1. His all time favourite role? Muppet’s Christmas Carol
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For all the iconic roles that Sir Michael Caine has played over the years – including the legendary Mini scene – you might be surprised to learn that one of his favourites is in fact hanging out with a bunch of puppets. We have to admit that his performance as Scrooge is one of the all time greatest, so it’s no surprise he put his heart and soul into it!
2. He sort of accidentally ‘walked’ into acting!
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For an actor with the reputation that Sir Michael Caine has, you might imagine a prestigious background in the top drama schools. But nope – Caine actually ended up acting because he began as an assistant stage manager who then had to do various walk-on parts. It eventually progressed to bigger roles – and the rest is history!
3. It was love at first sight when he saw his future wife in an advert
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Michael Caine has been married to his wife since 1973 – which is a pretty big deal these days with celebs getting divorced after only a few years these days! He first spotted the model Shakira Baksh in a coffee advert and instantly fell in love. He vowed to find her – and it turned out she only lived close by. They’ve been together ever since!
4. His real name is more of a mouthful
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Michael Caine is a name that’s gone down in cinematic history – but it remains a stage name, after all. Michael’s real name is actually Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr – which, we’re sure you’re agree, doesn’t have the same ring to it! Caine got his stage name inspiration from the movie ‘The Caine Mutiny’.
5. Speaking of: ‘Sir Michael Caine’ is actually wrong
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If you’ve been reminding yourself to refer to him as ‘Sir’ and not just Michael Caine, that’s technically incorrect, too. He never legally changed his name, so when he received his knighthood, the correct – and ‘legal’ – way to refer to him is Sir Maurice Mickelwhite.
6. Despite his talent, he’s earned a few Razzies!
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Even the best actors have the worst roles sometimes – and Caine is no different. He’s earned prestigious awards for some of his best roles, but he’s not immune to shameful cinematic appearances! He earned a Razzie award for his role in Dressed to Kill and The Island, following their criticism!
7. He never actually said the catchphrase he’s famous for
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The catchphrase “not a lot of people know that” is one thing Caine is famous for – but he never actually said it! The catchphrase originally started when another actor, Peter Sellers, was doing an impression of Caine. But Michael embraced the idea and went on to write a book titled, “Not Many People Know That!”.
8. Did his role in Alfie come at the cost of friendship?
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As a struggling actor, Caine was sharing a flat with fellow actor, Terrence Stamp. Stamp turned down the lead role of Alfie in the movie adaption, which Michael swooped in to take. The role gave Caine more fame and fortune, and now, Stamp and Caine have drifted apart and “went their separate ways”…
9. He shares a birthday with Italian Job music producer, Quincy Jones
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Quincy Jones is a famous record producer – and father of actress Rashida Jones – and he also wrote the iconic track Getta Bloomin’ Move On! for Caine’s famous movie, The Italian Job. It turns out that Caine and Jones actually share the same birthday: 14th March!
10. His parents were poor – and his childhood was war-torn
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Caine was born in London in the 1930s, to poor parents who always tried to do the best they could. His mother worked as a cook and housekeeper, while his father tried to earn money at the fish market. And when the Second World War began, Cain was evacuated and made to live away from home with another family.
