Kirk Douglas is a retired American actor, producer, director and author. A centenarian, he is one of the last surviving stars of the film industry’s Golden Age. After an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters, he made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck and Lizabeth Scott. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war movies. During his career, he appeared in more than 90 movies. Douglas is known for his explosive acting style, which he displayed as a criminal defense attorney in Town Without Pity (1961).
Douglas became an international star through positive reception 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), playing opposite Lauren Bacall and Doris Day, Ace in the Hole opposite Jan Sterling (1951), and Detective Story (1951), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Drama. He received a second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), opposite Lana Turner, and his third nomination for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), which landed him a second Golden Globe nomination.
Kirk Douglas is celebrating a milestone birthday. The legendary actor turned 103, and his famous family, specifically Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, are sending him plenty of love once again.
His daughter-in-law, 50, posted an adorable photo of the two on Instagram. “This guy on my knee, is 103!!!!! Happy birthday Pappy!!! I love you with all my heart,” she wrote.
Born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, New York, Douglas is known for his distinctive voice, strapping physique and cleft chin. The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, Douglas grew up poor. He worked odd jobs to pay for his college education and to support himself while studying acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. At that time, he had no idea what his future had in store: In the 1950s and ’60s, Douglas was one of the most popular leading men in cinema.
After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II — and a brief career on the Broadway stage — Douglas made his first Hollywood film, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), starring with Barbara Stanwyck. Three years later, he gave a breakthrough performance as a boxer who stops at nothing to make it to the top in Champion (1949). He amazed audiences and critics alike with his portrayal of Midge Kelly in the film, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination.
Kirk was married twice, first to Diana Douglas from 1943-1951. Kirk and Diana, who passed away in 2015, shared two children together: Michael and Joel, 72. Kirk tied the knot with his current wife Anne Buydens, 100, in 1954, and they had sons Peter, 64, and Eric, who died in 2004.
