulsory "National Service" for sixteen-year-olds, although Caine stated he had previously supported [[New Labour]] under the leadership of [[Tony Blair]] in [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8617149.stm |work=BBC News | first=Kevin | last=Young | title=Political celebrities: Then & now | date=20 April 2010}}</ref>

Caine voted in favour of [[Brexit]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 European Referendum]], stating he would rather be a "poor master than a rich servant".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/06/sir-michael-caine-reveals-voted-brexit-would-rather-poor-master/amp/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/06/sir-michael-caine-reveals-voted-brexit-would-rather-poor-master/amp/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Michael Caine reveals he voted for Brexit because he 'would rather be a poor master than a rich servant' |website=Daily Telegraph |access-date=14 February 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He said he was a reluctant Leaver; "I don't know what to vote for. Both are scary. To me, you've now got in Europe a sort of government-by-proxy of everybody, who has now got carried away. Unless there is some extremely significant changes, we should get out."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/eu-referendum-brexit-remain-who-do-celebrities-support-david-beckham-jk-rowling-a7094751.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/eu-referendum-brexit-remain-who-do-celebrities-support-david-beckham-jk-rowling-a7094751.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The celebrities that support Brexit (and the ones backing Remain) |work=The Independent |access-date=27 November 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In November 2024, following the election of Labour Party leader [[Sir Keir Starmer]] as prime minister in the [[2024 United Kingdom general election|July of that year]], Caine supported the petition on the [[UK Parliament petitions website]] that demanded a [[Next United Kingdom general election|new general election]] in the UK by sharing it on his [[Twitter|X]] account.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://x.com/themichaelcaine/status/1861004564763193810|title= Call a General Election – Petitions|work= X (formerly Twitter)|date=25 November 2024|access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref>

In a 2010 [[Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM]] interview, Caine said that he had requested a doctor to deliberately give his father a fatal overdose when he was dying from [[liver cancer]] in 1955 and endorsed [[voluntary euthanasia]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=9 October 2010 |title=Sir Michael Caine made plea to help father die |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-11507055 |access-date=26 July 2021}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{{Main|Michael Caine filmography}}

'''Partial filmography''' 
{{columns-list|
*''[[A Hill in Korea]]'' (1956)
*''[[Blind Spot (1958 film)|Blind Spot]]'' (1958)
*''[[Danger Within]]'' (1959)
*''[[Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu]]'' (1964)
*''[[The Ipcress File (film)|The Ipcress File]]'' (1965)
*''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966)
*''[[Funeral in Berlin (film)|Funeral in Berlin]]'' (1966)
*''[[Gambit (1966 film)|Gambit]]'' (1966)
*''[[The Wrong Box]]'' (1966)
*''[[Billion Dollar Brain]]'' (1967)
*''[[Deadfall (1968 film)|Deadfall]]'' (1968)
*''[[Play Dirty (1969 film)|Play Dirty]]'' (1969)
*''[[Battle of Britain (film)|Battle of Britain]]'' (1969)
*''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969)
*''[[Too Late the Hero (film)|Too Late the Hero]]'' (1970)
*''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971)
*''[[The Last Valley (film)|The Last Valley]]'' (1971)
*''[[Sleuth (1972 film)|Sleuth]]'' (1972)
*''[[The Man Who Would Be King (film)|The Man Who Would Be King]]'' (1975)
*''[[The Romantic Englishwoman]]'' (1975)
*''[[The Eagle Has Landed (film)|The Eagle Has Landed]]'' (1976)
*''[[A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far]]'' (1977)
*''[[California Suite (film)|California Suite]]'' (1978)
*''[[Dressed to Kill (1980 film)|Dressed to Kill]]'' (1980)
*''[[Escape to Victory]]'' (1981)
*''[[Deathtrap (film)|Deathtrap]]'' (1982)
*''[[Educating Rita (film)|Educating Rita]]'' (1983)
*''[[Blame It on Rio]]'' (1984)
*''[[Water (1985 film)|Water]]'' (1985)
*''[[The Holcroft Covenant (film)|The Holcroft Covenant]]'' (1985)
*''[[Hannah and Her Sisters]]'' (1986)
*''[[Mona Lisa (film)|Mona Lisa]]'' (1986)
*''[[Jaws: The Revenge]]'' (1987)
*''[[Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (film)|Dirty Rotten Scoundrels]]'' (1988)
*''[[A Shock to the System (1990 film)|A Shock to the System]]'' (1990)
*''[[The Muppet Christmas Carol]]'' (1992)
*''[[Blood and Wine|Blood & Wine]]'' (1996)
*''[[Little Voice (film)|Little Voice]]'' (1998)
*''[[The Cider House Rules (film)|The Cider House Rules]]'' (1999)
*''[[Miss Congeniality (film)|Miss Congeniality]]'' (2000)
*''[[Quills (film)|Quills]]'' (2000)
*''[[Austin Powers in Goldmember]]'' (2002)
*''[[The Quiet American (2002 film)|The Quiet American]]'' (2002)
*''[[Secondhand Lions]]'' (2003)
*''[[Around the Bend]]'' (2004) 
*''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005)
*''[[The Weather Man]]'' (2005)
*''[[Children of Men]]'' (2006)
*''[[The Prestige (film)|The Prestige]]'' (2006)
*''[[Flawless (2007 film)|Flawless]]'' (2007)
*''[[Sleuth (2007 film)|Sleuth]]'' (2007)
*''[[The Dark Knight]]'' (2008)
*''[[Is Anybody There?]]'' (2008)
*''[[Harry Brown (film)|Harry Brown]]'' (2009)
*''[[Inception]]'' (2010)
*''[[Gnomeo & Juliet]]'' (2011)
*''[[Cars 2]]'' (2011)
*''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' (2012)
*''[[Mr. Morgan's Last Love]]'' (2013)
*''[[Now You See Me (film)|Now You See Me]]'' (2013)
*''[[Interstellar (film)|Interstellar]]'' (2014)
*''[[Kingsman: The Secret Service]]'' (2015)
*''[[Youth (2015 film)|Youth]]'' (2015)
*''[[The Last Witch Hunter]]'' (2015)
*''[[Now You See Me 2]]'' (2016)
*''[[Going in Style (2017 film)|Going in Style]]'' (2017)
*''[[Tenet (film)|Tenet]]'' (2020)
*''[[Best Sellers (film)|Best Sellers]]'' (2021)
*''[[Medieval (film)|Medieval]]'' (2022)
*''[[The Great Escaper]]'' (2023)
|colwidth=22em}}

==Awards and honours==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by Michael Caine}}

[[File:Michael Caine handprints, Leicester Square WC2 - geograph.org.uk - 1352187.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Caine's handprints in [[Leicester Square]], London]]

Caine has been nominated for an Oscar six times, winning his first [[Academy Award]] for the 1986 film ''Hannah and Her Sisters'', and his second in 2000 for ''The Cider House Rules'', in both cases as a supporting actor. His performance in ''Educating Rita'' in 1983 earned him the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe Award for Best Actor]]. Caine is one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every consecutive decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one being [[Jack Nicholson]]); [[Laurence Olivier]] was also nominated for an acting Oscar in five consecutive decades (from the 1930s through the 1970s) as was [[Denzel Washington]] (from the 1980s to the 2020s). [[Paul Newman]] received acting Oscar nominations at least once per each of five distinct decades (from the 1950s to the 2000s)—albeit not consecutively, having been overlooked throughout the 1970s.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} 

Caine appeared in seven films that were ranked in the [[BFI]]'s [[BFI Top 100 British films|100 greatest British films of the 20th century]].<ref>[http://www.cinemarealm.com/best-of-cinema/top-100-british-films/ ''British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films''] (1999). Retrieved 27 August 2016</ref>

Caine was appointed as [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1992 Birthday Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 52952
| date = 12 June 1992
| page = 7
| supp = y
}}</ref> and in the [[2000 Birthday Honours]] he was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] (as ''Sir Maurice Micklewhite, CBE'') by [[Queen Elizabeth II]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] for his contribution to cinema.<ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 55879
| date = 19 June 2000
| page = 1
| supp = y
}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette
| issue = 56136
| date = 2 March 2001
| page = 2633
}}</ref> In a tribute to his background, he stated: "I was named after my father and I was knighted in his name because I love my father. I always kept my real name—I'm a very private and family-orientated person."<ref name="knighted">[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/my-name-is-still-michael-caine-says-man-dubbed-sir-maurice-622147.html "My name is still Michael Caine, says man dubbed 'Sir Maurice'"]. ''The Independent''. Retrieved 21 December 2015</ref> In 2000 he received a [[BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award]].<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/707630.stm "Kubrick and Caine honoured"]. ''BBC News''. 9 April 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2012</ref>

In 2008, Caine was awarded the prize for Outstanding Contribution to Showbusiness at the [[Variety Club]] Awards.<ref name="Variety">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7732843.stm|title=Variety Club honours actor Caine|date=17 November 2008|work=BBC News|access-date=17 November 2008}}</ref> On 5 January 2011 he was honored as Commander of the {{lang|fr|[[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]}} by France's culture minister, [[Frédéric Mitterrand]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/01/06/arts/AP-EU-France-Michael-Caine.html|title=France Bestows Culture Honor on Michael Caine|date=6 January 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=6 January 2011}}</ref> In May 2012, Caine was awarded the Honorary [[Freedom of the City|Freedom]] of the [[London Borough of Southwark]] as a person of distinction and eminence of the borough.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.southwark.gov.uk|title=Southwark Council|work=southwark.gov.uk}}</ref> In 2017, Caine was the recipient of the Golden Plate Award of the [[American Academy of Achievement]]. His Golden Plate was presented by Awards Council member [[Peter Jackson]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= 2017 International Achievement Summit|publisher= [[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/summit/2017/}}</ref>

==Published works==

Caine has written four memoirs across several decades. He published the first, ''What's It All About?'', in 1992. Its title is a quote from the title song from his 1966 hit film ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]''. The book was reviewed negatively in ''[[The New York Times]]'', which called it an "archetypal show-business memoir" that was engaging but tainted by the book's "name-dropping, the sexual boasting, the sensitivity to slights".<ref name="lehmann">{{cite news |last1=Lehmann-Haupt |first1=Christopher |title=Michael Caine, a Working-Class Artist, Tells His Own Story |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/14/books/books-of-the-times-michael-caine-a-working-class-artist-tells-his-own-story.html |access-date=18 April 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 December 1992}}</ref> His second memoir, ''The Elephant to Hollywood'', was published in 2010. Its title refers to his journey from working-class roots in the [[Elephant and Castle]] neighborhood of London to Hollywood success. [[Janet Maslin]] of ''The New York Times'' reviewed it positively, calling Caine a "charming raconteur" and "wittily self-deprecating".<ref name="maslin">{{cite news |last1=Maslin |first1=Janet |author1-link=Janet Maslin |title=What It Was All About for Alfie, Now a Grandpa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/books/25book.html |access-date=18 April 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 October 2010}}</ref> His third memoir, ''Blowing the Bloody Doors Off'', was published in 2018. Its title references a quote from his 1969 hit film ''[[The Italian Job]]''. His fourth memoir, ''Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over: My Guide to Life'', was published in 2024.

Caine's first novel, a thriller entitled ''Deadly Game'', was published in November 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/07/michael-caine-debut-thriller-deadly-game-november-hodder|title = Michael Caine announces debut thriller to be published in November|last = Shoard|first = Caroline|newspaper = [[The Guardian]]|date = 7 June 2023|access-date = 21 September 2023}}</ref>

===Fiction===
* {{cite book |title=Deadly Game|date=2023|publisher=Hachette|isbn=978-1399702508|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}

===Memoirs===
* {{cite book |title=What's It All About? An Autobiography |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0394584218|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}
* {{cite book|first=Michael|last=Caine|title=My Autobiography: The Elephant to Hollywood|publisher=Macmillan Publishers Ltd.|location=London |date=2011|ref=none|author-mask=0}}
* {{cite book |title=Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life |date=2018 |publisher=Hachette |isbn=978-0316451192 |ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}
* {{cite book |title=Don't Look Back, You'll Trip Over: My Guide to Life |date=2024 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-1399739979|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}

===Other non-fiction===
* {{cite book |title=Not Many People Know That!: Michael Caine's Almanac of Amazing Information | date=1984 | publisher= Hodder & Stoughton| isbn= 978-0340379059|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}
* {{cite book |title=And Not Many People Know This Either! | date=1985 | publisher= Robson Books| isbn=978-0860513452|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}
* {{cite book |title=Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Moviemaking |date=1990 |publisher=Applause Theatre Book Publishers |isbn=9781557832771|ref=none |author-mask=0 |last=Caine |first=Michael}}

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{cite book |last=Caine|first=Michael |title=What's It All About? An Autobiography |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0394584218}}
* {{cite book|last=Caine|first=Michael|title=The Elephant to Hollywood|date=2010 |publisher=Henry Holt & Co.|location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-9390-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780805093902/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book|url=https://www.hodder.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781473689343 |title=Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life |publisher= Hodder & Stoughton |date=October 2018 |oclc=1057482446 |isbn=9781473689343|last=Caine|first=Michael}} Also published: 2018, by Grand Central Publishing. {{isbn|9781473689305}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Michael Caine}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://www.michaelcaine.com/}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{tcmdb name}}
* {{Screenonline name|463342}}
* {{AFI person | 111336-Michael-Caine }}
* {{National Public Radio|130895606}}'s ''[[Fresh Air]]'' in 2010
* {{Charlie Rose view|10565}}
* {{YouTube|HMy52nPHSA0|"The Films of Michael Caine"}}—Compilation of film clips, 4 minutes
* [http://www.western-locations-spain.com/almeria-top-20/playdirty/index.htm PLAY DIRTY/Caine Special on Location in Spain]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100830080532/http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/2162 Charlie Rose video interview 3 February 2003]
* [http://movies.ign.com/articles/389/389780p1.html IGN.com interview 18 March 2003]
* [http://www.timedetectives.co.uk/michael_caine_18.html 200 years of Michael Caine's family tree] at timedetectives.co.uk

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before = [[Michael Gough]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[Alfred Pennyworth|Alfred Pennyworth Actor]]|years = 2005, 2008, 2012}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Sean Pertwee]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by Michael Caine|Awards for Michael Caine]]
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestSupportingActor 1981–2000}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actor 1980-1999}}
{{BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award}}
{{British Film Institute Fellowship}}
{{BAFTA Los Angeles Britannia Awards}}
{{Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor}}
{{Donostia Award}}
{{European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{European Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor}}
{{Lincoln Center Gala Tribute}}
{{GoldenGlobeAwardBestActorMotionPictureMusicalComedy 1981–2000}}
{{GoldenGlobeBestActorTVMiniseriesFilm}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Actor of the Year}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor}}
{{Satellite Award Best Actor Motion Picture}}
{{ScreenActorsGuildAward MaleSupportMotionPicture 1994-2000}}
{{Silver Shell for Best Actor}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caine, Michael}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English writers]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English writers]]
[[Category:Actors awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Actors from South Oxfordshire District]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:BAFTA fellows]]
[[Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Actor European Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Caine family|Michael]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) people]]
[[Category:English autobiographers]]
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[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English wheelchair users]]
[[Category:Irish Travellers from England]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Method actors]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:People educated at Hackney Downs School]]
[[Category:People educated at Wilson's School, Wallington]]
[[Category:People from Leatherhead]]
[[Category:People from Rotherhithe]]
[[Category:People from Southwark]]
[[Category:Royal Fusiliers soldiers]]
[[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:Yiddish-speaking people]]