Michael Caine names the greatest performances of his career: “There were a lot of them, but these were the three”
Throughout his career, beloved British actor Michael Caine has taken leading and supporting roles in independent gems and mainstream classics, showing that he has the chops to steal any scene, regardless of how big or small his character is.
Whether it be his titular role as a suave driver in Alfie, a detective in Sleuth or a charming misfit in The Italian Job, Caine’s screen presence is inseparable from cinema history itself and continues to be a leading light in the film industry. However, when asked about the performances he is most proud of throughout his career, he named three in particular.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, directed by Frank Oz in 1988, follows two rival con artists who are both on holiday at a luxury coastal resort, challenging each other to the ultimate swindling competition. Steve Martin starred alongside Michael Caine in the hilarious and delightfully charming comedy, with both gentlemen making the life of a criminal look worryingly good. When asked about his favourite performances, Caine said that the film was one of his top picks because “it was the funniest”. It shows the actors at the peak of their comedic prowess and became a hit classic from the director.
Next, Caine also highlighted his work in the 1983 film Educating Rita, directed by Lewis Gilbert. It follows a 26-year-old hairdresser named Rita who begins studying at an open university to find herself and forms a friendship with a down-on-his-luck English professor. Julie Walters stars in the lead role, with Caine as the grumpy and disillusioned teacher desperately in need of a fresh start.
While Walters shines in this empowering and inspiring film, it is made all the more endearing by Caine and a role that was more unusual for him. When asked about this, Caine said, “I’d pick Educating Rita because it was the farthest away from me — I’m playing a university professor”. Known for his slightly more charged performances, this was something a little bit different for him as the resigned and slightly depressed Frank Bryant.
Lastly, Caine listed his iconic 1966 film Alfie as one of his all-time favourite performances, saying, “I’d pick Alfie, which made me a star and got me my first Academy Award nomination… Some people would have said The Man Who Would Be King and things like that, or Get Carter, Sleuth with Larry [Laurence] Olivier — I mean, there were a lot of them. But these were the three.”
Alfie was one of the performances that launched his career, playing a promiscuous young man who begins to rethink and evaluate his life choices. His magnetic aura is weirdly very alluring despite being quite an unlikeable person and a very dated story, which only speaks to the actors ability to redeem even the worse characters.
While Caine imagines that some people may prefer his other work, listing his collaboration with Laurence Olivier and imaginably finding a new audience through his work with Christopher Nolan, his choices reflect the diversity of his career and the many roles that have made his time on screen so memorable.
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