-> 

v

"To me, growing old is great. It's the very best thing, considering the alternative." Michael Caine has had one of the longest and most prestigious careers in Hollywood history. Having begun acting in the early 50s, Caine has already gone on to star in more than 130 films throughout his 70-year-career. With so much work on his resume, Caine has had several different experiences as a professional entertainer.

 -> 

v

While Caine is most well-known for his modern work, he actually has experienced several periods of peak stardom. Today, we are going to walk you through the early career and rise to superstardom that Caine got to enjoy. We'll soon learn how Caine went from a quiet life in London to becoming one of the most famous and iconic voices in Hollywood history.

Born in London

Michael Caine was born on March 14, 1933, in Rotherhithe, London. Caine's father was Maurice Joseph  Michklewhite Sr (1899 – 1956) and his mother was Ellen Frances Marie Burchell (1900 – 1989). Maurice had worked as a porter at the local fish market during Caine's childhood. Ellen was both a cook and a charwoman. Caine was raised alongside his half-brother David Burchell and his younger brother, Stanley Michklewhite. The family grew up in Southwark, London, though they had to be evacuated during World War II.

 -> 

v

After World War II came to an end, Caine's father was demobilised by the military. Caine would go on to win a scholarship to the Hackney Downs School before attending Wilson's Grammar School located in Camberwell. After graduating from school at 16, Caine would spend time working as a filing clerk for a major film company ran by Jay Lewis. 

While Caine got into the movie industry at a relatively young age, he did have to spend time in the military. Caine would serve as a member of the British Army's Royal Fusiliers in Germany. Caine also spent time on active duty during the Korean War. Caine would cite his experience in the military as fundamental to the way that he has developed. Caine famously called for more youth to enlist as a way to combat youth violence.

 -> 

v

Raised in Hollywood

For Michael Caine, Hollywood would have to wait. Instead, Caine began acting at the age of 20 when he responded to an advertisement in the newspaper, The Stage. Caine would start working with the Westminster Repertory Company where he would operate under the name, Michael White. After starring in a number of stage productions, Caine would find himself heading to London. His agent would tell him to change his name, as a Michael White was already performing. Caine would jokingly come up with the stage name that we know him as, today. He would soon land his first film role ever in the film, A Hill in Korea (1956). The film starred Stanly Baker, George Baker, and Michael Medwin. 

After breaking through into the film industry in 1956, Caine would become a rather prolific character actor. Caine would appear in several projects, including How to Murder a Rich Uncle (1957), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961), and finally The Ipcress File (1965). For this final film, Caine would earn an additional three starring roles as the character Harry Palmer, a British spy. While The Ipcress File put Caine on the map, his starring role in Alfie (1966) would make him an icon. Caine would get the Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Feature Film for his work on Alfie.  Caine would close out the '60s with several other notable roles including Funeral in Berlin (1966), Gambit (1966), and The Italian Job (1969).

 -> 

v

As the '70s rolled into view, Caine wasn't anywhere close to slowing down. In fact, Caine would take his success from The Italian Job and push it straight toward a string of hit films including, Get Carter (1971), Sleuth (1972), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). Caine would score another Oscar-nomination for his work on Sleuth, and he would be given critical acclaim for his performance opposite of Sean Connery in The Man Who Would Be King. By this point in time, Caine was one of the biggest names in the industry. While most modern fans only know of Michael Caine for his work as the elderly Alfred in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, this version of Michael Caine was in the prime of his life and in his career. Michael Caine would close out the 70s with starring roles in The Eagle Has Landed (1976), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and The Swarm (1978). Caine would have a string of box-office failures in the '80s with two notable exceptions, Educating Rita (1983) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Caine was nominated for an Oscar in both films, but he would score his first Oscar win for Hannah and Her Sisters.

The 90s would be significantly harder for Michael Caine as roles seemingly began to dry up. Still, the experienced performer would have highlights including The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and The Cider House Rules (1999). Caine would score his second Oscar for Cider House. Despite his star seemingly beginning to dim, Caine would come back with a flourish in the early 00s. Caine would get a Best Actor nomination for his work on the 2003 film The Quiet American. Caine would enhance his momentum by gaining a starring role in the Christopher Nolan Batman reboot, Batman Begins (2005) as the famous butler, Alfred. The film would become a smash hit that would spawn two sequels, The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Caine would appear in all three Batman films.

 -> 

v

Away from his work as Alfred, Caine would garner high praise for his starring roles in Children of Men (2006) and The Prestige (2006). Now fully back on top, Caine would continue his torrid run of high-profile hits. Caine would star in the Christopher Nolan blockbuster, Inception (2010) as Leonardo DiCaprio's mentor, Miles. He would continue his successful collaborative relationship with Christopher Nolan by appearing in the science fiction blockbuster, Interstellar (2014) and Dunkirk (2017). Now firmly back on top, Caine has a full slate of projects in development despite his advanced age.

In his personal life, Michael Caine is known for being reserved and politically conservative. He has also been interested in music for years, releasing his own compilation album in 2006 on the UMTV record label. Caine has also released several books including Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Moviemaking (1990) and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life (2018). In his personal life, Michael Caine has been married to Shakira Baksh since 1973. The couple has two children together.