Academy Award-winning actor Sir Michael Caine has been in the industry for six decades, but he wouldn't have been here if he did not risk being thought as gay by his own father. The English actor, who has just turned 80 last week, has revealed that his father questioned his sexual orientation when he told him of his plans to become an actor.

"My dad was a Billingsgate fish market porter. When I told him that I was going to be an actor, he never said a word but I say his face and thought, he thinks I'm gay. The theatre in those days was very gay. But I wasn't," he told Esquire magazine in its June issue.

And while he appears confident in films, he wasn't always sociable as a kid.

"I was the shyest child. If strangers came into the house, I'd hide behind the curtains and wouldn't come out until they'd gone."

Thank goodness he has overcome his shyness. Otherwise, the world would not have known such talent coming from him. To say he has made a mark in the industry is an understatement. With a distinctive Cockney accent, Caine starred and appeared in over a hundred English and American films since the 1950s, making him one of the most recognisable actors in the world.

He has also earned numerous accolades from prestigious award-giving bodies, such as the Academy Awards and the BAFTA.

And just recently, the U.S. rights to his latest film, "Last Love," have been acquired by Image Entertainment, which means it will be released theatrically across the country this year.

The romantic drama stars Caine as a lonely American widower who, after a chance meeting with a young woman while living in Paris, learns to love life again.

"The legendary Michael Caine delivers an outstanding performance in this film," chief acquisitions officer for Image Entertainment Bill Bromiley said. "His versatility and presence on screen command respect from peers and audiences alike. We are proud to distribute another great work from one of the greatest actors of all time."

The "Educating Rita" actor will also be starring in his sixth Christopher Nolan film, "Interstellar," which is set to be released next year.

Caine is one of the five "Classic Heroes" Esquire magazine covers for its June issue. The other four are Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, David Bowie, and Keith Richards.