Sir Michael Caine is simply one of those actors that everyone knows. If you're unfamiliar with his earlier works the likes of Alfie, Woman Times Seven, and The Italian Job, you would at least know him for appearing as Alfred Pennyworth in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Or the wise-cracking and incredibly sarcastic pageant coach Victor Melling in Miss Congeniality. "Sorry, what was the question? I was distracted by the half-masticated cow rolling around in your wide open trap," he quips in disgust at Sandra Bullock's character's lack of dining etiquette.
The man clearly has range as an actor.
And not forgetting style too. There's a reason (at least we think there's one) Caine is almost always in the spiffiest of tailoring while appearing in film. It's a look that suits his gentlemanly demeanour and distinct South London accent. But also, he just looks so damn good in suits.
The actor's career is the subject of a new book published by ACC Art Books. Filled with images shot by Caine's own personal friend and photographer, the late Terry O'Neill, Michael Caine: Photographed by Terry O'Neill captures the actor in and out of some of his iconic roles while on film sets. And at the same time, immortalising Caine's cool, timeless elegance.
O'Neill had spent quite a considerable amount of time with Caine throughout the latter's career, so one can expect pretty off-the-cuff moments in the book. For instance, a shot of Caine napping while on the set of Woman Times Seven but still looking ever so effortlessly stylish in a V-neck jumper and thick-rimmed glasses.
The book features moments—shot in both colour and black-and-white—across several of Caine's most celebrated roles in films such as Mona Lisa, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Get Carter, and Funeral in Berlin. If anything, it serves as a fine example of just how timeless sartorial style can be. And that Caine is an OG in the game.
'Michael Caine: Photographed by Terry O'Neill' is now available.
