Ellen Frances Marie was the mother of English retired actor Michael Caine. Ellen Frances Marie’s son has a reputation in the industry for his distinctive Cockney accent and has appeared in more than 160 films over a career spanning eight decades and is considered a British film icon. He is the recipient of numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Ellen Frances Marie: Bio Summary
| Full Name | Ellen Frances Marie |
| Other names | Ellen Frances Marie Micklewhite (Burchell) |
| famous as | Michael Caine’s mother |
| Age | 89 years old at the time of death |
| Date of Birth | May 10, 1900 |
| Place of Birth | London, England (United Kingdom) |
| Date of death | 1989, Harrow, Greater London, England, United Kingdom |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Children | David Burchell, Stanley Caine, Michael Caine |
| Spouse | Maurice Joseph Micklewhite |
| Grandchildren | Dominique Caine, Natasha Caine |
Who was Michael Caine’s mother?
Ellen Frances Marie was born on May 10, 1900, in London, England (United Kingdom). She was the daughter of Albert Burchell and Mary Ann Burchell. She was the sister of Euphemia Harriet Burchell, Lydia Amelia Burchell, Lilian Burchell, Ivory Rose Burchell, Charles Leonard Thomas Burchell, and Thomas Burchell.
She was married to Maurice Joseph Micklewhite a fish market porter on the 12th December 1931 in Southwark. Michael Caine’s mother is a Charlady and a Cook. Caine’s father was a Catholic of Anglo-Irish and Romani descent, however, he was raised in his mother’s Protestant faith.
ALSO, READ; Maurice Joseph Micklewhite: Who was Michael Caine’s father?
Ellen Frances Marie was a mother of three- David Burchell, Stanley Caine, and Michael Caine. Ellen raised her family in London’s Southwark district; during the Second World War, Caine was evacuated 100 miles (160 km) north to North Runcton, Norfolk. Caine was torn from his family. Though he was too young to join the war, the conflict upended Caine’s entire life.
Per reports, the family that took Caine in wasn’t happy to have him. They beat him regularly, but that was just the beginning. He had to endure an even worse torment. Eventually, the horrible family got what was coming to them in the end.
ALSO, READ; Patricia Haines: How did Michael Caine’s ex-wife die?
Michael Caine’s mother taught them a lesson. According to Factinate, Ellen Frances Marie out to Norfolk to confront her son’s caretakers when she heard of the abuse of his son, and it wasn’t pretty. According to Caine, she beat the woman of the house so horribly, she nearly went to prison.
After the war, Ellen Frances Marie’s husband was demobilised and the family were rehoused by the council in Marshall Gardens in London’s Elephant and Castle area, where they lived in a prefabricated house made in Canada as much of London’s housing stock had been destroyed during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941.
ALSO, READ; Dominique Caine: Inside the Life of Michael Caine’s Daughter
The actor later recalled in his autobiography, “The prefabs, as they were known, were intended to be temporary homes while London was reconstructed, but we ended up living there for eighteen years—and for us, after a cramped flat with an outside toilet, it was luxury.“
Though his parents were not rich, his working-class parents did everything they could to give their son a good life—but they often had to resort to desperate measures.
Michael Caine Was Devastated When He Lost His Mother
When Ellen Frances Marie passed in 1989, his son Caine was deeply affected. In the weeks after her tragedic passing at the age of 89, Caine’s grief transformed into a profound sense of betrayal. He discovered that his mother had been lying to everyone in the family—even her husband and children.
It was only after her death that he found out about her heartbreaking secret. Per Factinate the actor knew he had a younger brother, Stanley—but what he didn’t know was that he also had an older half-brother, David. Caine’s mother had David before meeting Caine’s father.
Early in life, doctors diagnosed Ellen’s eldest son David with severe epilepsy and in those days, treatment options were basically non-existent. Ellen made the choice of putting David in a mental institution, where he lived for his entire life. She never told a soul about the boy—not even her own family. Although she regularly visited him.
ALSO, READ; Natasha Caine: Where is Michael Caine’s daughter now?
No matter what Michael Caine still has love for his mother, Ellen Frances Marie. Talking about his mother, the actor said– “I’m not sure she ever quite understood what I did. And she certainly never understood how much I earned. She asked me once, how much do you earn for a film? And I said, ‘A million pounds’ ‘Oh’ she said, How much is that? She had no way of computing that sort of money, so I said, it means you don’t have to do anything mum, work for anything, or want for anything ever, ever again. So no taking crafty cleaning jobs to be with your mates or I’ll get into trouble with the papers”’
Ellen Frances Marie passed in 1989 at the age of 89 in Harrow, Greater London, England, United Kingdom. The cause of her death was not made known to the public. His brother David also passed away in 1992.
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