British actor Michael Caine has announced he is retiring from acting after a career spanning eight decades. The actor, whose real name is Maurice Micklewhite shared his plans in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today show, saying: “I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now.”
Caine’s comments come a month after he told The Telegraph he was “sort of retired” and days after his final film, The Great Escaper directed by Oliver Parker, was released on October 6.
“I’ve figured, I’ve had a picture where I’ve played the lead and it’s got incredible reviews,” he told Today. “The only parts I’m likely to get now are old men, 90-year-old men, maybe 85. And I thought, ‘Well, I might as well leave with all this – I’ve got wonderful reviews. What have I got to do to beat this?’
“You don’t have leading men at 90, you’re going to have young handsome boys and girls.”
Caine's award show successes
Caine’s body of work encompasses more than 160 films. Throughout his career he has been nominated for an Oscar six times and ultimately winning twice, first for Hannah and her Sisters in 1986 and then for 1999’s The Cider House Rules – both times he won for Best Supporting Actor.
His performance in the 1983 hit British film Educating Rita won him a Bafta and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
From the 1960s to the 2000s, he and Jack Nicholson were the only two actors nominated for an Academy Award in every decade.
Appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1992 Birthday Honours list, Caine was also knighted as Sir Maurice Micklewhite in the 2000 Birthday Honours list by Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to cinema.
From crime capers to comedy
One of the new wave of male British stars who broke out in 1960s swinging London, Caine counted acting luminaries Terence Stamp and Peter O’Toole among his peers.
Some of his most famous films include Zulu, Alfie, The Italian Job, Get Carter, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Inception, as well as the role of butler Alfred Pennyworth opposite Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne in Christopher Nolan's trilogy of Batman films.
Fans also frequently cite his turn as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol as a favourite.
Turning his hand to an array of roles from comedy in Miss Congeniality to hard-nosed vigilante in Harry Brown, he calls his role in 2015 Youth, in which he starred opposite Harvey Keitel, the “best thing” he’s ever starred in.
“Secretly, with myself, I regarded it as the best thing I ever did,” he told 60 Minutes. Adding that although the movie “was the most difficult” performance of his career, “I made it look the most easy.”
Here are six of Michael Caine’s best performances …
Alfie, 1966
Caine played the titular Alfie Elkins, a womanising London playboy, who is forced to confront the consequences of his actions following a series of failed relationships.
Oscar-nominated for Best Actor, Caine frequently breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the camera, with his final line: “What's it all about? You know what I mean,” becoming one of the most memorable in film.
The Italian Job, 1969
One of the British Film Institute’s top 100 British films, Caine stars as Charlie Croker who, upon his release from prison, puts together a team to steal $4 million in gold bullion from a security convoy in Turin, Italy.
From the Mini Coopers to the theme tune – Self Preservation Society – and the unforgettable lines (“Hang on a minute, lads, I’ve got a great idea”), the film, and Caine’s performance, remains a cinematic standout.
Educating Rita, 1983
Caine stars as Dr Frank Bryant, a self-confessed “appalling teacher”, whose life and jaded outlook are given a boost when Julie Walters’s Rita becomes one of his students.
In turns heart-warming and filled with disillusionment, the film follows the pair’s evolving relationship as their eyes are opened to what it is they’re both trying to escape from.
The Muppet Christmas Carol, 1992
The actor stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in this Muppet version of Charles Dickens’s classic tale, A Christmas Carol, playing the miserly old man with plenty of disdain.
In a career filled with films geared towards adults, this is a rare child-friendly outing for the star.
The Cider House Rules, 1999
Caine won his second Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role of Dr Wilbur Larch in this adaptation of John Irving’s classic novel.
In his review, film critic Roger Ebert wrote: “Michael Caine's performance is one of his best.”
Batman Begins, 2005
Starring as Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth, Caine was offered the role after Anthony Hopkins turned it down.
Caine brought a toughness to the part of Pennyworth, who, while aware of Wayne’s secret alter-ego, was not afraid of telling his boss the truth.
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
