Sir Michael Caine considered retiring in the 90s

Sir Michael Caine almost quit acting in the 90s after he realised he was too old to "get the girl" on screen.

The 82-year-old British actor - who has been hailed the greatest living movie star - almost turned his back on his career 20 years ago because he was no longer being cast as the hunk and, instead, was being assigned to play the father in movies.

Speaking to Shortlist magazine, he said: "I was 62, 63, and one day I got a script and I read it and I sent it back to the producer with a letter saying the part was too small.

"He sent me a letter back saying, 'I didn't want you to read the lover, I wanted you to read the father.'

"That was a turning point for me. I suddenly realised, getting the girl was all over. I gave up and I went and lived in Miami."

However, although he was determined to leave the world of film behind him, Caine believes making musical movie 'Little Voice' in 1998 stopped him from making a big mistake.

He explained: "I was having loads of fun, and then Jack Nicholson got a script and said, "Why don't you do this movie 'Blood and Wine' with me?'. So I started off again.

"Then I did 'Little Voice' and a whole series of movies I really enjoyed. I won Academy Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes all over the place. 'Little Voice' got me going again."

The last 15 years have seen Caine make some of his most acclaimed and diverse films with parts in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and 'Interstellar' and movies such as 'Austin Powers in Goldmember', 'Harry Brown' and 'Kingsman: The Secret Service'.