Kirk Douglas is an American film actor, director, producer, philanthropist, and an author. He belonged to the Golden Age era of the film industry and is one of its only surviving actors/stars. He is famous for his explosive style of acting.
Douglas made his acting debut in movies in 1946 with the movie ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.’ He became an internationally known actor after his starring role in the 1949 film Champion for which he got his first Best Actor Oscar nomination. He soon became a major box-office start and sustained his stardom through the 50s and 60s, a period during which he mostly appeared in war movies, westerns, and other serious dramas. He has worked in over 90 films across the span of his career.
In 1991, Kirk was involved in a helicopter crash and he survived. Five years later, he had a stroke. This caused him to change focus towards a more religious and spiritual life. In 1999, he had his 2nd Bar-Mitzvah at age 83. Anne, his wife converted to Judaism in 2004. In Dec, 2016, he became a centenarian.
Over the course of his life, Kirk has received many awards, including an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, 3 Academy Award nominations, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has written 10 memoirs and novels. He ranks in the top 20 of the ‘greatest male screen legends from the era of classic Hollywood cinema’ list by the American Film Institute.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Kirk was born as Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York, to Jewish immigrant parents Herschel “Harry” Danielovitch and Bryna (Bertha). His parents were from Chavusy, Belarus (then a part of the Russian Empire). The family conversed in Yiddish when home.
Douglas had 6 sisters. His father worked as a ragman and he grew up impoverished. To support his family, Kirk delivered newspapers, sold snacks to workers, and did over 40 different kinds of jobs.
Douglas knew that he wanted to be an actor after acting in high school plays. As he could not pay tuition, he took his high school certificates to St. Lawrence University and showed them to the dean. He subsequently got a loan, which he repaid with part-time jobs as a janitor and gardener. Douglas was on the university’s wrestling team and excelled in the sport.
With Mother
NYC’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts noticed the acting talents of Kirk and offered him a scholarship. Betty Joan Perske (better known as Lauren Bacall) was one of his fellow students.
In 1941, Douglas enlisted in the US Navy and served on USS PC-1137 as anti-submarine warfare communications officer. He was discharged in 1944 on medical grounds after sustaining injuries.
After WWII, Kirk worked in theater, radio, and advertisements. He got a break for stage in 1943 with the play Kiss and Tell. He then started getting more offers.
With Father
Acting Career
Lauren Bacall, a friend of Kirk, recommended his name to director Hall Wallis who was searching for fresh male talent for his movie ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.’ He got the part and thus made his movie debut.
Through the 50s and 60s, Kirk remained a successful star at the box office and appeared alongside some of the major actresses of that period. Some of the well known films of this era starring Douglas include 1950’s Young Man with a Horn featuring Doris Day and Lauren Bacall; 1951’s Detective Story, and Ace in the Hole that starred Jan Sterling; 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful alongside Lana Turner; and as Vincent van Gogh in 1956’s Lust for Life. He got his second and third Oscar nominations for the last two films mentioned.
Douglas founded Bryna Productions in 1955. Through it, he started producing movies as distinctive as 1957’s Paths of Glory and 1960’s Spartacus. In these two movies, he acted as well as worked with director Stanley Kubrick, who was then not as well known. In 1962, he acted in and produced the cult classic film ‘Lonely Are the Brave’ and worked alongside Burt Lancaster in the 1964 movie Seven Days in May. He went to Broadway in 1963 and played the lead in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’ Kirk had purchased the story and its movie rights which he later gave it to Michael Douglas, his son, who then went to make it into a Academy Award winning movie.
From the early 70s to the later 2000s, Douglas appeared in almost 40 films and several TV shows. In 2003, he appeared in the film ‘It Runs in the Family’ which featured many members of his real family, like Michael Douglas, Kirk’s ex-wife Diana Dill, and Michael’s son.
Kirk Douglas – Young Pictures
Personal Life and Trivia
- Douglas married his first wife Diana Dill, an actress, on 2nd November 1943. The couple had two children producer Joel and actor/producer Michael. They divorced in 1951.
- Kirk married for the second time 29th May 1954. He met his second wife Anne Buydens, a producer, while shooting in Paris for the movie ‘Lust for Life.’ The couple had two sons, actor Eric and film producer Peter. Eric passed away in July 2004 due to accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol.
- Both Kirk and his wife regularly donate to different institutions and non-profit organizations, especially to schools, colleges, and medical facilities. They plan to plan to donate most of their net worth to varied causes.
- Douglas is known to blog every once in a while. It was originally on MySpace, but is currently available on Huffington Post. He is thought to be the oldest living celebrity blogger on the planet.
Kirk Douglas with wife Diana Dill and Son
Kirk Douglas with wife Diana Dill
With Diana Dill
Kirk Douglas with wife Anne Douglas and Sons
Kirk Douglas with wife Anne Douglas and Children
With Anne Douglas
With wife Anne Douglas
Kirk Douglas – Networth
Douglas has an estimated net worth in the range of $60 to $85 million.
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