Shakira Caine


Shakira Baksh, Lady Caine is a Guyanese former actress and fashion model, and the wife of English actor Michael Caine.

Early life

She was born in British Guiana to Muslim Indian parents. Her mother was a dressmaker, and she aspired to follow in her footsteps and became a fashion designer.

Career

Modeling career

While working as a secretary, she was urged by her employer to enter the Miss Guyana contest, in which she was the runner-up. At the age of 19, she came in third in the 1967 Miss World contest held in London, where she decided to stay to launch a career in modeling.
She is a member of the International Best Dressed List since 1991.

Acting career

Baksh appeared in several films, including Some Girls Do, Carry On Again Doctor, Toomorrow, Son of Dracula and, with her husband, The Man Who Would Be King. She also appeared in two episodes of the science fiction TV series UFO.

Personal life

After seeing Baksh in a British television advertisement for Maxwell House coffee in 1971, Michael Caine became obsessed with finding the woman he considered to be "the most beautiful... he had ever seen." From a friend in the advertising business, he discovered that she lived only a few miles from him in London. The couple were married in Las Vegas on 8 January 1973, and have one daughter, Natasha.
Baksh is a Muslim, while her husband is a Christian. He reflected to The Guardian in 2009: "My wife is a Muslim and she does Muslim stuff; I'm a Christian and I do Christian stuff, and no questions ever come up. The media view of Muslims is different from mine, which is very benign and peaceful."