Michael and Shakira Caine on the set of "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975)
Today I discovered that there are people who believe that Michael Caine left his first wife, actress Patricia Haines, after becoming rich and famous.
Ok, that's false.
Michael and Patricia were married from 1954 to 1958, when Michael was still an underpaid actor. In fact, Michael was so poor that he could not afford to pay child support to his wife and daughter, Dominique, to the point that he almost ended up in jail for non-payment.
Patricia remarried in 1963 and Michael made his film debut with a supporting role in Zulu in 1964. Michael would not remarry until 1973 to his current wife, Shakira Baksh Caine.
Information taken from the book "What's This All About?" written by Caine himself in 1992.
Today I saw for the first time the famous advert where Michael Caine saw his future wife, Shakira Baksh. The ad is 31 seconds long. 31 FUCKING seconds. Shakira barely appears in it and that is what made Michael Caine fall madly in love with her, get married and be together for 51 years. Incredible.
The Maxwell House Coffee ad featuring Shakira Caine: