
Kirk Douglas
0 FOLLOWERS • 58 CREDITS • DEC 9, 1916 - FEB 5, 2020 • 103
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

What's My Line?

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Merv Griffin Show

The Oscars

Real Time with Bill Maher

The Simpsons

Wogan

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

The Colgate Comedy Hour

The Steve Allen Show

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Touched by an Angel

Tales from the Crypt

Golden Globe Awards

The Lucy Show

Parkinson

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Kennedy Center Honors

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

The George Gobel Show

Clive Anderson All Talk

Tony Awards

Is Paris Burning?

If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast

The Man from Snowy River

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

This Is Your Life

I Walk Alone

Seven Days in May

A Gunfight

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

In Harm's Way

Spartacus

Saturday Night Live

Young Man with a Horn

Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers

Ace in the Hole

The Secret

Draw!

Scalawag

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Once Is Not Enough

Posse

Detective Story

Last Train from Gun Hill

The Brotherhood

Paths of Glory

The Vikings
Production Credits
Originals for Paramount+
Never miss a Paramount+ Original with the Unofficial app, your go-to source for release dates, updates, and notifications, ensuring you're always in the loop on your favorite shows and actors!
Get
