Kirk Douglas
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1916-12-09
Day of Death
2020-02-05 (103 years old)
Place of Birth
Amsterdam, New York, USA
Kirk Douglas
Biography
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.
Known For
Acting
(2024)
From Roger Moore with Love
as Self (archive footage)
(2023)
Lynch/Oz
as Col. Dax (archive footage) (uncredited)
(2020)
Kubrick by Kubrick
as Self (archive footage)
(2019)
Mike Wallace Is Here
as (archive footage)
(2019)
Vincent van Gogh Superstar
as Vincent van Gogh (archive footage)
(2017)
The Untameable Kirk Douglas
as Self - Actor
(2017)
(2015)
I Am Spartacus: A Conversation with Kirk Douglas
as Self - Interviewee
(2014)
And the Oscar Goes To...
as Self (archive footage)
(2014)
Hollywood au pied du terril
as Self
(2012)
Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen
as (archive footage)
(2012)
Stanley Kubrick in Focus
as Self
(2010)
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
as Self – Interviewee
(2009)
(2009)
(2008)
(2008)
Empire State Building Murders
as Jim Kovalski
(2007)
Trumbo
as Self - Interviewee
(2005)
(2004)
Illusion
as Donald Baines
(2003)
It Runs in the Family
as Mitchell Gromberg
(2003)
(2001)
(2001)
FBI contre Hollywood
as Self
(1999)
Diamonds
as Harry Agensky
(1999)
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection
as General Kalthrob
(1997)
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line
as Self (archive footage)
(1997)
Completely Cuckoo
as Self
(1996)
The Universal Story
as Self (archive footage)
(1994)
Greedy
as Uncle Joe
(1994)
A Century of Cinema
as Self
(1994)
The Lies Boys Tell
as Ed Reese
(1992)
Two-Fisted Tales
as General Calthrop
(1992)
The Secret
as Grandpa Mike Dunmore
(1991)
Oscar
as Eduardo Provolone
(1991)
Welcome to Veraz
as Quentin
(1991)
Movie Tough Guys
as Self (archive footage)
(1990)
Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea
as Ned Land (archive footage)
(1988)
Inherit the Wind
as Matthew Harrison Brady
(1988)
The Racing Experience
as Self
(1986)
Tough Guys
as Archie Long
(1986)
(1986)
Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick
as Self
(1985)
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
(1985)
Amos
as Amos Lasher
(1984)
Draw!
as Harry H. Holland aka Handsome Harry Holland
(1983)
Eddie Macon's Run
as Carl 'Buster' Marzack
(1983)
(1982)
The Man from Snowy River
as Harrison / Spur
(1982)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
as (in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage)
(1982)
Remembrance Of Love
as Joe Rabin
(1982)
Let Poland Be Poland
as Self
(1980)
Home Movies
as Dr. Tuttle
(1980)
The Final Countdown
as Capt. Matthew Yelland
(1980)
Saturn 3
as Major Adam
(1979)
The Villain
as Cactus Jack
(1978)
The Fury
as Peter Sandza
(1977)
Holocaust 2000
as Robert Caine
(1976)
Victory at Entebbe
as Herschel Vilnofsky
(1975)
Posse
as Howard Nightingale
(1975)
Once Is Not Enough
as Mike Wayne
(1974)
Mousey
as George Anderson
(1973)
Scalawag
as Peg
(1973)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
(1972)
The Special London Bridge Special
as The Indian Fighter
(1972)
The Master Touch
as Steve Wallace
(1972)
J'ai tout donné
as Self
(1972)
Kirk Douglas
as Himself
(1971)
Catch Me a Spy
as Andrej
(1971)
The Light at the Edge of the World
as Will Denton
(1971)
A Gunfight
as Will Tenneray
(1970)
There Was a Crooked Man...
as Paris Pitman, Jr.
(1969)
The Arrangement
as Eddie Anderson
(1968)
The Brotherhood
as Frank Ginetta
(1968)
A Lovely Way to Die
as Jameson Schuyler
(1968)
Rowan & Martin at the Movies
as Self
(1967)
The War Wagon
as Lomax
(1967)
The Way West
as Sen. William J. Tadlock
(1966)
Is Paris Burning?
as General Patton
(1966)
Cast a Giant Shadow
as Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus
(1966)
Kirk Douglas
as Self
(1965)
In Harm's Way
as Commander Paul Eddington, Jr.
(1965)
The Heroes of Telemark
as Dr. Rolf Pedersen
(1964)
Seven Days in May
as Col. Martin "Jiggs" Casey
(1963)
The List of Adrian Messenger
as George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson
(1963)
The Hook
as Sgt. P.J. Briscoe
(1963)
For Love or Money
as Deke Gentry
(1962)
Lonely are the Brave
as John W. "Jack" Burns
(1962)
Two Weeks in Another Town
as Jack Andrus
(1961)
The Last Sunset
as Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley
(1961)
Town Without Pity
as Major Garrett
(1960)
Spartacus
as Spartacus
(1960)
Strangers When We Meet
as Larry Coe
(1959)
Last Train from Gun Hill
as Marshal Matt Morgan
(1959)
The Devil's Disciple
as Richard Dudgeon
(1958)
The Vikings
as Einar
(1957)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday
(1957)
Paths of Glory
as Col. Dax
(1957)
Top Secret Affair
as Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin
(1957)
(1956)
Lust for Life
as Vincent van Gogh
(1956)
(1955)
The Indian Fighter
as Johnny Hawks
(1955)
Man Without a Star
as Dempsey Rae
(1955)
The Racers
as Gino Borgesa
(1954)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
as Ned Land
(1954)
Ulysses
as Ulysses
(1954)
Operation Undersea
as Self
(1954)
(1953)
The Story of Three Loves
as Pierre Narval
(1953)
The Juggler
as Hans Muller
(1953)
Act of Love
as Robert Teller
(1952)
The Big Trees
as Jim Fallon
(1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful
as Jonathan Shields
(1952)
The Big Sky
as Jim Deakins
(1951)
Ace in the Hole
as Charles Tatum
(1951)
Detective Story
as Det. James McLeod
(1951)
Along the Great Divide
as Marshal Len Merrick
(1950)
Young Man with a Horn
as Rick Martin
(1950)
The Glass Menagerie
as Jim O'Connor
(1949)
A Letter to Three Wives
as George Phipps
(1949)
Champion
as Midge Kelly
(1948)
My Dear Secretary
as Owen Waterbury
(1948)
The Walls of Jericho
as Tucker Wedge
(1947)
Out of the Past
as Whit Sterling
(1947)
I Walk Alone
as Noll "Dink" Turner
(1947)
Mourning Becomes Electra
as Peter Niles
(1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Walter O'Neil
Crew
(1985)
Amos
Executive Producer
(1983)
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Executive Producer
(1975)
Posse
Director, Producer
(1973)
Scalawag
Director, Writer
(1971)
(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
(1961)
The Last Sunset
Executive Producer
(1960)
Spartacus
Executive Producer
(1960)
Strangers When We Meet
Executive Producer
(1958)
The Vikings
Executive Producer
(1957)
Paths of Glory
Producer
(1957)
Ride Out for Revenge
Executive Producer
(1957)
Lizzie
Executive Producer
(1955)
The Indian Fighter
Executive Producer