Michael Caine is the star of some of the finest British films of the last 40 years, such as Zulu, Alfie, Get Carter and Educating Rita, all of which culminated in his 1986 Oscar-winning performance in Hannah and Her Sisters. Down the years he has reinvented himself many times, as raconteur, writer, producer, patron of the arts and restaurateur. This biography traces the events that would take Caine from his childhood in Southwark to the army in Korea, from national recognition in England to the superstardom of Hollywood: the story of an old-fashioned East End boy made good.