The Rogue: Sir Michael Caine

“Obsession is a young man’s game, and my only excuse is that I never grew old.”

Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; March 14, 1933) is the first true English tough guy and whose cockney sneer is perhaps the most respectfully imitated English accent of all time. Sir Michael, with his predilection for brandy, cigars, and birds (not the kind with wings), has appeared in more than 115 films, many of which are so bloody good they’ve been remade (The Italian Job, Get Carter, Alfie, Sleuth). Caine is one of only two actors who has been nominated for an Academy Award for acting in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s. Queen Elizabeth II dubbed him Sir Michael because, well, he’s Michael Caine.