This article is about the English actor. For the song by Madness, see Michael Caine (song). For the racing driver, see Michael Caine (racing driver). For the businessman, see Michael Harris Caine.
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Source: Wikipedia

This article is about the English actor. For the song by Madness, see Michael Caine (song). For the racing driver, see Michael Caine (racing driver). For the businessman, see Michael Harris Caine.

Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite on 14 March 1933) is an English actor and author. Renowned for his distinctive Cockney accent, Caine has appeared in over one hundred films and is one of the UK's most recognisable actors.
He made his breakthrough in the 1960s with starring roles in a number of British films, including Zulu (1964), The Ipcress File (1965), Alfie (1966), The Italian Job (1969), and Battle of Britain (1969). His most notable roles in the 1970s included Get Carter (1971), The Man Who Would Be King (1975), and A Bridge Too Far (1978). He achieved critical success in the 1980s, with Educating Rita (1983) earning him the BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. In 1986 he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Hannah and Her Sisters.
Caine played Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). He received his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Cider House Rules (1999). Caine played Nigel Powers in the 2002 parody Austin Powers in Goldmember, and more recently portrayed Alfred Pennyworth, the butler in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. He also appeared as supporting characters in Nolan's 2006 film The Prestige, 2010 film Inception and Pixar's 2011 film Cars 2.
Caine is one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one being Jack Nicholson). In 2000, Caine was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his contribution to cinema.

Early life [edit]
Caine was born in St Olave's Hospital, Rotherhithe, Bermondsey, London, the son of Ellen Frances Marie (née Burchell; 1900-1989), a cook and charwoman, and Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, a fish market porter. His father was of English, Irish, and, reportedly, Irish Traveller, ancestry. Caine was brought up in his mother's Protestant religion (his father was Catholic).
Caine had a maternal half-brother, David William Burchell (1925-1992) and a full brother, Stanley Micklewhite (1936- 2013). Caine grew up in Southwark, South London, and during the Second World War, he was evacuated to North Runcton near King's Lynn in Norfolk. After the war, his father was demobilised, the family were rehoused by the council in Marshall Gardens at the Elephant and Castle in a pre-fabricated house made in Canada, as much of London's housing stock had been damaged during the Blitz in 1940-41.

The prefabs, as they were known, were intended to be temporary homes while London was reconstructed, but we ended up living there for eighteen years and for us, after a cramped flat with an outside toilet, it was luxury.

In 1944, he passed his eleven plus exam, winning a scholarship to Hackney Downs Grocers' School. After a year there he moved to Wilson's Grammar School in Camberwell (now Wilson's School in Wallington, South London), which he left at sixteen after gaining a School Certificate in six subjects. He then worked briefly as a filing clerk and messenger for a film company in Victoria Street and the film producer Jay Lewis in Wardour Street. From 1952, when he was called up to do his national service, until 1954, he served in the British Army's Royal Fusiliers, first at the BAOR HQ in Iserlohn, Germany and then on active service during the Korean War. Caine has said he would like to see the return of national service to help combat youth violence, stating: "I'm just saying, put them in the Army for six months. You're there to learn how to defend your country. You belong to the country. Then when you come out, you have a sense of belonging rather than a sense of violence."
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