Born in South London on 14th March 1933, Michael Caine was the son of a fish-market porter and a cleaning-woman. Intrigued by acting, after serving tea in a theatre, he began performing in amateur plays. He served in Korea during his national service and, on his return, started playing small parts in provincial theatres and on British TV.He was hired to advise on A Hill in Korea in 1956, and played a small role.He had been a working as an actor for ten years before he attracted attention playing an effete young officer in Zulu (1964). He became highly popular after finding the humanity in the self-centred lothario, Alfie (1966), for which he won an Academy Award nomination.
In roles from the atypical, bespectacled spy hero Harry Palmer, to the ruthless avenger, Jack Carter, he has proved himself a popular screen personality. He has won Best Supporting Actor Academy Awards for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999). He continues to achieve international acclaim as a versatile actor and in the process has become a beloved British icon. In 2000 he accepted a knighthood under his real name, Maurice Micklewhite, in honour of his father.