Acting
192
Man
Dec 9, 1916
Feb 5, 2020 (103)
Amsterdam, New York, USA
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor, producer, director and author. He grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the United States Navy during World War II. During his career, Douglas appeared in more than 90 movies and was known for his explosive acting style. He became an international star for his leading role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in Champion (1949), which brought him his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Other early films include Young Man with a Horn (1950), Ace in the Hole (1951), and Detective Story (1951), a film for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Drama. He received a second Oscar nomination for his role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), which landed him a second Golden Globe nomination. In 1955, Douglas established Bryna Productions, which produced films as varied as Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960). He took the lead roles in both films. Douglas has been praised for helping to break the Hollywood blacklist by having Dalton Trumbo write Spartacus with an official on-screen credit. In 1963 Douglas starred in the Broadway play One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a story that he purchased and later gave to his son Michael Douglas, who turned it into an Oscar-winning film. As an actor and philanthropist, Douglas received an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. As an author, he wrote ten novels and memoirs. He is No. 17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema. Kirk Douglas died at age 103.
Year | Movie / TV show / Other | Role |
---|---|---|
1985 | Amos | Executive Producer |
1983 | Something Wicked This Way Comes | Executive Producer |
1975 | Posse | Director |
1975 | Posse | Producer |
1973 | Scalawag | Director |
1973 | Scalawag | Writer |
1971 | The Light at the Edge of the World | Producer |
1971 | A Gunfight | Executive Producer |
1971 | Summertree | Producer |
1968 | The Brotherhood | Producer |
1966 | Seconds | Co-Executive Producer |
1966 | Grand Prix | Executive Producer |
1964 | Seven Days in May | Co-Executive Producer |
1963 | The List of Adrian Messenger | Executive Producer |
1962 | Lonely Are the Brave | Executive Producer |
1960 | Spartacus | Executive Producer |
1960 | Strangers When We Meet | Executive Producer |
1959 | Tales of the Vikings | Producer |
1958 | The Vikings | Executive Producer |
1957 | Paths of Glory | Producer |
1957 | Lizzie | Executive Producer |
1957 | Ride Out for Revenge | Executive Producer |
1955 | The Indian Fighter | Executive Producer |