Michael Caine is retiring after 70 years: ‘You don’t have leading men at 90’

Sir Michael Caine is taking the final bow of his acting career… for real this time.

After nearly 70 years in the industry, Caine, 90, is officially hanging it up after purportedly filming his last movie ever, The Great Escaper.

The Miss Congeniality star delivered the news during a BBC Radio 4’s Today show on Friday, citing his old age as the main reason.

“I keep saying I’m going to retire. Well, I am now,” he declared.

Though the Dark Knight alum has hinted at retirement a few times before, he believes The Great Escaper is the perfect note to end his career on.

“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?” adding that he’s too old to play the leading man anymore.

The Great Escaper, which premiered in the UK on October 6th, is a biopic on the real-life World War Two veteran, portrayed by the two-time Oscar winner in a “gruffy, heartbreaking performance,” per a review by The Guardian.

Caine starred alongside the late Glenda Jackson, who passed away in June, just a few months after wrapping up filming.

Prior to the film’s premiere, Caine hinted at his retirement plans, saying he’s “sort of retired already.”

Before signing onto the biographical drama, the English actor announced on the BBC Radio show Kermode in 2021 that Best Sellers would be his last film, citing his spine and mobility issues.

Caine’s career came full circle with the recent WW2 biopic, his first-ever role being Pvt. Lockyer in A Hill in Korea, a 1950s British war film.