Sir Michael Caine The Autobiography by William Hall

I just finished this book last night and it's very good. He's a very interesting individual. His voice is certainly recognizable once you hear it

-Born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite on 3/14/1933 in London, his father worked at a fish market in Billingsgate and his mother worked as an all around cleaning woman. She made sure that her son never went without food and ran an overall tight household. Later on, he would gain a brother named Stanley. During the years of WWII, he and his brother were sent out to the countryside, along with other children, to escape the bombings by the Germans during the Blitz. He left school at 15 and worked jobs until National Service called up and he served in Korea. When he returned to England, he became interested in theatre and went to work as an assistant stage manager. When he started getting into plays, his agent advised him to drop his proper last name and adopt a different one. It was while watching the film The Caine Mutiny that he decided to make his stage name Caine instead. While filming A Hill in Korea, he became a technical advisor because he had experience in Korea and the director used that to make things more accurate for the film

A Hill in Korea

-His first major film was the 1964 film Zulu, which told the story of the British Army and Zulu warriors battling in South Africa. This film helped helped to put his name out there. As time went on, he would star in more films. These include The Ipcress File, Alfie (which would inspire a later remake starring Jude Law), and a series of films starring him as The Ipcress File character Harry Palmer. He also starred in the original film The Italian Job. One of his most famous roles to this day would be Get Carter, where he played Jack Carter, a gangster who investigates his brother's mysterious death. This film is said to be one of the better British gangster films

Zulu

The Ipcress File

Alfie

Get Carter

-He met his current wife Shakira in the early 1970s and married her on January 8, 1973. With her, they had one child together, a daughter named Natasha Caine. Over the years, he would star in more and more films

Michael and his wife Shakira

Over the years, some of his films would be remade with other actors. In 2000, his film Get Carter was remade with Sylvester Stallone as the character Jack Carter. Michael actually starred in that film as well. Alfie was remade with Jude Law as the title character. Michael states that when he is not acting, he is usually in his garden, planting plants and working outside. He considers that the best form of relaxation. 

Before his mother passed, she revealed he had a half brother named David, who was living in the Cane Hill Asylum because he suffered from epilepsy. Michael, ever the good and kind hearted man he is, transferred David to a nice home where he could be cared for better. And where Michael could see him more often. He made sure David knew that he belonged to someone, that someone cared for him. Michael was deeply hurt that his mother never told him about his half brother. Unfortunately, the relationship between Michael and his half brother would be short lived, as David died from pneumonia. Michael spread his ashes alongside his mother's ashes at the family home Michael lived in, so that they would be together

Filmography