One of Hollywood’s most enduring legends of the screen is ending his career — on his own terms.
Two-time Oscar Award winner Sir Michael Caine, known for classic films such as “Alfie” and “The Italian Job,” has announced that his latest film will be his last.
“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” he revealed in a recent BBC interview.
Caine, 90, stars in “The Great Escaper,” which is based on the true story of a World War II vet who escapes from a care home to attend D-Day anniversary celebrations in France. Released last month, the biographical drama also stars fellow two-time Oscar winner Glenda Jackson, who died in June shortly after completing her role.
“We had a great time on the movie and I thought, you know, why not leave now?” he said while discussing the Oliver Parker-directed film.
“I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews,” the London-born actor added.
“The only parts I’m going to get now are old men — 90-year-old men, or maybe 85, you know — and I thought well I might as well leave with all this. I’ve got wonderful reviews. What am I going to do to beat this?”
Born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, Caine cut his teeth acting on stage in the early 1950s before making his movie debut in 1956’s “A Hill in Korea.”
His seven-decade career is rich with film credits such as Sidney J. Furie’s “The Ipcress File,” which made him a household name, and his 1986 Oscar-winning turn in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters.”
In 2000, he took home his second supporting trophy for Lasse Hallström’s grim drama “The Cider House Rules,” which starred Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Erykah Badu and Heavy D.
A recipient of a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award, Caine starred in “Interstellar,” “Going in Style” and “Tenet” in recent years.
