The Evolution of Cool – a Biography of Michael Caine
2010 to Present
From 1951 Michael completed his National Service and served in the Queens Royal                     Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers, spending time in Germany and on active duty during                     the Korean War. As a soldier in Korea, Michael got into a situation where he knew                     he faced death and the memory of that experience has lasted with him forever and                     formed his character for the rest of his life.
After his time in the Army, Michael went to work at Westminster Repertory in Horsham,                     Sussex, followed by time at Lowestoft Repertory, where he met his soon-to-be wife                     Patricia Haines.
Once they were married, Michael and Patricia decided to go to London to pursue their                     acting careers. Unfortunately this proved hard and Michael had to take a lot of                     soul destroying jobs.
On top of this, financial circumstances were dire and Patricia had became pregnant,                     later to give birth to Michael’s first daughter, Dominique. Although this was a                     happy event for the Caine family, Michael found it hard to cope with lack of job                     opportunities and finance, and after two and a half years of marriage, Patricia                     took Dominique back to her parents’ home. This signalled the end of the marriage,                     which lasted from 1955 -1962.
Suffering with a huge amount of guilt, out of work and penniless, Michael returned                     home to his family. His father was bedridden with rheumatism and unable to work,                     so Michael was forced to take a job in a steel yard. Unfortunately Michael’s father                     died and shortly after Michael lost his job in the steel yard.
His mother advised him to get away and sort himself out, so upon this advice, Michael                     chose to go to Paris. During his tenure in the French capital, he survived living                     in a tiny room in a fleapit hotel and worked in a snack bar. Eventually Michael                     felt ready to return home.
On arriving home he found a telegram from his agent, stating that there was a job                     for him – a part in a film titled “A Hill in Korea.” Unfortunately the film wasn’t                     a success and Michael decided to find a new agent. Despite this the work wasn’t                     pouring in. Michael was then sent to the Theatre Workshop in the East End of London                     where he played a part in the show of Charles Dickens, titled “The Chimes”.
After the Theatre Workshop, Michael visited a casting agency, where he was chosen                     to play the part of a policeman in a small film. This was the first of many small                     jobs like these.
Four years of minor roles was getting to Michael and he was very close to giving                     up the business when his agent found him a job on TV in a play called “The Lark.”                     At this time Michael was known as Michael Scott however his agent informed him that                     there was already a Michael Scott performing as an actor in London, so he had to                     come up with a new name. Speaking from a telephone box in Leicester Square, Michael                     looked around and saw that “The Caine Mutiny” was being shown at the Odeon. He decided                     to change his name to Michael Caine. Michael has later joked that had a tree been                     blocking his view, he might have been known as Michael Mutiny!
The next few years carried on the same as before, with Michael living hand to mouth,                     being helped out by friends, with the occasional film or TV bit part.
At the end of the 1950s, Michael’s agent, Josephine Burton, passed away. This meant                     that Michael had to find a new agent. One of the biggest movie companies in Britain                     at the time was Associated British Pictures, who ran their operations like an old                     Hollywood studio, with a rota of actors under contract. Michael went to see their                     Chief Casting Director, where he was told to give up acting. This just made him                     even more determined to succeed. blocking his view, he might have been known as                     Michael Mutiny!
"he was told to
give up acting"
On Michael’s return to London he was arrested for the non-payment of maintenance                     to Patricia and Dominique Micklewhite and was ordered by the court to pay 3 pounds                     and 10 shillings per week, which was all Michael had on him at the time, or go to                     jail. months.
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1960 came with a rocky start but financially it was Michael’s best year so far.                     He played a small part in a BBC Book Programme in which they dramatised the book                     under discussion. This wasn’t an earth shattering job but it meant that Michael                     met the director John McGrath, who became a good friend. Michael also met the playwright                     Harold Pinter, who wrote the play “The Room’, in which Michael appeared in.
As Michael got to know John McGrath even better, this led to him starring in McGrath’s                     TV play called “The Compartment”. This play proved to be a success in many ways                     for Michael as it proved to many people that he could remember 45 minutes of dialogue.                     But the most satisfying and beneficial sign that the play, and Michael, were a success,                     came a little while after it was broadcast – Roger Moore, who was already famous                     for the series “Ivanhoe”, walked up to Michael and told him that he was going to                     be a big star.
"1960 came with
a rocky start"
Thanks to the success of “The Compartment”, Michael had five major parts on TV that                     year and also starred in a play by Troy Kennedy Martin, who would later go on to                     write the film “The Italian Job”.
After seeing “The Compartment”, Dennis Selinger, one of the biggest agents in England,                     had taken on Michael as a client. He sent Michael a play from a producer called                     Michael Codron – “Next Time I’ll Sing to You” by James Saunders. The play was a                     big hit with the critics and ended up moving from the Arts Theatre to the Criterion                     Theatre in Piccadilly. At long last, Michael was in the West End.
One night, at the end of a performance of “Next Time I’ll Sing to You”, Stanley                     Baker, one of the biggest stars in British cinema, came backstage to speak to Michael.                     He told him about a part in the film “Zulu”.
It was 1963. Michael had replaced London for the Drakensberg Mountains in northern                     South Africa for the filming of “Zulu.” It took three months to film and Michael                     was very homesick – once the plane took off back home from Johannesburg airport,                     there was a loud cheer.
Michael returned to London with most of his £4000 free intact, as accommodation                     and meals had been free during filming and there was nowhere else to spend money.                     Michael immediately went to see Dominique, who was now eight years old, and crazy                     for horses. So Michael bought her one.
Michael’s mother was his next concern. He was not happy with her living in a prefab                     in such a rough area so he moved her into a flat in Brixton. This was ideal as the                     building was actually a big house divided into flats and some of the other people                     living there were of similar age to Michael’s mother. She now felt safe and secure                     and had company. Michael saw the happiness that he could bring to his mother from                     his success and it was a source of tremendous joy.
In order to get the part in “Zulu” Michael had to sign a seven year contract with                     Embassy Pictures. This was to protect their investment in Michael; however the option                     was on their side only. Unfortunately the day came when Michael received a call                     to say that Embassy Pictures would not be taking up his option.
The reviews for “Zulu” were positive and from this Michael got to play the lead                     part of spy Harry Palmer in one of his most recognised films, “The Ipcress File”.                     Michael also received a seven year contract and now, aged 32, life was really changing.                     Suddenly he was able to indulge himself in all the material tings that had been                     missing so far.
After the director Lewis Gilbert saw a rough cut of “The Ipcress File”, Michael                     was offered the title role of “Alfie.” The reviews of “Alfie” were great and it                     established Michael as a genuine star.
Suddenly Michael ended up in New York to publicise “Alfie” and “The Ipcress File”                     and his impossible dream had come true. The latter had proven to be a such a success,                     Michael was offered more roles as Harry Palmer in the films based on Len Deighton’s                     novels.
After this he was offered a part in Otto Preminger’s new film “Hurry Sundown” for                     which he needed to perfect a southern, Louisiana accent. As soon as this was done,                     he went from Louisiana to Helsinki to film the third in the Harry Palmer series                     of spy films, “Billion Dollar Brain.”
Along the line Michael had picked up a two picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox                     and time had come to do the first one – “Deadfall”. of spy films, “Billion Dollar                     Brain.”
Michael had now settled into a period where he had no social life at all, but just                     went from one film to another. The moment Michael finished “Deadfall” in the studio                     in London, he was on a plane to Spain to start another film, a Harry Saltzman production                     called “Play Dirty”. Brain.”
Finally it was back to London for a short respite before returning to Majorca to                     make “The Magus”, which, along with “Deadfall”, was the second of Michael’s two                     picture deal with Twentieth Century Fox, but was a critical disaster. Michael Caine                     himself has said that it was one of the worst films he had been involved in.
After three years of travelling and starring in films, Michael was finally home                     in London again and it wax his priority to find a new flat. He found a beautiful                     home in Grosvenor Square which had three bedrooms, two large houses, a big hall,                     an office, a vast kitchen in which you could dine, plus a dining room which Michael immediately turned into a little cinema with a 16mm projector. The flat was filled                     with state-of-the-art stereo and TV equipment and brand new furniture. He gave his                     old flat to his brother Stanley, with everything in it. Stanley was not working                     in the book department of Selfridges where he was very happy. Michael, now comfortably                     ensconced in his new abode, looked as his life to see if there was anything missing.                     After great consideration he came to the consideration that now, at the age of 35,                     it was time to acquire a car. He couldn’t drive. But he had enough money for a chauffeur.
Michael’s next film, and possibly most famous, “The Italian Job”, started shooting                     in London, directed by a young newcomer called Peter Collinson. This was followed                     by an all-star cast blockbuster movie, “The Battle of Britain”.
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Michael went on to film “Too Late the Hero”, a World War II story of a battle between                     a small unit of British soldiers and one American, against the Japanese. Now that                     it was 1970 and Michael was starring in more films, he decided he wanted his mother                     to have her own house.
She was still living in the block of flats in Brixton along with other relatives.                     Michael then bought a big house in Streatham in South London and split it into flats                     so everyone could move there.
The next plan for Michael was for him to become a Producer and he went into partnership                     with a friend called Michael Klinger, who was a Producer by profession. Michael                     had the rights to a book called “Jack’s Return Home”, which together they filmed                     under the title of “Get Carter.” Unfortunately when the film came out it was slammed                     by most critics for the violence – it was just too realistic.
The next film Michael made was the only one for which he was never paid. It was                     called “Kidnapped” and was based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Filming                     took place on location in Scotland, but after three hard months of filming, Michael                     knew that this film was going to be a dud. He was now drinking heavily and smoking                     about 80 cigarettes a day, so consequently was not in the best of spirits. He decided                     to take himself off to the countryside to attempt rehabilitation.
One evening Michael was at a party when he felt someone reach into his pocket, remove                     his cigarettes and throw them in the fire. This person turned out to be Tony Curtis.                     He said “I’ve been watching you, that’s the third cigarette you have lit since you                     entered the room and you have only been here 20 minutes.” Tony then proceeded to                     give Michael a lecture on the dangers of smoking and he did this with such skills                     that Michael gave up there and then.
It was about time for Michael to look for a new home and he found a beautiful 200                     year old water mill in a little village just outside Windsor, called Clewer. It                     had a 100 yards of frontage to the Thames, a small stream running through the middle                     of it and the actual house stood right on the main side-stream and millrace with                     the millwheel in it. It wasn’t in a good state and the garden was derelict, but                     this was exactly what Michael was looking for. He decided that garden would be his                     therapy. It was perfect.
Michael later received a phone call from Dennis saying that he was sending a script                     for a film for him to star in with Elizabeth Taylor. It was called “Zee and Co”                     and was written by Edna O’ Brien.
One night in 1971, Michael and his friend Paul were watching TV when an advert for                     Maxwell House coffee came on. On screen was the most beautiful girl Michael had                     ever seen. The effect she was having on Michael was extraordinary. Michael’s friend                     Paul asked him what was wrong and Michael replied, “that girl, she’s beautiful.                     I want to meet her”. The following evening, at a club, Michael bumped into Nigel                     Politzer, who worked for the company that made the commercial. Nigel told Michael                     that the girl’s name was Shakira Baksh and that she lived somewhere in Fulham Road.                     He agreed to phone Shakira for Michael the following morning.
"that girl,
I want to
meet her"
One restless night later and Michael awoke to a phone call from Nigel, informing                     him that Shakira had agreed to a call from him. Michael decided that he would take                     the bull by the horns and called her asking her out for dinner. Shakira said that                     she was busy for the nbext week and asked Michael to ring her in ten days’ time.
For ten days Michael was in a trance. Eventually he rang her again and she agreed                     to go for a meal but she would pick him up. Shakira arrived at 8 o ‘clock and Michael                     could not believe how beautiful she was. As he took her hand he could feel vibrations                     through his hands and he though of something the French say about love: L’amour,                     c’est une question de peau (love is a question of skin). Michael suddenly realised                     that he had not even spoken yet so he asked Shakira to come in, but no sound came                     out. He cleared his throat and had another go. Shakira came into Michael’s flat                     and into this life forever.
After that evening Michael saw Shakira constantly, until she had to go off and do                     a modelling job in Mexico and Michael had to go to Malta to make a movie called                     “Pulp”. Michael and Shakira talked as often as they could by phone and the moment                     Shakira finished working, she joined Michael in Malta. They’ve remained together                     ever since.
Back in England, Michael invited Shakira to move into his flat and they settled                     down to a sort of married life. Very soon the lease was up on the flat and they                     decided to live in Windsor full time without a London base. It was at this time                     that Shakira pointed out to Michael that he was drinking two or more bottles of                     vodka a day. This came as a complete surprise to Michael and was such a shock that                     he gave up drinking altogether for a year. Life was suddenly completely different                     and absolutely perfect. To top it off, Michael received an invitation to star opposite                     Lawrence Oliver in the film version of the Anthony Shaffer play “Sleuth”.
In January 1973, Michael and Shakira decided to get married in Las Vegas. They decided                     that they didn’t want a big fuss and these chose the romantically named “Little                     Chapel on the Green”.
Later that year, in July, Shakira gave birth to a baby girl of 6lb and 12 oz, whom                     they called Natasha.
Michael’s next movie in England was called “The Romantic English Women” and was                     his first foray into the realms of artistic films. The film was not only very convoluted,                     but in Michael’s own words, ‘it was downright grim’. Michael decided to do it though                     because the director Joe Losey had a tremendous reputation for being artistic. “The                     Romantic English woman” not only flopped financially but the critics didn’t like                     it either.
Michael and Shakira spent mini honeymoons in Paris, usually over a long weekend                     every three or four months. During one of these trips Michael received a phone call                     from John Huston, causing him to nearly drop the phone. John Huston was the one                     director whom Michael actually idolised so was surprised when he was invited to                     come and meet him at his hotel – he wanted Michael to be in his film of a short                     story by Rudyard Kipling – “The Man Who would be King”.
The night before they started shooting the film, Michael and John were having dinner                     when John dropped the bombshell that the girl who was to play the part o the beautiful                     Indian princess was no longer available. Shakira was sitting at the table and suddenly                     said firmly: “I am not going to play the part.” Of course, over the following days                     John persuaded her to take the part. Michael is very proud of his role in “The Man                     Who Would be King” and feels that it is one of the finest films that he has been                     in.
It’s now 1976 and Michael’s next movie was in England on location in a place called                     Muapledurham. The film was called “The Eagle Has Landed” and was the story of a                     band of German commandos who were sent to England during the war to assassinate                     Winston Churchill.
One of Michael’s dreams had been to open a restaurant and one day he was introduced                     to Peter Langan, who already owned a restaurant. He told Michael to come and see                     him when he was ready. When Peter next saw Michael he told him that he had taken                     on a lease of a very well known restaurant called Coq D’or. Peter offered Michael                     a third share of the action for £25,000. Michael accepted. On a quiet Monday night,                     Langan’s Brasserie opened to just a few friends and passers-by, but it didn’t take                     long for it to become the place to be seen.
On a very different Monday, Michael’s account asked to see him as a matter of urgency.                     It turned out that Michael and Shakira would either have to cut their standard of                     living or leave England, as Michael was paying so much tax he was being left penniless.                     Michael and Shakira decided to move to Los Angeles, the only trouble was the houses                     were very expensive. Michael immediately accepted a role in the film “The Silver                     Bears”, followed by a film called “The Swarm” and earned £250,000 to put towards                     his house in America.
"either have
or leave
England"
On the 3rd January, 1979, Michael and Shakira flew to Lose Angeles after selling                     the Mill House to Jimmy Page of the rock group Led Zeppelin, for three quarters                     of a million pounds. Michael and Shakira settled into their new home quickly and                     soon were receiving invites from many people. Michael’s work situation, however,                     was not quite so rosy.
Before they left England Michael had done a short stint on a brilliant movie called                     “California Suite” by Neil Simon. For the first time Michael was playing a homosexual                     and Michael got good reviews for his portrayal, as did the film. Once Michael was                     in Hollywood, he was rescued by his old friend Irwin Allen, who invited him to star                     in “Beyond the Poseidon Adventure,” a sequel to his successful “The Poseidon Adventure”.
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Professionally, Michael’s luck was still running cold and unfortunately he ended                     up with four clunkers in a row. He needed a miracle and this came in the shape of                     a film entitled “Dressed to Kill” – he played a transvestite psychiatrist murderer.
After three years in America it was time for Michael to travel again for filming.                     This time he ended up in Hungary where he starred in the film “Escape to Victory.”
Although Michael was enjoying his life in Los Angeles, he knew deep down that his                     heart was still in England. He could now legally spend 90 days per year in England                     and he tried to use them up every year.
Michael found that he had become a sort of British Social Ambassador whenever royalty                     or the aristocracy came to visit America. On one occasion that Michael was in attendance,                     he found his mind wondering, when he heard a familiar voice – the Queen. She asked                     Michael if he knew any jokes, to which he replied “yes, but very few that I could                     tell you.” She prompted him to “have a go” and she’d tell him one. For the rest                     of the evening they swapped jokes.
"She asked
Michael if he
knew any jokes"
Whilst he was offered a role in “Norma Ray”, he turned it down in favour of “Educating                     Rita”, a film about a working class girl who tries to better herself with education                     and her relationship with the professor who becomes her mentor. Michael played the                     role of Dr. Frank Bryant and won a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role,                     as well as an Oscar nomination.
This was followed by a not-so-successful film, “The Honorary Consul” which saw Michael                     travel to Mexico to shoot the film. He hated leaving without his family but Natasha                     was happy at Marymount School in Westwood and Shakira was content with her life                     in Hollywood. The picture was not well received and to top it off, the title was                     changed to “Beyond the Limit”, detracting away from the fact he played the Consul                     in the film.
Michael and Shakira had been in Hollywood for five years and made some tremendous                     friends whilst enjoying a happy, comfortable life. However, Michael had been unhappy                     for some time and Shakira had noticed this. They made a deal that if his performance                     in “Educating Rita” didn’t get an Oscar, they wouldn’t stay in America. Robert Duvall                     went on to win the Oscar for best actor (though Michael did win a BAFTA), so it                     was time for Michael to go home.
Before looking for a new home in England, Michael worked on his next project, “Blame                     it on Rio”, a risqué comedy about a man who is seduced by his best friend’s young                     daughter.
In the summer of 1984 Michael and Shakira decided to look for a new home in England. After a long search they eventually found an ideal property in Oxfordshire and agreed                     to rent it for the summer and then buy it. The project was in a mess and would need                     a lot of renovation to make it as Michael and Shakira wanted.
In November 1984, Michael went to New York to film “Hannah and Her Sisters”.
In June 1985, Michael’s friend Marty Bregman invited him to play a small, but smashing                     part, in his new film “Sweet Liberty”. The following February Michael went back                     to England to film Freddie Forsyth’s novel “The Fourth Protocol”.
More travelling ensued as Michael worked on a small budged movie called “The Whistle                     Blower” in the south of France, before heading back to Los Angeles with Shakira                     to do more packing.
Michael was offered a small part in the fourth of the “Jaws” series of films. The                     film was a commercial flop but Michael has famously said “I have never seen the                     film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However, I have seen the house that it                     built, and it was terrific.” Despite the film being abysmal, whilst he was filming                     in Nassau, he was informed that he had won the Academy Award for Best Supporting                     Actor for the film “Hannah and her Sisters”.
The house in Oxfordshire was finally finished in the summer of 1987 and was ready                     for the Caine family to move into.
In 1988 a writer-director called David Wicked sent Michael a script based on a new                     and intriguing theory of the true identity of Jack the Ripper. He wanted Michael                     to play the real life detective who investigated the Ripper case. This became a                     miniseries and was a massive success all over the world.
Michael then starred in a comedy movie called “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, followed                     by a small budget thriller called “Shock to the System”.
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One Michael’s return to England, he plunged straight into his second miniseries                     for TV, “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”.
Michael’s next role was in the movie version of “Noises Off” which was to be made                     at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. This gave Michael and Shakira a chance to find                     a home to buy there.
In 1992 Michael produced “Blue Ice” and opened a new restaurant “The Canteen” in                     Chelsea Harbour. He then played Scrooge in the Muppets movie version of the Charles                     Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol”. He also wrote his first autobiography “What’s                     it all About?”. In the 1992 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Michael was appointed Commander                     of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
However, the 90s weren’t great for Michael as his career began to falter with a                     series of below-par films. These included Steven Seagal’s environmental action film                     “On Deadly Ground” in 1994 and “Bloody and Wine”, a 1996 thriller which co-starred                     Jack Nicholson and Judy Davis. He also starred in two straight-to-video Harry Palmer                     sequels as well as a few television films.
"he won his
second
Academy Award"
Towards the end of the decade, Michael Caine’s career began to rebound. He was becoming                     well recognised through his TV work, such as his stint in he 1997 miniseries “Mandela and de Klerk”. He also kept himself busy through his restaurant work and enjoyed                     a new wave of appreciation from younger filmmakers who praised him as the film industry’s                     enduring model of British cool – his films “Get Carter” and “The Italian Job” had                     immortalised him as the definitive figure of cool.
Michael starred in the acclaimed film “Little Voice” in 1998. He won a Golden Globe                     for his portrayal of a seedy talent agent. Returning to form, Michael got better                     roles, such as his role of an abortionist in “The Cider House Rules”, for which                     he won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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In the 2000 New Year Honours, Michael was knighted as Sir Maurice Micklewhite CBE                     in recognition of his contribution to cinema. The same year he also received a BAFTA                     Academy Fellowship Award.
The start of the new millennium saw Michael go from strength to strength. His career                     had been revitalised and he had a newfound popularity with younger fans who were                     appreciating his earlier efforts. He scored a hit with the art-house film “Quills”                     as his turn as Dr Royer-Collard.
He also appeared in “Miss Congeniality” and in 2001 starred in “Last Orders”. The                     following year he showed that he still had it as he played a star turn in “The Quiet                     American”, which saw him Oscar nominated for Best Actor. He also played the humorous                     role of Nigel Powers, the father of Mike Myer’s protagonist in “Austin Power in                     Goldmember”.
"showed that he still had it"
Several of Michael’s popular films were remade during this decade, such as “The                     Italian Job”, “Get Carter”, “Alfie” and “Sleuth”. In the latter, he took the role                     that Laurence Olivier played in the 1972 version and Jude Law played Michael’s original                     role.
In 2003 Michael co-starred with Robert Duvall in “Secondhand Lions” and in 2004                     he played the family elder, Henry Lair, in “Around the Bend.” 2005 saw Michael play                     a pivotal part in the rebooted Batman franchise when he was cast as Bruce Wayne’s                     butler Alfred Pennyworth in “Batman Begins”.
When Michael was asked by director Christopher Nolan to play the part of Alfred,                     he was skeptical at first. But after reading the script, he realised that this Alfred                     is a surrogate father, mentor and emotional backbone for Bruce Wayne. Michael approached                     the role with the same level of dedication as he did his Oscar-winning turns in                     “The Cider House Rules” and “Hannah and her Sister.” He even invented a clever backstory                     for Alfred, imagining him as a former SAS officer who was wounded in the war – he                     can’t go back into combat so he takes over dining duties for the sergeants – one                     of whom is Bruce’s father. This portrayal of Alfred certainly lived up to the hype                     and was an integral part of The Dark Knight trilogy.
In 2006, Michael joined the cast of sci-fi drama “Children of Men” and also teamed                     up again with Christopher Nolan to play a supporting role in “The Prestige”.
Michael cut a poignant figure in 2008’s “Is Anybody There” in which he played a                     retired magician crumbling into the final stages of his life. As a result, Shakira                     found the film so unsettling that she banned their pregnant daughter, Natasha, from                     seeing it. One of the most harrowing scenes of the film depicts the onset of the                     character’s dementia. Michael has revealed that he based this on the death of his                     best friend, Dough Hayward, who suffered the same fate. That year he also took up                     the mantle of Alfred Pennyworth in the hit Batman sequel “The Dark Knight”.
2009 saw Michael take the lead role in “Harry Brown”, which saw him return to his                     native South London estate in the titular role.