Michael (Micklewhite) Caine CBE

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Sir Michael Caine CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite) is an English actor and author, a British cultural icon.

Biography

Michael (Micklewhite) Caine CBE is Notable.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite junior was born on 14 March 1933 in Rotherhithe, London, England. ^[1] His parents were Maurice Micklewhite and Ellen Burchell. His father was a fish market porter and his mother a charwoman. During World War II, his father was away as a soldier, and little Maurice Joseph was evacuated to North Runcton (near King's Lynn), Norfolk, England. ^[2] The family was reunited after the war and rehoused to Marshall Gardens In the Elephant and Castle, part of Southwark, London, England.

Maurice got a taste for acting in a school production of Cinderella. When he left school at 16, he worked for a time as a filing clerk and a messenger boy - for a film company and a film producer. ^[3]

He then got 'called up' for military service, and served in the Royal Fusiliers (British Army line infantry) from 1952 to 1954. He saw active service during the Korean War; one incident made him feel he was going to die, but he is later reported as expressing that he would like to see the return of 'National Service'. ^[4]

In 1954, Michael married Patricia Ann Haines, divorcing in 1962. ^[5] The couple had one daughter.

He chose the stage name 'Michael White', and first applied for an assistant stage manager's position, then was cast as Hindley in 'Wuthering Heights'. His career then took him to London, but 'Michael White' had to change his name because there was already a 'Michael White'. He saw the film The Caine Mutiny was being shown in a nearby cinema, and chose 'Caine'. He began acting in films, and had small bit parts in television plays.

His career continued throughout the Sixties, with roles getting ever larger until he was playing lead parts. His starring role came in the film Zulu - not as the Cockney private soldier, but as an upper class officer. The film was shot in South Africa and, upon his return, Caine was released from his contract.

Then came the roles for which he is best remembered - complete with Cockney accent - the spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File (and another four films); and the womanising Alfie in 1966.

"Hang on a minute, lads, I've got a great idea" Caine's line at the end of The Italian Job

Another Cockney character, Charlie Croker, made his appearance in The Italian Job, with one of Caine's lines being voted the second funniest line in a film, and much repeated and referred to: "You're only supposed to blow the bl**dy doors off!". The film ends with a coachload of gold teetering on the edge of a cliff. The audience is left wondering: What happened?

"I kept my cockney accent in order to let other working class boys know that if I made it, they could do it too." —Caine speaking to CNN's The Screening Room

On 8 January 1973, Caine married for a second time, and he now has two daughters. His second wife is a Muslim, but Caine (a Christian) maintains there are no conflicts due to religion.

Sir Michael Caine's voice (and accent) have been used and reused by impersonators, actors, mimics, birthday cards, satellite navigation - and Peter Sellers famously mimicked Michael Caine as his answering machine message telling people he was not in. Caine's glasses and trenchcoat have been influences for other films, such as the Austin Powers films.

1992 saw one of Caine's more unusual parts: Ebenezer Scrooge in A Muppets Christmas Carol, with Gonzo as Charles Dickens and Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit. Sir Michael Caine said: "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." ^[6] The film received mixed reviews.

In 2000, Michael Caine was knighted by the Queen; ^[7] however, he took his knighthood under the name Maurice Micklewhite; he stated that he had done so to honour his father (who had the same name) because he loved him so much.

Sir Michael Caine is one of four male actors who were nominated for an Academy Award for acting in five decades, the others being Laurence Olivier, Paul Newman, and Jack Nicholson.

In 2016, Sir Michael changed his name to his stage name of 'Michael Caine' to make airport checks easier, removing the confusion from being recognised as 'Michael Caine' and then producing a passport reading 'Maurice Micklewhite'.

Sir Michael Caine lives in Leatherhead, Surrey, England. He also has a second home in Miami Beach, Florida, USA.

Filmography

For complete filmography, please see freespace page

• A Hill in Korea (1956)
• Foxhole in Cairo (1960)
• Blind Spot (1958)
• Zulu (1964)
• The Ipcress File (1965)
• Alfie (1966)
• Funeral in Berlin (1966)
• Gambit (1966)
• Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
• Deadfall (1968)
• The Magus (1968)
• Play Dirty (1969)
• The Italian Job (1969)
• Battle of Britain (1969)
• Get Carter (1971)
• Sleuth (1972)
• The Black Windmill (1974)
• The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
• The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
• A Bridge Too Far (1977)
• The Swarm (1978)
• California Suite (1978)

Bibliography

• Not Many People Know That!: Michael Caine's Almanac of Amazing Information. Hodder & Stoughton. 1984.
• And Not Many People Know This Either!. Robson Books. 1985.
• Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Moviemaking. Applause Theatre Book Publishers. 1990.
• What's It All About? An Autobiography. Random House. 1992.
• The Elephant to Hollywood. Henry Holt & Company. 2010.
• Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life. Hachette. 2018.

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales birth registration: St Olave (Bermondsey) [district], Volume 1d, Page 170, March quarter 1933
2. ↑ Michael, Caine (16 October 2018). Blowing the bloody doors off : and other lessons in life. London, England.
3. ↑ Hall, William (2004). The Biography of Sir Michael Caine; 70 Not Out. John Blake
4. ↑ Michael Caine: bring back national service" Ben Child for The Guardian newpaper (London, England) 11 November 2009 The Guardian Online
5. ↑ England & Wales marriage registration: Lothingland [district], Volume 4b, Page 1902, June quarter 1954
6. ↑ Ben Beaumont-Thomas for The Guardian newspaper (London, England), 21 December 2015 The Guardian Online
7. ↑ Official Public Record, The Gazette, 19 June 2000 The Gazette Online

See Also:

• Wikipedia contributors, "Michael Caine," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Caine&oldid=635952327 (accessed December 1, 2014).
• "Michael Caine," Internet Movie Database.