Michael Caine has announced his retirement from acting after a glittering career in which he won two Oscars.
The 90-year-old veteran British actor announced the news in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Saturday, October 14. He said;
“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well I am now. I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and had incredible reviews … What am I going to do that will beat this?”
Caine also disclosed that he wanted to end his film career which has spanned seven decades on a high note. He said;
“The only parts I’m liable to get now are 90-year-old men. Or maybe 85. They’re not going to be the lead. You don’t have leading men at 90, you’re going to have young handsome boys and girls. So I thought, I might as well leave with all this.”
He had previously spoken about his plans for retirement and had hinted that The Great Escaper would be his final film.
But it is hardly the first time a Caine film has been billed as his last appearance, with Harry Brown in 2009 and Best Sellers in 2021 both described as such. And this announcement comes a month after he told the Guardian that he would play Charles Darwin in a film due to be shot next year.
Caine’s final role will be in The Great Escaper, which is based on the real-life story of Bernard Jordan, who escaped from his nursing home to attend the commemorations for the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
The film also stars the late Glenda Jackson, who passed away in June at the age of 87, with Caine paying tribute to the actor in a statement: “Glenda was one of our greatest movie actresses.
Since his first film role in 1950, Sir Michael has starred in at least 160 films and has won several accolades, including Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 1986 (Hannah and Her Sisters) and 1999 (The Cider House Rules).
