Veteran British actor Michael Caine, a Hollywood icon with a decades-spanning career littered with awards and acclaim, revealed on Saturday that he has retired from acting at the age of 90.

The Oscar-winner bows out following another widely-praised performance in his final film, The Great Escaper, which was released on October 6. 

In it he plays real-life World War II British veteran Bernie Jordan, who escaped from an elderly residential care home to attend 2014 D-Day celebrations in France.

"I keep saying I'm going to retire. Well I am now," Caine told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"The only parts I'm liable to get now are 90-year-old men. Or maybe 85.

"They're not going to be the lead. You don't have leading men at 90, you're going to have young handsome boys and girls. So I thought, I might as well leave with all this."

A prolific actor known for his amiable Cockney persona and deadpan acting style, Caine has appeared in more than 160 films during his seven-decade career.

Possessing one of Hollywood's most recognisable -- and imitated -- voices, he has long enjoyed iconic status in Britain, where he became a defining face of the so-called Swinging Sixties.

His filmography includes classic films ranging from Zulu and The Italian Job to more recently appearing in Interstellar and The Dark Knight franchise, alongside Christian Bale.

A six-time Oscar nominee -- who has won two Academy Awards, in 1986 (Hannah and Her Sisters) and 2000 (The Cider House Rules) -- he has also earned Golden Globes, BAFTAs and numerous other gongs.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000. 

Caine's acting retirement announcement comes a month before his first novel, Deadly Game, is scheduled for release.

He revealed in June that it had been a long-held ambition to write a thriller, noting it is the genre he most enjoys reading.