Michael Caine’s favourite Michael Caine characters: “I liked him very much”
Out of every British actor who has found equal success in both their home turf and the glamorous world of Hollywood, Michael Caine remains one of the most well-known. Emerging from humble beginnings, Caine managed to secure himself a job in a theatre that allowed him to start acting. Before he knew it, he was getting cast in movies, leading him to drop his real name, Maurice Micklewhite, for a stage name inspired by The Caine Mutiny.
He began acting in the 1950s, but it was a select run of roles in the 1960s that cemented him as an international star. Zulu, directed by Cy Enfield, saw Caine appear alongside Stanley Baker, who also produced the movie. It was a success, giving Caine his first substantial role, and he subsequently appeared in other popular movies, like The Ipcress File. Caine would later reprise his role as Harry Palmer in Funeral in Berlin and Billion Dollar Brain, asserting himself as a fantastic anti-hero.
Yet, it was his role in 1966’s Alfie, a British comedy-drama often considered part of the kitchen sink movement, that truly allowed Caine to charm viewers. In fact, it remains one of his favourite characters he has ever played. “Well, Alfie had to be the one, because it was the most, it was the one that made me a star. Because I was…you know, it broke open the American market for me. I came to America. And then I got my first nomination for an Academy Award for it. So that was, apart from being my favorite, was important,” he told Radio Free.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert, the film saw Caine play a Cockney with a penchant for women, often engaging in affairs for his own satisfaction. Yet, when his girlfriend gives birth to a son, his life starts to change as he is subsequently replaced by a new man who takes over his fatherly duty. Moreover, a health scare prompts him to think about his life, yet his continued flippant dalliances with various women only serve to cause him more issues.
In the same interview, Caine also shared another favourite character he has had the pleasure of playing. “But my favorite character of all was in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, because I enjoyed that…I liked him very much,” he revealed.
Released in 1988, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was directed by Frank Oz, with Caine starring as Lawrence Jamieson alongside Steve Martin, playing a pair of con men. The comedy was successful, and Caine found it a joy to be a part of. Talking to NPR, he explained, “I was co-starring with Steve Martin, who is the most wonderful guy, Glenne Headly, who’s a wonderful actress and a great girl… I had the best summer and the best time, and I never made a happier picture.”
He continued, “This was a double whammy because the picture was a big hit and a big success, and it was a picture that I loved watching even, and I don’t watch my own movies very much.”
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