Michael Caine - ©Theda Bara

The name I want to highlight in this post is that of the excellent British actor Michael Caine, who won two Oscars, both in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his roles in 1987 in “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), as “Elliot”, and in 2000 in “The Cider House Rules” (1999), as “Dr. Wilbur Larch”. He was nominated four other times for the Best Actor Oscar, but never won.

In addition to his two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, Caine won two BAFTA Awards: Best Actor in 1984 for “Raising Rita” (1983), in the role of “Dr. Frank Bryant”, and the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 2000. Michael Caine won three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical in 1984 and 1999 for “Raising Rita” (1983) and “Little Voice of Laura” (1998), playing the character “Ray Say”, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film in 1989 for “Jack the Ripper, Hemingway” (1988), in the role of “Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline”.

Michael Caine played the butler “Alfred Pennyworth” in all three films of the trilogy: “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Michael Caine was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) in 2000. The ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of his services to film and theatre. On that occasion, he was formally named Sir. Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, his birth name. Michael Caine had already received the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992.

Michael Caine is yet another British actor who does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, despite his long and award-winning film career.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite was born on March 14, 1933, at St. Olave’s Hospital in London, United Kingdom, and is 92 years old.

Caine was married twice. First with English television actress Patricia Haines (1932-1977) from 1954 to 1958. The couple had a daughter, British civil servant Dominique Caine (1956-); Fifteen years after their separation, he married former Guyanese-British actress, model and beauty pageant winner Shakira Baksh “Lady” Caine (1947-), who competed in Miss World 1967, where she came in second place.  The couple has been together since 1973. He was 40 and she was 26 when they married. The couple has a daughter, Guyanese fashion designer Natasha Caine (1973-).

Val Kilmer - ©Theda Bara

The name I introduce to you in this post is Val Kilmer, an American actor of German, Swedish, Irish and Cherokee descent, who passed away yesterday (April 1), in California). 

Kilmer was originally a stage actor, who became popular in the mid-1980s after starring in several comedy films, starting with “Top Secret!” (1984), playing the character: “Nick Rivers” and “Real Genius” (1985), playing the character: “Chris Knight”. He also starred in action films, including a supporting role in “Top Gun” (1986) and “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022) as “Tom Kazanski” (his final film, as his voice was weakened by cancer), and a larger role in “Willow” (1988), playing the character: “Madmartigan”. During the 1990s, Kilmer gained critical acclaim after starring in several box office hits, including his roles as “Jim Morrison” in “The Doors” (1991); “Doc Holliday” in the Western “Tombstone” (1993); “Batman” in “Batman Forever” (1995); “Chris Shiherlis” in “Heat” (1995); “Colonel John Henry Patterson” in “The Ghost and the Darkness” (1996); “Simon Templar” in “The Saint” (1997); and in the animated musical film, he voiced “Moses and God”, in “The Prince of Egypt” (1998).

In 2020, Val Kilmer released his memoir: “I’m Your Huckleberry”, in which he goes into detail about his battle with throat cancer and his failed relationships with famous actresses.

A philanthropist, Kilmer helped NGOs whose causes he considered just, such as Habitat for Humanity, AmeriCares and Wildlife Center, which earned him the Humanitarian Award in 2022.

Val Kilmer was born, lived and died in Los Angeles and inexplicably does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, nor any relevant awards in film, TV or theater.

Born Val Edward Kilmer, in Los Angeles, California, on December 31, 1959 - died due to pneumonia, on April 1, 2025, Los Angeles, California, at the age of 65.

In his marriage to British actress Joanne Whalley (1961-) from 1988 to 1996, the actor had two children: actress Mercedes Kilmer (1991-) and actor Jack Kilmer (1995-).