WASHINGTON — Actor Michael Caine, a two-time Academy Award winner, announced his retirement on Saturday.
Caine, 90, hinted at his retirement last month when he told The Telegraph that he was "sort of retired." During a BBC Radio 4 Today show Saturday, the veteran actor confirmed that he was done acting for good.
"I keep saying I'm going to retire. Well I am now," Caine said.
His announcement comes after the release of his latest movie "The Great Escaper," which premiered on Oct. 6.
Caine said he wanted his seven decade-long film career to end on a high with "The Great Escaper," in which he starred alongside Glenda Jackson, who died in June, aged 87.
"I've figured, I've had a picture where I've played the lead and had incredible reviews," said Caine. "What am I going to do that will beat this?"
In his latest film, Caine plays the role of Bernie Jordan, a real-life World War II veteran who escapes his care home to attend the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.
When asked if he would return to acting on the BBC Radio 4 show, the actor replied, "No, there'll be writing. I'll write another book sometime because I so enjoyed writing."
It's not the first time Caine has claimed to be retiring: back in 2009, "Harry Brown" was billed as his last starring role. The two-time Oscar winner also told British newspaper The Guardian last month that he is to play Charles Darwin in a movie shooting in January.
Caine, who found his breakout role in the 1966 movie "Alfie," has been acting for more than seven decades. The 90-year-old actor has a series of accolades, including two Oscars for the 1986 film "Hannah and Her Sisters" and the 1999 film "The Cider House Rules."
The veteran actor also shined as a supporting actor in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" trilogy, where he played the role of Alfred Pennyworth.