Biographic - Sunday February 8, 2015 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, the son of a fish market porter, in London on March 14, 1933. At 18, he was conscripted to the British army and saw action in the Korean War. Following his discharge, he took a job with a small theater company, adopting the stage name Michael Scott. It was the start of a 10-year struggle to succeed in his chosen career, and the strain of living hand-to-mouth put an end to short-lived marriage that had produced a daughter. Learning that there was already an actor called Michael Scott, he was obligated to choose another stage name. Inspired by a Billboard for the Humphrey Bogart movie "The Caine Mutiny," he became Michael Caine. Slowly but surely, the size and frequently of his roles increased, including regular TV work. He finally got his big break when he landed a major role in 1964s "Zulue." He was soon cast as secret agent Harry Palmer in "The Ipcress File." The bespectacled, working-class Palmer was the antithesis of the sophisticated James Bond, but both were successful at the box office. His next movie was "Alfie" and his performance as a Romeo with the gift of gab earned him an Oscar Nomination. Finally at the age of 32, Caine was a star! By the early 1970s, such hits as "Funeral In Berlin" "The Italian Job" and "Get Carter" had cemented that star status. Caine worked hard and played harder. But his international playboy days ended when he fell in love with beautiful guyanese model Shakira. They married in 1973 and have a daughter together. He established a reputation as a prolific, yet occasionally indiscriminate actor. The likes of "The Swarm" and "Jaws: The Revenge" were savaged by critics, but he received Oscar nominations for his work in "Sleuth" and "Educating Rita." He won his first Oscar for 1986s "Hannah And Her Sisters," and received a second for 1999s "The Cider House Rules" he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. 2002s "The Quiet American" earned him a sixth academy award nomination. Approximately half a century after his screen debut, he became a star of Blockbuster action movies, thanks to his role as butler Alfred Pennyworth in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. Recent roles have ranged from voice work in the animated "Cars 2" to an acclaimed performance in the sci-fi thriller "Interstellar." Now into his 80s. Caine shows no sign of slowing down and has a string of movies n the pipeline, including the upcoming spy thriller "Kingsman: The Secret Service."

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