Kirk Douglas Bio, Age, Wife, 100, Books, Movies, Net Worth, And Death

Kirk Douglas Biography

Kirk Douglas whose full name is Issur Danielovitch, was an American actor, filmmaker, and author born on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York. Kirk is one of the last surviving stars of the film industry’s Golden Age. Kirk who had an unpleasant childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters had his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers in 1946 with Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas soon became a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war movies. He appeared in more than 90 movies during his career. He is known for his explosive acting style.

Kirk Douglas Age | How Old Is Kirk Douglas Actor | Birthday

Kirk was born on 9th December in 1916. He died on February 5th, 2020 at age 103 years.

Kirk Douglas Death

Douglas died at his home in Beverly Hills on February 5th, 2020 due to natural causes. His son Michael Douglas posted an emotional message to him announcing his death on his Instagram saying,

It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.

But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.

Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet. Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son. #KirkDouglas…

 

Kirk Douglas Real Name

His real name is Issur Danielovitch.

Kirk Douglas Height

He is 1.75 meters tall.

Kirk Douglas Family

Douglas was born in Amsterdam, New York, to Bryna Bertha and Herschel Harry Danielovitch. Both of his parents were Jewish emigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in the Russian Empire, present-day Belarus, and the family spoke Yiddish at home.

Kirk Douglas Wife

He has been married twice; His first wife was Diana Douglas. The two got married in 1943 and divorced in 1951. Later in 1954, he got married to Anne Buydens.

Kirk Douglas Wife Age | How Old Is Kirk Douglas Wife

His wife Anne who was born on 23 April 1919 is 99 years old as of 2018.

Kirk Douglas Children

He has four children; Michael Douglas, Eric Douglas, Joel Douglas, and Peter Douglas.

Kirk Douglas Son | Kirk Michael Douglas

In 2003, he produced the show It Runs in the Family, with his son Michael which along with Kirk starred various family members, including Michael, Michael’s son, and his wife from 50 years earlier, Diana Dill, playing his wife.

Kirk Douglas Grandchildren

He has seven grandchildren: Cameron Douglas, Carys Zeta Douglas, Dylan Michael Douglas, Ryan Douglas, Kelsey Douglas, Jason Douglas, and Tyler Douglas.

Kirk Douglas Career

At first, Douglas wanted to be an actor after he recited the poem The Red Robin of Spring while in kindergarten and received applause. In 1941, he enlisted in the United States Navy, shortly after the United States entered World War II, where he served as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare aboard USS PC-1137. In 1944, he was medically discharged for war injuries sustained from the accidental dropping of a depth charge.

Douglas returned to New York City after the war and found work in radio, theater, and commercials. His radio work included acting in-network soap operas. He sees those experiences as being especially valuable, as skill in using one’s voice is important for aspiring actors, and regrets that the same avenues are no longer available. He had his stage break when he took over the role played by Richard Widmark in Kiss and Tell in 1943, which then led to other offers.

Douglas’ plan was to remain a stage actor, until his friend, Lauren Bacall, helped him get his first film role by recommending him to producer Hal B. Wallis, who was looking for new male talent. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers Wallis’s film, of 1946, with Barbara Stanwyck, became Douglas’s debut screen appearance. He played the role of a young, insecure man, stung with jealousy, whose life was dominated by his ruthless wife, and he hid his feelings with alcohol. That was the last time that Douglas portrayed a weakling in a film role.

His image as a tough guy was established in 1949 in his eighth film, Champion after producer Stanley Kramer chose him to play a selfish boxer. However, in accepting the role, he took a gamble, since he had to turn down an offer to star in a big-budget MGM film, The Great Sinner, which would have earned him three times the income.

He received his first Academy Award nomination for the film and the film earned six nominations in all. Several magazines called it “a stark, realistic study of the boxing rackets.

From then on, he decided that to succeed as a star, he needed to ramp up his intensity, overcome his natural shyness, and choose stronger roles. He later said that; “I don’t think I’d be much of an actor without vanity. And I’m not interested in being a ‘modest actor'”. He demonstrated his independent streak and broke his studio contracts early in his Hollywood career, to gain total control over his projects, forming his own movie company, Bryna Productions, named after his mother. Douglas made Out of the Past in 1947. He starred in the film with Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer. In 1949, Douglas made his Broadway debut in Three Sisters, produced by Katharine Cornell.

Kirk Douglas Spartacus

He established Bryna Productions, in 1955, which began producing films as varied as Paths of Glory in 1957 and Spartacus in 1960. He collaborated with the then-relatively-unknown director Stanley Kubrick in both films, taking lead roles in both films. He was highly praised for helping to break the Hollywood blacklist by having Dalton Trumbo write Spartacus with an official on-screen credit, although this has been disputed by others. In 1962 he produced and starred in Lonely Are the Brave, considered a classic, and Seven Days in May 1964, opposite Burt Lancaster, with whom he made seven films. He starred in the Broadway play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a story he purchased, in 1963, which he later gave to his son Michael Douglas, who turned it into an Oscar-winning film.

In 1962 he was featured in the western ‘Lonely Are the Brave’ and in 1963 he appeared in the stage adaptation of ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ which was made into a film in 1975 by his son Michael.

He was cast in the political thriller ‘Seven Days in May’, in 1964. In 1965, he acted alongside John Wayne in the Second World War film ‘in Harm’s Way’ . In 1966 he made an appearance in the film ‘Cast a Giant Shadow’ based on the Israeli freedom struggle. His second film with John Wayne was ‘The War Wagon’ in 1967.

Kirk Douglas Books

• The Ragman’s Son. Simon & Schuster, 1988.
• Dance with the Devil. Random House, 1990.
• The Gift. Warner Books, 1992.
• Last Tango in Brooklyn. Century, 1994.
• The Broken Mirror: A Novella. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1997.
• Young Heroes of the Bible. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 1999.
• Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning. Simon and Schuster, 2001.
• My Stroke of Luck. HarperCollins, 2003.
• Let’s Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
• I Am Spartacus!: Making a Film, Breaking the Blacklist. Open Road Media, 2012.
• Life Could Be Verse: Reflections on Love, Loss, and What Really Matters, December 2014

Kirk Douglas Health

He suffered a severe stroke, on January 28, 1996, which impaired his ability to speak. According to the doctors, as they spoke to his wife unless there was rapid improvement, the loss of the ability to speak was likely permanent. However, after undergoing a daily speech-language therapy that lasted several months, he got back his ability to speak, although it was still limited. Two months later in March, he was able to accept an honorary Academy Award and thanked the audience. He later wrote a book about his experience, titled My Stroke of Luck, which he hoped would be an “operating manual” for others on how to handle a stroke victim in their own family.

Douglas became a centenarian, on December 9, 2016, after he turned 100 years old. He celebrated his 100th birthday, joined by several of his friends and family, including Don Rickles, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, his wife Anne, his son Michael and his daughter-in-law Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He was described by his guests as being still in good shape, able to walk with confidence into the Sunset Room for the celebration.

Kirk Douglas Net Worth

The American actor, producer, and author has an estimated net worth of a net worth of $60 million. In his early career, he made about $15000 to $25000, later in 1954 he made a total of $175,000 and from then his earnings kept increasing year after year. He also authored several books that have greatly sold out, contributing to his wealth.