Michael Caine has come a long way in his 77 years, said Peter Aspden in the Financial Times. Born Maurice Micklewhite in working-class South London to a cockney charwoman and a porter, Caine had a childhood out of Dickens—or J.K. Rowling. An awkward boy with “sticking-out ears’’ and rickets, he was shipped off to the countryside during World War II to escape the London bombings. The abusive couple who took care of him locked him in a closet when they went out. “They took the children in for money, and then didn’t want to look after them.” He shrugs. “Of course, when my mother came, she nearly went to prison for assaulting the woman.”
Later, he joined the army and served in the Korean War. “It was a nightmare,” he says. “But I saw the world, and mixed with people from all classes and societies.” After the service, he turned to acting, and over five decades has been one of the busiest actors in the business, doing dozens of films. “My film career has meant I’ve done all sorts of things. I got to play football with Pelé for God’s sake. And I danced with Bob Fosse. I love being an actor. And I love not being me.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why social media is obsessed with cortisolIn The Spotlight Wellness trend is the latest response to an increasingly maligned hormone
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday noteSpeed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to riseUnder the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
