Michael Caine

'Michael Caine' (qv) was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in London, to Ellen Frances Marie (Burchell), a charlady, and Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, a fish-market porter. He left school at age 15 and took a series of working-class jobs before joining the British army and serving in Korea during the Korean War, where he saw combat. Upon his return to England, he gravitated toward the theater and got a job as an assistant stage manager. He adopted the name of Caine on the advice of his agent, taking it from a marquee that advertised _The Caine Mutiny (1954)_ (qv). In the years that followed, he worked in more than 100 television dramas, with repertory companies throughout England and eventually in the stage hit "The Long and the Short and the Tall"._Zulu (1964)_ (qv), the epic retelling of a historic 19th-century battle in South Africa between British soldiers and Zulu warriors, brought Caine to international attention. Instead of being typecast as a low-ranking Cockney soldier, he played a snobbish, aristocratic officer. Although "Zulu" was a major success, it was the role of Harry Palmer in _The Ipcress File (1965)_ (qv) and the title role in _Alfie (1966)_ (qv) that made Caine a star of the first magnitude. He epitomized the new breed of actor in mid-1960s England, the working-class bloke with glasses and a down-home accent. However, after initially starring in some excellent films, particularly in the 1960s, including _Gambit (1966)_ (qv), _Funeral in Berlin (1966)_ (qv), _Play Dirty (1969)_ (qv), _Battle of Britain (1969)_ (qv), _Too Late the Hero (1970)_ (qv), _The Last Valley (1971)_ (qv) and especially _Get Carter (1971)_ (qv), he seemed to take on roles in below-average films, simply for the money he could by then command.However, there were some gems amongst the dross. He gave a magnificent performance opposite 'Sean Connery' (qv) in _The Man Who Would Be King (1975)_ (qv) and turned in a solid one as a German colonel in _The Eagle Has Landed (1976)_ (qv). _Educating Rita (1983)_ (qv) and _Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)_ (qv) (for which he won his first Oscar) were highlights of the 1980s, while more recently _Little Voice (1998)_ (qv), _The Cider House Rules (1999)_ (qv) (his second Oscar) and _Last Orders (2001)_ (qv) have been widely acclaimed. Caine played Nigel Powers in the parody sequel _Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)_ (qv), and Alfred Pennyworth in 'Christopher Nolan' (qv)'s Dark Knight trilogy. He appeared in several other of Nolan's films including _The Prestige (2006)_ (qv), _Inception (2010)_ (qv) and _Interstellar (2014)_ (qv). He also appeared as a supporting character in 'Alfonso Cuarón' (qv)'s _Children of Men (2006)_ (qv) and Pixar's sequel _Cars 2 (2011)_ (qv).As of 2015, films in which Caine has starred have grossed over $7.4 billion worldwide. He is ranked the ninth highest grossing box office star. Caine is one of several actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting every decade from five consecutive decades (the other being 'Laurence Olivier' (qv) and 'Meryl Streep' (qv)). He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1992 Birthday Honours, and was knighted by 'Queen Elizabeth II' (qv) in the 2000 Birthday Honours in recognition for his contributions to the cinema.::Pedro Borges