Michael Caine is an English actor who has appeared in over 130 films and has had multiple television appearances. Caine's acting career began in the 1950s, when he was cast in many small, often uncredited roles in British films. Caine gained recognition as one of the most famous actors of the 1960s through his breakthrough role in the film Zulu (1964). He then portrayed spy Harry Palmer in the films The Ipcress File (1965), Funeral in Berlin (1966) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967). He also had starring roles in The Italian Job and Battle of Britain (both 1969). His role in Sleuth (1972) led him to an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination. Caine has won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the films Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999). More recently, Caine has gained a new following through his collaborations with British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Trilogy films, as well as The Prestige (2006), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (2020). Caine officially retired from acting in October 2023.
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Morning Departure | Teaboy | Harold Clayton | Uncredited | |
| 1956 | Panic in the Parlour | Sailor | |||
| A Hill in Korea | Private Lockyer | Originally titled Hell in Korea | |||
| 1957 | The Steel Bayonet | Caine | Uncredited | ||
| How to Murder a Rich Uncle | Gilrony | ||||
| 1958 | A Woman of Mystery | Minor Role | Uncredited | ||
| Carve Her Name with Pride | Thirsty Prisoner on Train | ||||
| The Key | Bit part | ||||
| Blind Spot | Johnny Brent | ||||
| The Two-Headed Spy | Gestapo Agent | ||||
| Passport to Shame | Bridegroom | Also titled Room 43 | |||
| 1959 | Danger Within | Prisoner with Pin-Up | Uncredited | ||
| 1960 | Foxhole in Cairo | Weber | |||
| The Bulldog Breed | Sailor in Cinema Fight | Uncredited | |||
| 1961 | The Day the Earth Caught Fire | Checkpoint Policeman | |||
| 1962 | Solo for Sparrow | Paddy Mooney | |||
| 1963 | The Wrong Arm of the Law | Police Station PC | Uncredited | ||
| 1964 | Zulu | ||||
| 1965 | The Ipcress File | ||||
| 1966 | Alfie | Alfie Elkins | Lewis Gilbert | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |
| The Wrong Box | Michael Finsbury | ||||
| Gambit | Harry Tristan Dean | ||||
| Funeral in Berlin | |||||
| 1967 | Hurry Sundown | Henry Warren | |||
| Woman Times Seven | Handsome Stranger | Segment: Show | |||
| Billion Dollar Brain | |||||
| 1968 | Deadfall | Henry Stuart Clarke | |||
| The Magus | Nicholas Urfe | ||||
| 1969 | Play Dirty | Captain Douglas | Andre De Toth | ||
| The Italian Job | Charlie Croker | Peter Collinson | Also contributed to soundtrack. Vocals on "Getta Bloomin' Move On!" | ||
| Battle of Britain | Squadron Leader Canfield | Guy Hamilton | |||
| 1970 | Too Late the Hero | Pvt. Tosh Hearne | |||
| Simon, Simon | Himself | Short film | |||
| 1971 | Get Carter | Jack Carter | |||
| The Last Valley | The Captain | ||||
| 1972 | X Y & Zee | Robert Blakeley | |||
| Pulp | Mickey King | Mike Hodges | |||
| Sleuth | Milo Tindle | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |||
| 1973 | Kidnapped | Alan Breck | |||
| 1974 | The Black Windmill | Major John Tarrant | |||
| The Marseille Contract | John Deray | Released in the U.S. as The Destructors | |||
| 1975 | The Wilby Conspiracy | Jim Keogh | |||
| The Romantic Englishwoman | Lewis Fielding | ||||
| The Man Who Would Be King | Peachy Carnehan | ||||
| 1976 | Peeper | Leslie C. Tucker | |||
| Harry and Walter Go to New York | Adam Worth | ||||
| The Eagle Has Landed | Colonel Kurt Steiner | ||||
| 1977 | A Bridge Too Far | Joe Vandeleur | |||
| 1978 | Silver Bears | Doc Fletcher | Ivan Passer | ||
| The Swarm | Dr. Bradford Crane | ||||
| California Suite | Sidney Cochran | ||||
| 1979 | Ashanti | Dr. David Linderby | |||
| Beyond the Poseidon Adventure | Captain Mike Turner | Irwin Allen | |||
| 1980 | Dressed to Kill | Dr. Robert Elliott | |||
| The Island | Blair Maynard | ||||
| 1981 | The Hand | Jonathan Lansdale | |||
| Escape to Victory | Captain John Colby | John Huston | |||
| 1982 | Deathtrap | Sidney Bruhl | |||
| 1983 | Educating Rita | Dr. Frank Bryant | Lewis Gilbert | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |
| The Honorary Consul | Charley Fortnum, Consul | ||||
| The Jigsaw Man | Philip Kimberly / Sergei Kuzminsky | ||||
| Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | Soldier | Terry Jones | Uncredited | ||
| 1984 | Blame It on Rio | Matthew Hollins | |||
| 1985 | Water | Governor Baxter Thwaites | |||
| The Holcroft Covenant | Noel Holcroft | ||||
| 1986 | Hannah and Her Sisters | Elliot | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||
| Sweet Liberty | Elliott James | ||||
| Mona Lisa | Mortwell | ||||
| Half Moon Street | Lord Sam Bulbeck | ||||
| The Whistle Blower | Frank Jones | ||||
| 1987 | The Fourth Protocol | John Preston | Also executive producer | ||
| Hoagie Newcombe | |||||
| Surrender | Sean Stein | ||||
| 1988 | Without a Clue | Sherlock Holmes / Reginald Kincaid | |||
| Dirty Rotten Scoundrels | Lawrence Jamieson | ||||
| 1990 | A Shock to the System | Graham Marshall | Jan Egleson | ||
| Jekyll and Hyde | Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde | Robert Louis Stevenson | |||
| Mr. Destiny | Mike / Mr. Destiny | ||||
| Bullseye | Sidney Lipton / Doctor Hicklar | ||||
| 1992 | Noises Off | Lloyd Fellowes | |||
| Blue Ice | Harry Anders | Also producer | |||
| The Muppet Christmas Carol | |||||
| 1994 | On Deadly Ground | Michael Jennings | |||
| 1996 | Blood and Wine | Victor 'Vic' Spansky | |||
| 1998 | Shadow Run | Haskell | |||
| Curtain Call | Max Gale | ||||
| Little Voice | Ray Say | ||||
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Dr. Wilbur Larch | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor | ||
| The Debtors | Addict | ||||
| 2000 | Quills | ||||
| Shiner | Billy 'Shiner' Simpson | ||||
| Get Carter | Cliff Brumby | ||||
| Miss Congeniality | Victor Melling | ||||
| 2001 | Last Orders | Jack | |||
| 2002 | Austin Powers in Goldmember | Nigel Powers | |||
| The Quiet American | Thomas Fowler | Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actor | |||
| 2003 | Quicksand | Jake Mellows | |||
| The Actors | O'Malley | ||||
| Secondhand Lions | Garth | ||||
| The Statement | Pierre Brossard | ||||
| 2004 | Around the Bend | Henry Lair | |||
| 2005 | Batman Begins | ||||
| Bewitched | Nigel Bigelow | ||||
| The Weather Man | Robert Spritzel | ||||
| 2006 | Children of Men | Jasper | |||
| The Prestige | John Cutter | Christopher Nolan | |||
| 2007 | Flawless | Mr. Hobbs | |||
| Sleuth | Andrew Wyke | ||||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Alfred Pennyworth | Christopher Nolan | ||
| Is Anybody There? | Clarence | ||||
| 2009 | Harry Brown | Harry Brown | |||
| 2010 | Inception | Professor Stephen Miles | Christopher Nolan | ||
| 2011 | Gnomeo & Juliet | Lord Redbrick | Voice | ||
| Cars 2 | Finn McMissile | ||||
| 2012 | Alexander Anderson | ||||
| The Dark Knight Rises | Alfred Pennyworth | Christopher Nolan | |||
| 2013 | Now You See Me | Arthur Tressler | |||
| Mr. Morgan's Last Love | Matthew Morgan | ||||
| 2014 | Stonehearst Asylum | Dr. Benjamin Salt | |||
| Interstellar | Professor Brand | Christopher Nolan | |||
| 2015 | Arthur / Chester King | ||||
| Youth | Fred Ballinger | ||||
| The Last Witch Hunter | Father Dolan | ||||
| 2016 | Now You See Me 2 | Arthur Tressler | |||
| 2017 | Going in Style | Joe Harding | |||
| Dunkirk | Fortis Leader | Christopher Nolan | Uncredited voice cameo | ||
| My Generation | Himself | David Batty | Documentary film | ||
| 2018 | Dear Dictator | General Anton Vincent | Lisa Addario & Joe Syracuse | ||
| Sherlock Gnomes | Lord Redbrick | Voice | |||
| King of Thieves | Brian Reader | ||||
| 2020 | Come Away | Charlie | |||
| Four Kids and It | The Psammead | Andy De Emmony | Voice | ||
| Tenet | Sir Michael Crosby | Christopher Nolan | |||
| 2021 | Twist | Fagin | Martin Owen | ||
| Best Sellers | Harris Shaw | Lina Roessler | |||
| 2022 | Medieval | Lord Boresh | |||
| 2023 | The Great Escaper | Bernard Jordan | Final Film Role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | The Adventures of Sir Lancelot | Third Knight | Credited as Michael Scott Episode: "The Magic Sword" |
| BBC Sunday Night Theatre | Boudousse | Episode: "The Lark" | |
| 1957 | Blood Money | Fighter | |
| BBC Sunday Night Theatre | Fighter | Episode: "Requiem for a Heavyweight" | |
| Dixon of Dock Green | Indian pedlar | Episode: "A Penn'orth of Allsorts" | |
| 1958 | Navy Log | Soldier No. 1 | Episode: "The Field" |
| The Vise | Folsham | Episode: "The Sucker Game" | |
| BBC Sunday Night Theatre | Third P.C. | Episode: "The Frog" | |
| The Adventures of William Tell | Max | Episode: "The Prisoner" | |
| Dixon of Dock Green | Brocklehurst | Episode: "Bracelets for the Groom" | |
| 1959 | Dixon of Dock Green | Tufty Morris | Episode: "Helmet on the Sideboard" |
| The Adventures of William Tell | Sgt. Weinar | Episode: "The General's Daughter" | |
| 1960 | Deadline Midnight | Ted Drake | Episode 1.5 |
| No Wreath for the General | Second Police Constable | ||
| 1961 | The Compartment | Young Man | |
| Walk a Crooked Mile | Police constable | Miniseries | |
| Armchair Theatre | Helmsman | Episode: "The Ship That Couldn't Stop" | |
| The Younger Generation | Ray the Raver | Episode: "Goodbye Charlie" | |
| ITV Play of the Week | PC Wimbush | Uncredited Episode: "Ring of Truth" | |
| 1962 | The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre | Paddy Mooney | Episode: "Solo for Sparrow" |
| ITV Play of the Week | Willie Mossop | Episode: "Hobson's Choice" | |
| 1963 | First Night: Funny Noises with Their Mouths | Johnny | |
| 1964 | ITV Play of the Week | George Grant | Episode: "The Other Man" |
| Hamlet | Horatio | ||
| 1969 | Male of the Species | Cornelius | |
| ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Episode: "Cornelius" | ||
| 1988 | Jack the Ripper | Winner - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film | |
| 1990 | Jekyll & Hyde | Dr Henry Jekyll/Mr Edward Hyde | Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film |
| 1994 | Documentary television film | ||
| 1995 | Bullet to Beijing | Television film | |
| 1996 | Midnight in Saint Petersburg | ||
| 1997 | Mandela and de Klerk | Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film | |
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | |||
| 2003 | Freedom: A History of Us | William Pitt (voice) | Episode: "Independence" |
| The Rev. John Cotton (voice) | Episode: "Liberty for All" | ||
| Lord Cornwallis (voice) | Episode: "Revolution" | ||
| Edward Everett (voice) | Episode: "Wake Up America" | ||
| William Wood (voice) | Episode: "Working for Freedom" | ||
| Newspaper Editor (voice) | Episode: "Yearning to Breathe Free" |
| Year | Title | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Alfred Pennyworth | |
| 2015 | GivingTales | Little Claus, Big Claus |
Note: in The Italian Job (2001 video game), Caine's voice (as Charlie Croker) was impersonated by Phil Cornwell.
At his peak, exhibitors voted Michael Caine one of the most popular stars at the box office: