Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: And Other Lessons in Life

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And loved it: Alfred Pennyworth, the butler, was a beautifully written role and the whole thing was just fabulous . I'd been looking forward to this one for a while, and deliberately chose the audio version, as I figured listening to the actor himself tell his story was the best way to experience it. In reality, it has been one huge learning curve, from his unlikely beginnings as the son of a Billingsgate fish porter to pursuing his dream of being an actor, finding success and managing every twist, trick and turn to stay at the top of his game.

Now in his 85th year, Hollywood legend Michael Caine shares wisdom and stories from his remarkable career in this “engrossing” memoir that “shines with positive energy” (Library Journal, starred review). It is very clear though, that Caine may be a great actor, but he doesn't have much experience reading aloud.I really enjoy his readings and if you admire him as an actor, take a look on these books and, for sure, you will also admire him as a human being. My one big take-away from reading this was learning that Caine is not a rich, movie star, playboy, but rather a down-to-earth good guy who cares more about family than fame. Now in his 85th year, Hollywood legend Michael Caine shares wisdom and stories from his remarkable career in this "engrossing" memoir that "shines with positive energy" ( Library Journal, starred review). I love his casual writing style, but couldn't imagine he'd have anything new to say that he hadn't already told in TV interviews or in his previous autobiographies. Now in his 85th year, he looks back at an incredible life and career and everything it’s taught him – sharing hard-won wisdom, brilliant insights and stories, as well as the skills of acting and the movies we can all learn from.

The advice is obvious, and while we can all read it and acknowledge it is a good idea, I would expect the vast majority would struggle to follow through. Blowing the Bloody Doors Off is something of a companion piece to his two previous volumes, and is best read as such, rather than on its own since there are enough occasions in its pages where the author explicitly refuses to repeat stories he's already treated readers to – such as how he met his wife of 45 years, Shakira . We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. He comes across as a lovely, accepting, and kind man and speaks with much grace about all the actors and directors he has encountered and sometimes developed deep friendships with over the years. With brilliant new insight into his life and work and with his wonderful gift for story, this is Caine at his wise and entertaining best.The pages that follow are heavy with name dropping: the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, David Bailey, Jean Shrimpton, Terence Stamp, Vidal Sassoon, and Peter O’Toole, to name just a few. My sense is that this one is more of an addendum to his previous books, which are more straightforward autobiographies (and keep being outdated as he continues to find success in old age). Learn what you can from what you get"; "Be lucky: be prepared"; "Use the difficulty"; "Just say yes", and "Whatever it is, give it 100 per cent".

I think while his snippets of advise are for actors, it can be transferred to any aspect of a person’s life. He's an inspiration to us nobodies who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths, but who yearn to crawl up out of the gutter. I felt like I was getting some privileged insight from a grandfatherly figure who sat me down to take me through his life, both personally and professionally. In my head I had already imagined and then quickly written off Batman, but I thought perhaps I could be a great villain. While reading, I envisioned sitting in a library or study around a fire listening to him tell me all the tales, the ups and downs, and tucking in bits of wisdom.Over my 60 years in the movie business and my 85 years of life, I have learnt a lot from my many glittering successes and my many disastrous failures. John Wayne landing his helicopter in the Beverly Hills Hotel garden when it was expressly forbidden . If you want to know more about his biography go to Elephant to Hollywood and, if you are interested in, try this one after. He refers a bit to his time in the infantry, of which he observes almost everything is pleasant by comparison.

But don't get me wrong, he likes fame, but because it got him and those he loves up outta that gutter. Even if you aren't a fan of his movies, which doubt there are many, there are some powerful life lessons inside. It is part memoir and part advice manual for aspiring actors and anyone else nursing an elusive dream of success. It is full of good advice, interesting stories about his life, career and people he met along the way. As a life-long fan of the man, I thoroughly enjoyed Blowing the Bloody Doors Off and can recommend it to anyone who likes actors who’ve stuck to their roots and (unlike some) have not been dazzled by the bright lights of Hollywood into believing their own publicity.

Still working and more beloved than ever, Caine now shares everything he's learned-and "his fans will be rewarded, as will anyone seeking an enjoyable, inspirational read" ( Library Journal). He has starred in a huge range of films from the classic British movies Alfie, Zulu and The Italian Job. He determines to live in the current moment and even tells his grandchildren, "Don't look back, you'll trip over! Indeed, he speaks with great love and warmth about his family and tells heartwarming stories of time spent with his grandchildren.