The Oscar-winning actor Michael Caine has revealed that he is “sort of retired now” after a long and successful career in the film industry. The 88-year-old British icon, who has starred in classics such as The Italian Job, The Dark Knight and Inception, said that he has no intention of making any more movies.
“I’ve done so many things, I’ve had a wonderful life,” he told The Sun in an interview. “I’ve been very lucky, I’ve won two Oscars and been nominated six times. I’ve done everything I wanted to do, so I’m sort of retired now.”
Caine, whose real name is Maurice Micklewhite, began his acting career in 1956 and became one of the most popular and versatile actors of his era. He has appeared in more than 130 films, working with some of the best directors in the business, such as Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen and Steven Soderbergh.
He has also received many honors and awards for his work, including a knighthood in 2000 and a BAFTA fellowship in 2011. He is widely considered as one of the greatest actors of all time and a national treasure in the UK.
Caine said that he is happy with his retirement and spends his time with his wife of 48 years, Shakira, and their three children and grandchildren. He also said that he is not afraid of death, as he has lived a full and happy life.
“I’m not afraid of death,” he said. “I’m just looking forward to seeing the people who have gone before me. I have no regrets. I’ve had a wonderful time.”
Caine was born on March 14, 1933 in Rotherhithe, London, to a fish-market porter father and a cook mother. He grew up in poverty and was evacuated to Norfolk during World War II. He developed an interest in acting after seeing Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon (1941). He left school at 15 and did various jobs before joining the British Army and serving in Germany and Korea.
He made his stage debut in 1953 under the name Michael Scott. He changed his name to Michael Caine after seeing a poster for The Caine Mutiny (1954). He got his first film role in A Hill in Korea (1956) and worked steadily in British cinema and television throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.
He married actress Patricia Haines in 1954 and they had a daughter named Dominique. They divorced in 1958. He married model Shakira Baksh in 1973 and they had a daughter named Natasha. He also has a stepson named Michael from Shakira’s previous marriage.
Caine is known for his distinctive Cockney accent and his catchphrase “not a lot of people know that”. He is also an avid reader and writer. He has published several books, including his autobiography What’s It All About? (1992), Acting on Film (1997), The Elephant to Hollywood (2010), and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life (2018).