Biography

Once quoted as saying "I've made a career of playing sons of bitches," Kirk Douglas is considered by many to be the epitome of the Hollywood hard man. In addition to acting in countless films over the course of his long career, Douglas has served as a director and producer and will forever be associated with his role in helping to put an end to the infamous Hollywood black list.

Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch to Russian Jewish immigrant parents in Amsterdam, New York, on December 9, 1916. He waited tables to finance his education at St. Lawrence University, where he was a top-notch wrestler. While there he also did a little work in the theater, something that soon gave way to his desire to pursue acting as a career. After some work as a professional wrestler, Douglas held various odd jobs, including a stint as a bellhop, to put himself through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1941, he debuted on Broadway, but he had only two small roles before he enlisted in the Navy and served in World War II. Following his discharge, Douglas returned to Broadway in 1945, where he began getting more substantial roles; he also did some work on radio.

After being spotted and invited to Hollywood by producer Hal Wallis, Douglas debuted onscreen in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), but he did not emerge as a full-fledged star until he portrayed an unscrupulously ambitious boxer in Champion (1949); with this role (for which he earned his first Oscar nomination), he defined one of his principle character types, that of a cocky, selfish, intense, and powerful man. Douglas fully established his screen persona during the '50s thanks to strong roles in such classics as Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole (1951), William Wyler's Detective Story (1951), and John Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957). Douglas earned Oscar nominations for his work in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1956), both of which were directed by Vincente Minnelli. In 1955, the actor formed his own company, Bryna Productions, through which he produced both his own films and those of others, including Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960); both of these films would prove to be two of the most popular and acclaimed of Douglas' career. In 1963, he appeared on Broadway in Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, but was never able to interest Hollywood in a film version of the work; he passed it along to his son Michael Douglas (a popular actor/filmmaker in his own right), who eventually brought it to the screen to great success.

During the '60s, Douglas continued to star in such films as John Huston's The List of Adrian Messenger (1963) and John Frankenheimer's Seven Days in May (1964), both of which he also produced. He began directing some of his films in the early '70s, scoring his greatest success as the director, star, and producer for Posse (1975), a western in which he played a U.S. Marshal eager for political gain. Though he continued to appear in films, by the '80s Douglas began volunteering much of his time to civic duties. Since 1963, he has worked as a Goodwill Ambassador for the State Department and the USIA. In 1981, his many contributions earned him the highest civilian award given in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For his public service, Douglas was given the Jefferson Award in 1983. Two years later, the French government dubbed him Chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his artistic contributions. Other awards Douglas has received include the American Cinema Award (1987), the German Golden Kamera Award (1988), and the National Board of Review's Career Achievement Award (1989). In 1995, the same year he suffered a debilitating stroke, Douglas was presented with an honorary Oscar by the Academy; four years later, he was the recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that was accompanied by a screening of 16 of his films. In addition to his film work, Douglas has also published two novels: Dance with the Devil (1990) and The Secret (1992). He published his autobiography, The Ragman's Son, in 1988. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Few Good Years, A (2003) .... Mitchell Gromberg
Darkness at High Noon: The Carl Foreman Documents (2002)
Pulp Cinema (2001) (V) .... Himself (archival footage)
Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001) (TV) (archive footage) .... Ned Land (from '20,000 Leagues under the Sea')
AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself
Diamonds (1999) .... Harry Agensky
Century of Cinema, A (1994) .... Himself
Kennedy Center Honors, The (1994) (TV) .... Himself (Honoree)
Take Me Home Again (1994) (TV) .... Ed Reece
... aka Lies Boys Tell, The (1994) (TV)
Greedy (1994) .... Uncle Joe McTeague
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: 25th Anniversary Reunion (1993) (TV) (archive footage) .... Himself
... aka Laugh-In's 25th Anniversary (1993) (TV) (USA)
Secret, The (1992) (TV) .... Grandpa Mike Dunmore
Two-Fisted Tales (1991) (TV) .... General (segment "Yellow")
Veraz (1991) .... Quentin
... aka Bienvenido a Veraz (1991)
American Film Institute Salute to Kirk Douglas, The (1991) (TV) .... Himself
Oscar (1991) .... Provolone Sr.
Racing Experience, The (1988) (V) .... Himself
Inherit the Wind (1988) (TV) .... Matthew Harrison Brady
Queenie (1987) (TV) .... David Konig
Tough Guys (1986) .... Archie Long
Kennedy Center Honors, The (1985) (TV) .... Himself
Amos (1985) (TV) .... Amos Lasher
Salute to Lady Liberty (1984) (TV) .... Himself
Draw! (1984) (TV) .... Harry H. Holland aka Handsome Harry Holland
Eddie Macon's Run (1983) .... Carl 'Buster' Marzack
Man from Snowy River, The (1982) .... Harrison/Spur
Remembrance of Love (1982) (TV) .... Joe Rabin
... aka Holocaust Survivors... Remembrance of Love (1982) (TV)
Final Countdown, The (1980) .... Capt. Matthew Yelland
Saturn 3 (1980) .... Adam
Home Movies (1979) .... Doctor Tuttle 'The Maestro'
... aka Maestro, The (1979) (USA)
Villain, The (1979) .... Cactus Jack
... aka Cactus Jack (1980) (UK)
50th Annual Academy Awards, The (1978) (TV) .... Himself (presenter, Documentary Awards)
Fury, The (1978) .... Peter Sandza
Holocaust 2000 (1977) .... Robert Caine
... aka Chosen, The (1977)
... aka Rain of Fire (1977) (USA)
Victory at Entebbe (1976) (TV) .... Hershel Vilnofsky
"Arthur Hailey's the Moneychangers" (1976) (mini) TV Series .... Alex Vandervoort
... aka "Moneychangers, The" (1976) (mini)
Posse (1975) .... Howard Nightingale
Jacqueline Susann's Once Is Not Enough (1975) .... Mike Wayne
... aka Once Is Not Enough (1975)
Mousey (1974) (TV) .... George Anderson
... aka Cat and Mouse (1974) (TV)
Scalawag (1973) .... Peg
... aka Magnifico ceffo di galera, Un (1973) (Italy)
... aka Protuva (1973) (Yugoslavia: Serbian title)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973) (TV) .... Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
Uomo da rispettare, Un (1972) .... Steve Wallace
... aka Achtbarer Mann, Ein (1972) (West Germany)
... aka Hearts and Minds (1972)
... aka Man to Respect, A (1972) (USA)
... aka Master Touch, The (1972) (USA)
London Bridge Special, The (1972) (TV)
Gunfight, A (1971) .... Will Tenneray
To Catch a Spy (1971) .... Andrej
... aka Catch Me a Spy (1971)
... aka Doigts croisés, Les (1971) (France)
Light at the Edge of the World, The (1971) .... Will Denton
... aka Luz del fin del mundo, La (1971) (Spain)
There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) .... Paris Pittman Jr.
Arrangement, The (1969) .... Eddie Anderson
Brotherhood, The (1968) .... Frank Ginetta
Rowan & Martin at the Movies (1968) .... Himself
Lovely Way to Die, A (1968) .... Jim Schuyler
... aka Lovely Way to Go, A (1968)
War Wagon, The (1967) .... Lomax
Way West, The (1967) .... Senator William J. Tadlock, Captain of Oregon Liberty Train
Paris brûle-t-il? (1966) .... Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
... aka Is Paris Burning? (1966) (USA)
Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) .... Colonel David 'Mickey' Marcus
Heroes of Telemark, The (1965) .... Dr. Rolf Pedersen
In Harm's Way (1965) .... Commander/Captain Paul Eddington, Admiral Torrey's Chief of Staff
Seven Days in May (1964) .... Col. Martin 'Jiggs' Casey
For Love or Money (1963) .... Deke Gentry
... aka Three on a Match (1963)
... aka Three-Way Match, The (1963)
Hook, The (1963) .... Sgt. P.J. Briscoe
List of Adrian Messenger, The (1963) .... George Brougham/Vicar Atlee/Mr. Pythian/Arthur Henderson
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) .... Jack Andrus
Lonely Are the Brave (1962) .... Jack Burns/John W. Burns
Last Sunset, The (1961) .... Brendan O'Malley
Town Without Pity (1961) .... Maj. Steve Garrett
... aka Stadt ohne Mitleid (1961) (West Germany)
... aka Ville sans pitié (1961) (Switzerland: literal title French title)
Spartacus (1960) .... Spartacus
Strangers When We Meet (1960) .... Larry Coe
Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) .... Marshal Matt Morgan
... aka One Angry Day (1959) (USA: alternative title)
Premier Khrushchev in the USA (1959)
Devil's Disciple, The (1959) .... Dick Dudgeon
31st Annual Academy Awards, The (1959) (TV) .... Performer: "It's Alright With Us"
Vikings, The (1958) .... Einar
30th Annual Academy Awards, The (1958) (TV) .... Performer: "It's Great Not to Be Nominated"
Paths of Glory (1957) .... Col. Dax
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) .... Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday
Top Secret Affair (1957) .... Major General Melville Goodwin
... aka Their Secret Affair (1957) (UK)
Van Gogh: Darkness Into Light (1956) (uncredited) .... Himself
Lust for Life (1956) .... Vincent Van Gogh
Indian Fighter, The (1955) .... Johnny Hawks
Racers, The (1955) .... Gino Borgesa
... aka Such Men Are Dangerous (1955) (UK)
Man Without a Star (1955) .... Dempsey Rae
Ulisse (1954) .... Ulysses
... aka Ulysses (1954)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) .... Ned Land
... aka Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1971) (USA: reissue title)
Un acte d'amour (1954) .... Robert Teller
... aka Act of Love (1954) (USA)
... aka Quelque part dans le monde (1954)
26th Annual Academy Awards, The (1954) (TV) .... Himself (presenter, Writing awards)
Story of Three Loves, The (1953) .... Pierre Narval (segment "Equilibrium")
... aka Equilibrium (1953)
... aka Three Stories of Love (1953)
Juggler, The (1953) .... Hans Muller
Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) .... Jonathan Shields
Big Trees, The (1952) .... Jim Fallon
Big Sky, The (1952) .... Jim Deakins
Detective Story (1951) .... Detective James 'Jim' McLeod
Big Carnival, The (1951) .... Charles 'Chuck' Tatum
... aka Ace in the Hole (1951) (USA: alternative title)
... aka Human Interest Story, The (1951) (USA)
Along the Great Divide (1951) .... Marshal Len Merrick
... aka Travelers, The (1951) (USA)
Glass Menagerie, The (1950) .... Jim O'Connor
Young Man with a Horn (1950) .... Rick Martin
... aka Young Man of Music (1950) (UK)
... aka Young Man with a Trumpet (1950) (Australia)
Champion (1949) .... Michael 'Midge' Kelly
Letter to Three Wives, A (1949) .... George Phipps
My Dear Secretary (1948) .... Owen Waterbury
Walls of Jericho, The (1948) .... Tucker Wedge
I Walk Alone (1948) .... Noll 'Dink' Turner
Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) .... Peter Niles
Out of the Past (1947) .... Whit Sterling
... aka Build My Gallows High (1947) (UK)
Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The (1946) .... Walter P. O'Neil