Michael Caine has announced his retirement at the age of 88, following his final film Best Selllers.
Caine - a star who needs absolutely no introduction - spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live about his decision, and said: "I've got this alcoholic part [in Best Sellers], and funnily enough, it has turned out to be what is my last part, really. Because I haven't worked for two years,
"I have a spine problem which affects my legs, so I can't walk very well. And I also wrote a book, a couple of books which were published and were successful, so I'm now not an actor - I'm a writer."
He added: "Which is lovely because as an actor, you have to get up at six in the morning and go to the studio,
"The writer can start writing without leaving the bed."
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Caine is a cinematic icon, having played roles in The Italian Job, Alfie, and Zulu.
However, his nearly 70 year film career includes more than 130 films, as well as appearances on the small screen.
In recent times, he has starred in Christopher Nolan films such as those within The Dark Knight trilogy, as well as The Prestige and Dunkirk, and numerous others.
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In short, there's little that can't be said about the man.
He has been nominated for an Academy Award six times, winning two for Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986 and The Quiet American in 2002.
In an interview with Gentleman's Journal, Caine he's previously spoken about retirement, suggesting that 'you don't retire from the movies, the movies retire you'.
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He added: "The scripts stop coming, or the money's not good enough, and then it's not even worth getting out of bed."
Well, it seems as if he's made the decision.
In that 2020 interview, he added: "But if someone asked me if I wanted to live to 100, I'd say no,
"And they'd say: why not? And it's because I couldn't afford it.
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"If I had to stop working, I have a very high standard of living, and I couldn't keep it up. I'd rather die than go back to when I was young, living in a tiny room with nothing but a bed."
Tell us how you really feel, Mike.
Caine is the only actor to be nominated for an Oscar in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s, and his achievements are too vast for this article to outline.
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He was born Maurice Micklewhite in the early 1950s - taking his stage name from a Humphrey Bogart character in The Caine Mutiny - but will retire as an absolute legend of the silver screen, and a genuine great.
Speaking about how he came to fame with his trademark London accent, he explained: "When I was young, I wanted to be an actor,
"I just didn't know how to do it. I came from a very working class background, where you wouldn't know about drama schools or anything like that.
"After finishing National Service, I was working in this butter factory, and this old man says to me, 'Do you want to do this all your life? A young man like you? Fit and healthy?'
"And I'm working class Cockney, and England is very class conscious, so I was very lucky that he was American because no English director would have cast me in that part. God bless America, that's what I say..."
Well, enjoy your retirement, you've earned it mate.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: TV and Film, Celebrity, UK Entertainment