Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 92nd birthday to Sir Michael Caine.

With 177 acting credits listed on the imdb, Michael Caine started his regular acting career in 1956 and only recently retired. (He actually made his acting debut, at the age of 10, in a made-for-TV movie in 1946.)  There are many great Michael Caine performances and scenes to choose from but, for today, I decided to go for a scene from 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Caine was 79 when he played Alfred in this film and he showed that, after decades of work, he hadn’t lost a step as a performer.  As well, he also showed his ability to take a character who could have been ridiculous — the loyal butler of a superhero — and instead make him surprisingly poignant.  With this scene, Caine proved himself to be the heart of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Happy birthday to one of the greatest actors of our age or any age for that matter.