Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, whose career spanned more than six decades, died Wednesday at the age of 103.
Douglas’s son Michael, who has also had a long career in Hollywood, acknowledged his father’s death in an Instagram post yesterday:
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
Douglas rose to national stardom as an actor for is performances in what would become iconic films of American cinema such as “Spartacus,” “Champion,” and “Lonely are the Brave,” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
In addition to starring in over 90 films over the course of his career, Douglas also ventured into radio and television productions. Later in life he pursued writing, and authored 11 books, including four novels, a re-telling of Bible stories for young people, an autobiography, five memoirs recounting different periods of his long like, and a book of poetry.
In a list of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time done by Entertainment Weekly, Douglas ranked 39th. In 1996, he received an honorary Oscars Award for his lifetime work.
In addition to his acting career, Douglas was known worldwide for his humanitarian efforts, traveling to over 40 countries working as a goodwill ambassador to describe to people how democracy worked. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in January 1981.
Douglas survived a number of health scares in his later years. In 1991 Douglas was in a helicopter crash where he sustained a debilitating back injury; two people died in this crash. Five years later, he suffered a stroke which impaired his ability to speak.
Douglas is survived by his wife Anne, sons Michael, Joe Peter and seven grandchildren, according to TMZ.
– – –
Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Star News Digital Media. If you have any tips, email Zachery at [email protected].
I liked quite a few movies with Kirk Douglas. His best movies were between the mid-forties and early fifties. His debut in 1946’s STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS gave him ample opportunity to display a complex human being who definitely had a conscience as he reminded his wife played by Barbara Stanwick about how he, as a District Attorney, deliberately helped her to send an innocent person to the chair to cover up for a murder that she had committed during their youth. After the execution and her marriage to the District Attorney (Kirk Douglas), she became the successful Martha Ivers. She feared that actor Van Hefflin who secretly saw her commit the murder, might eventually turn her in. We see a man struggling on how to undo the damage that he and his wife caused. It was good acting and enabled Douglas to show a huge variety of his persona. His 1951 film, ACE IN THE HOLE (a.k.a.: THE BIG CARNIVAL) was also a well-done film where he has both an unscrupulous and an ethical side of him that fight each other for control of his conscience. He played a cynical newspaper reporter who wanted to make the big time by covering a mine disaster near Albuquerque, NM. He prolonged coverage of the story by maneuvering with a crooked sheriff to delay the rescue, leading to the miner’s death. It was based on an actual scandal during the mid-1920’s in a West Virginia coal mine.
I could never imagine a male player like Chuck Norris or Sylvester Stallone playing such complex and mature figures. Kirk Douglas, however, could do so, and he did! We’ll miss Kirk Douglas! Good work, Kirk!