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.
Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kubrick by Kubrick (2020) | Self (archive footage) | 8 |
| 2 | Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) | (archive footage) | - |
| 3 | If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017) | Self | 7 |
| 4 | Final Cut: Ladies and Gentlemen (2012) | (archive footage) | 8 |
| 5 | Stanley Kubrick in Focus (2012) | Self | - |
| 6 | Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010) | Self – Interviewee | - |
| 7 | Trumbo (2007) | Self - Interviewee | - |
| 8 | It Runs in the Family (2003) | Mitchell Gromberg | - |
| 9 | Diamonds (1999) | Harry Agensky | - |
| 10 | Greedy (1994) | Uncle Joe | 7 |
| 11 | Two-Fisted Tales (1992) | General Calthrop | - |
| 12 | Oscar (1991) | Eduardo Provolone | 6.4 |
| 13 | Tough Guys (1986) | Archie Long | - |
| 14 | The Man from Snowy River (1982) | Harrison / Spur | 7 |
| 15 | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) | (in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage) | 6.5 |
| 16 | Home Movies (1980) | Dr. Tuttle | - |
| 17 | The Final Countdown (1980) | Capt. Matthew Yelland | 7 |
| 18 | Saturn 3 (1980) | Major Adam | 7.4 |
| 19 | The Villain (1979) | Cactus Jack | 4.5 |
| 20 | The Fury (1978) | Peter Sandza | 6.4 |
| 21 | Once Is Not Enough (1975) | Mike Wayne | - |
| 22 | Posse (1975) | Director / Writer | - |
| 23 | The Light at the Edge of the World (1971) | Will Denton | - |
| 24 | The Arrangement (1969) | Eddie Anderson | - |
| 25 | The Brotherhood (1968) | Frank Ginetta | 3 |
| 26 | The Way West (1967) | Sen. William J. Tadlock | - |
| 27 | The War Wagon (1967) | Lomax | 9 |
| 28 | Cast a Giant Shadow (1966) | Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus | - |
| 29 | Is Paris Burning? (1966) | General Patton | 5.7 |
| 30 | Seven Days in May (1964) | Col. Martin "Jiggs" Casey | 7 |
| 31 | Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) | Jack Andrus | 6 |
| 32 | Lonely are the Brave (1962) | John W. "Jack" Burns | 10 |
| 33 | The Last Sunset (1961) | Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley | 6 |
| 34 | Spartacus (1960) | Spartacus | 7.3 |
| 35 | Strangers When We Meet (1960) | Larry Coe | 6.5 |
| 36 | The Devil's Disciple (1959) | Richard Dudgeon | - |
| 37 | Last Train from Gun Hill (1959) | Marshal Matt Morgan | 5 |
| 38 | The Vikings (1958) | Einar | 7 |
| 39 | Paths of Glory (1957) | Col. Dax | 8.5 |
| 40 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) | Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday | 7.3 |
| 41 | Lust for Life (1956) | Vincent van Gogh | 8 |
| 42 | Man Without a Star (1955) | Dempsey Rae | 5 |
| 43 | Ulysses (1954) | Ulysses | - |
| 44 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) | Ned Land | 7.6 |
| 45 | The Story of Three Loves (1953) | Pierre Narval | 5 |
| 46 | The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) | Jonathan Shields | 8 |
| 47 | The Big Sky (1952) | Jim Deakins | - |
| 48 | Ace in the Hole (1951) | Charles Tatum | 7.3 |
| 49 | Detective Story (1951) | Det. James McLeod | - |
| 50 | Young Man with a Horn (1950) | Rick Martin | - |
| 51 | A Letter to Three Wives (1949) | George Phipps | 7 |
| 52 | Champion (1949) | Midge Kelly | 5 |
| 53 | Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) | Peter Niles | - |
| 54 | Out of the Past (1947) | Whit Sterling | 6.3 |
| 55 | I Walk Alone (1947) | Noll "Dink" Turner | 6 |
| 56 | The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) | Walter O'Neil | 8.5 |
