Happy 77th to tough guy Michael Caine

Michael Caine turns 77 today. For anyone who thinks that he was always the old guy who plays Bruce Wayne’s butler, I have news for you. He was once young and tough. And arguably handsome.

Here are my favorite 10 Michael Caine performances:

10. “Zulu” (11964): Caine plays the posh Lt. Gonville Bromhead, office in the British detachment that staves off thousands of Zulu warriors in Cy Endfield’s take on the real-life 1879 battle of Rorke’s Drift. Unlike the role that made him famous (see “Alfie” below), Caine here shows none of the Cockney wise guy. Even so, he’s convincing.

9. “The Ipcress File” (1965): In the spy flicks of the day, which included the likes of Sean Connery playing James Bond, James Coburn playing Derek Flint and Dean Martin playing Matt Helm, Caine’s playing the bespectacled Harry Palmer in Sidney J. Furie’s adaptation of Len Deighton’s novel was hardly unique. But he did bring a certain coldness to the role that would serve him well later.

8. “Sleuth” (1972): I don’t mean the second version, the one directed in 2007 by Kenneth Branagh and costarring Jude Law. No, I mean the original version, the one that paired the 39-year-old Caine with the 65-year-old Laurence Olivier. This first version worked, at least for me, because of Caine’s acting and some pretty good makeup.

7. “Mona Lisa” (1986): Remember what I said about Caine’s coldness? In this little neo-noir starring Bob Hoskins, Caine plays a mob boss whose affections for a younger woman (Cathy Tyson) lead to complications that reveal just how brutal Caine’s character can be - and how that brutality gets repaid in kind.

6. “Educating Rita” (1983): As the drunken professor of the working-class Rita (Julie Walters), Caine takes what could have been a cliche and gives it just the right amount of angst to arouse our sympathy. And director Lewis Gilbert, working from Willy Russell’s play/screenplay, avoids the easy answer, opting for a more honest resolution. The result: A title that is both correct and ironic at once.

5. “Get Carter” (1971): In one of his more hard-hitting roles, Caine plays a London gangster who, upon learning that his brother has died, heads for Newcastle to investigate. Pretty soon he is bashing everyone he meets in the face, leading up to an ending that is ‘70s cinema at its most uncompromising.

4. “Batman Begins” (2005): As Alfred, the stalwart butler who runs Wayne Manor, Caine gives just the right amount of class to what is, after all, a comic book brought to the big screen. My favorite line of dialogue comes in the 2008 sequel, “The Dark Knight.” Alfred and Wayne are talking about what car Wayne will take during the middle of the day. When Alfred asks whether he wants the Batpod, Wayne replies, “In the middle of the day, Alfred? Not very subtle.” So then Alfred says, “The Lamborghini, then?” Pauses, and with just the right amount of sarcasm, adds, “Much more subtle.”

3. “Children of Men” (2006): In one of the best films of the year, Alfonso Cuaron’s adaptation of P.D. James’ novel, Caine plays an aging hippie who is sailing toward the end of the world with wit and grace. And more than a bit of courage, as he proves with a gun in his face.

2. “Alfie” (1966): This is the film that made Caine a sensation. Directed by Lewis Gilbert (see above), he plays a working-class bloke who epitomizes the era that was London in the 1960s. A womanizer for sure, but one whose charm lights up the screen, Caine’s Alfie is one lovable cad - even given the hurt he causes.

1. “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1985): And, finally, my favorite. Caine plays the troubled husband in Woody Allen’s comedy/romance, the guy seemingly happily married to Mia Farrow but in love (lust?) with her younger sister (Barbara Hershey). He comes to his senses, though not before going on a roller-coaster of emotions, just in time to help tie up Allen’s most optimistic film.

Some also-rans : “The Cider House Rules,” “Deathtrap,” “Dressed to Kill,” “California Suite,” “A Bridge Too Far,” “The Man Who Would Be King,” “The Italian Job,” “The Magus.”

Below : Michael Caine talks about five of his favorite films.