Caine, Michael (1933-…), is an English motion-picture actor known for his mild manner in both comic and action roles. Caine became an international film star after his performances as spy Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File (1965) and as a self-centered, woman-chasing Cockney in Alfie (1966), for which he received his first Academy Award nomination as best actor. He won Academy Awards as best supporting actor for his performances in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999).
Caine’s other notable films include Get Carter (1971); Sleuth (1972); The Man Who Would Be King (1975); California Suite (1978); Educating Rita (1983); Blame It on Rio (1984); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988); The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992); Quills (2000); The Quiet American (2002); Secondhand Lions (2003); The Statement (2004); Children of Men (2006); Sleuth (2007), a remake of the 1972 film in which Caine also starred, playing a different role; Flawless (2007); Is Anybody There? (2008); Harry Brown (2009); Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012); Last Love and Now You See Me (both 2013); Stonehearst Asylum and Interstellar (both 2014); and Youth (2015). Caine also starred as Alfred Pennyworth, the butler to Bruce Wayne/ Batman, in the series of superhero films Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Caine also provided the voice for a talking “superspy” car in the animated feature Cars 2 (2011).
Caine was born in London on March 14, 1933. His real name was Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. Caine’s first credited film role was in A Hill in Korea (later called Hell in Korea, 1956). He struggled in small parts as a stage, television, and motion-picture actor in London until he gained attention as a British officer in the historical movie epic Zulu (1964). In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Caine.
