10 More War Movie Actors Who Were Actually There
3. Michael Caine - A Hill In Korea
Michael Caine announced his retirement from acting in 2023 at the age of 90, bringing an end to a career that spanned seven decades and included such iconic efforts as The Italian Job, Zulu, Get Carter, and The Man Who Would Be King. Truly, one of the defining talents of British cinema across the last century.
Before he got his start as an actor, however, Caine - who came from a working class background - was enlisted into the army via national service. Joining in 1952 at the age of 19, Caine ended up serving in the Korean War as part of the United Nations forces combatting the North Korean and Chinese armies. Caine has discussed on multiple occasions how his experience in Korea shaped him as a person, recounting harrowing encounters with Chinese soldiers where he came close to death in his autobiography, The Elephant to Hollywood.
One such anecdote involved Caine and his fellow soldiers holding a defensive position on a hill when they were advanced upon by scores of Chinese troops, many of whom willingly laid down their lives by walking through minefields, artillery barrages and barbed wire:
"The searchlight sprang into life and there in front of us, a terrifying tableau was illuminated... thousands of Chinese advancing toward our positions, led by troops of demonic trumpet players. The artillery opened up but they still came on, marching towards our machine guns and certain death... they were eventually beaten off, but they were insanely brave."
The second encounter Caine describes is even more nerve-shredding. While on patrol, the actor recalls how his squad became surrounded by Chinese soldiers, with only the feint whiff of garlic (which was chewed recreationally by the Chinese and North Korean troops) giving them away. Caine and his fellow squaddies were able to mount a sudden surprise attack against their pursuers, and live to fight another day.
After his days in Korea, Caine regularly starred in war movies, boasting key parts in WWII pictures like The Battle of Britain, A Bridge Too Far, and Too Late the Hero. His film debut also came in a war film, albeit one that hit close to Caine's experiences as a soldier - 1956's A Hill in Korea, which saw the actor star opposite Stanley Baker, his future co-lead in 1964's Zulu.