Kirk Douglas is a famous American film actor, director, producer and author who is regarded as one of the greatest actors of his generations. Douglas began his acting career in 1946 and appeared in episodic roles and documentaries until 2008. He rose to fame in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s and acted in several hit films such as ‘Out of the Past’, ‘Champion’, ‘Ace in the Hole’, ‘The Bad and the Beautiful’, ‘Lust for Life’, ‘Paths of Glory’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘Lonely Are the Brave’, and ‘Seven Days in May’ among others.

Douglas is one of the last few surviving actors from the ‘Golden Age’ in the film Industry. He ranks 17th on the list of greatest male screen legends in the history of American films by American Film Institutes. During his career, Douglas was nominated for three Academy Awards and honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Academy in 1996. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, a French Legion of Honour in 1990 and has his star at 6263 Hollywood Blvd on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life and Education

Born as Issur Danielovitch on 9 December 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, Douglas is the only son among the seven children, born to Herschel “Harry” Danielovitch and Bryna “Bertha” Sanglel. He was raised in poor, Yiddish speaking, Jewish household. His parents immigrated to USA from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in Russia (present-day Belarus). Douglas’ family adopted the surname Demsky after moving to USA, but he changed his name legally after enlisting into the US Navy during World War II.

Douglas did around 40 odd jobs to make ends meet before he decided to pursue a career in acting. He completed his elementary and high school education with high honours and convinced the dean of St. Lawrence University to enrol him on a loan since he was unable to afford the tuition fees. Douglas worked as a janitor and gardener in the university to pay off the loan. He later attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York City on a special scholarship after being noticed by the Academy for his acting talents.

Kirk Douglas – Young Pictures

Career Rise

Douglas made his acting debut in 1946 with the film ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers’ in which he played the role of Walter O’Neil and appeared in the films ‘Out of the Past’ and ‘Champion’ in which he played a corrupt boxing hero for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He rose to fame in the 1950’s and became a huge star at the box office for her performances in serious dramas, war films and westerns. Douglas’ popularity grew after he appeared in the blockbuster films ‘Ace in the Hole’, ‘Detective Story’, ‘The Bad and the Beautiful’ and ‘Lust for life, a biopic on Vincent van Gogh. For the latter two films, Douglas received his second and third Academy award nominations.

In 1995, Douglas established his own production house ‘Bryna Productions’ and started producing films like ‘Paths of Glory’, ‘Spartacus’, and the cult classic, ‘Lonely Are the Brave’, in which he also acted. He also appeared in the 1963 production of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ on Broadway. Some of Douglas’ most successful films include ‘ Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’, ‘The Vikings’, ‘Seven Days in May’, ‘The Heroes of Telemark’, ‘Saturn 3’ and Tough Guys.

Latest Pictures

Personal Life

Douglas has been married twice. The 1.75 strapping actors was first married to actress Diana Dill in 1943. The couple became parents to two children, sons Michael and Joel. While Michael is a renowned actor, Joel is a producer. The couple divorced in 1951. Diana Douglas died aged 92, in 2015.

Douglas then met film producer Anne Buydens in Paris while he was filming ‘Lust for Life’, where Budyens was working as a subtitles translator. The couple married in May 1954 and became patents to two sons, film producer Peter and actor Eric, who died in 2004 form an accidental overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol. As of 2017, Douglas is 100 years old, his wife is 98.

Kirk Douglas – Net Worth

Douglas has an estimated net worth of approximately $60 Million.