Grant said Douglas was "dazzling, both personally and in the part. As an actor and philanthropist, Douglas received an Academy Honorary Award for Lifetime Achievement and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. [53] It won a Best Foreign Film award at the Venice Film Festival. (1944), morre aos 100 anos", "Obituary: Lincoln Maazel Performer and father of symphony conductor", "Najstarszy polski aktor skoczy 100 lat! Kirk Douglas Has 4 Grown Sons - Meet All of Them - AmoMama Born in Amsterdam, New York, on December 9, 1916, actor Kirk Douglas is famous for his roles in films like Lust for Life (1956), The Vikings (1958), and Spartacus (1960). He portrayed a self-destructive jazz musician, loosely based on cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, in Michael Curtizs Young Man with a Horn (1950); an unscrupulous reporter who attempts to capitalize on real-life tragedy in Billy Wilders Ace in the Hole (1951, also released as The Big Carnival); a western marshal consumed with guilt over his fathers death in Raoul Walshs Along the Great Divide (1951); and a volatile and vengeful cop in William Wylers Detective Story (1951). [18]:81 About that event, Douglas said, "I've made over 85 pictures, but the thing I'm most proud of is breaking the blacklist. Related Topics . Also known as: Issur Danielovitch, Izzy Demskey. He was able to accept an honorary Academy Award two months later in March and thanked the audience. He worked as an usher, a bellhop, a waiter, and a professional wrestler while attending St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York (B.A., 1939) and the American Academy of Dramatic Art (193941) in New York City. [62] Douglas managed a similar comic turn in the western Man Without a Star (1955) and in For Love or Money (1963). [109] Melville Shavelson, who produced and directed Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), said that it didn't take him long to discover what his main problem was going to be in directing Douglas: Kirk Douglas was intelligent. [32], After the war, Douglas returned to New York City and found work in radio, theater, and commercials. Another classmate, and a friend of Bacall's, was aspiring actress Diana Dill, who would later become Douglas's first wife. A marshal tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic cattle baron, to justice for his role in the rape and murder of the marshal's Native American wife. Genetics, luck, and wealth. [64] Through Bryna, he produced and starred in the films Paths of Glory (1957), The Vikings (1958), Spartacus (1960), Lonely are the Brave (1962), and Seven Days in May (1964). Kirk Douglas, actor and Hollywood legend, dead at 103, family says He noted in his memoir, Let's Face It (2007), that he felt compelled to write to former president Jimmy Carter in 2006 to stress that "Israel is the only successful democracy in the Middle East [and] has had to endure many wars against overwhelming odds. Actress Lee Grant, who acted with him and later filmed a documentary about him and his family, notes that even after he achieved worldwide stardom, his father would not acknowledge his success. 10 Oldest Living Actors in the World (Updated 2021) Leslie Phillips (April 20, 1924 - Present) Carole Cook (January 14, 1924 - Present) Mike Nussbaum (December 29, 1923 - Present) . [71], Douglas has credited his mother, Bryna, for instilling in him the importance of "gambling on yourself", and he kept her advice in mind when making films. In his radio work, he acted in network soap operas and saw those experiences as being especially valuable, as skill in using one's voice is important for aspiring actors; he regretted that the same avenues were no longer available. [26] To do so, he had to break contracts with Hal B. Wallis and Warner Bros., but he began to produce and star in his own films, starting with The Indian Fighter in 1955. The following is a list of centenarians - specifically, people who became famous as actors, filmmakers and entertainers - known for reasons other than their longevity. "[90], In the 1970s, he starred in films such as There Was a Crooked Man (1970),[91] A Gunfight (1971),[92] The Light at the Edge of the World (1971). Sadly, instead. He later stated, "I don't think I'd be much of an actor without vanity. "[149], On January 28, 1996, at age 79, Douglas suffered a severe stroke, which impaired his ability to speak. He was replaced by Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted as one of the Hollywood 10, and intended to use the pseudonym "Sam Jackson". Magoo', Dies at 101", "Artist Qin Yi will celebrate her 100th birthday", "Forgotten German film diva Luise Rainer turns 100", "Director of Bette Davis, Irving Rapper, dead at 101", "Helen 'Happy' Reichert, CU's oldest alumna, dies at age 109", "Toneelspeelster Georgette Rejewski overleden", "Ted Richmond, Producer of 'Papillon', Dies at 103", "Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler's favourite film propagandist, dies at 101", "Film pioneer Hal Roach, comedy king, dies at 100", "10. listopada 1887. roen Zvonimir Rogoz legendarni glumac koji je zavrio karijeru u stotoj godini", "Jack Rollins, Woody Allen's Legendary Manager-Producer, Celebrates 100th Birthday", "Witold Sadowy nie yje. Douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s, known for serious dramas, including westerns and war films. These Are The Oldest-Living Hollywood Stars - Allvipp.com After barely surviving a helicopter crash in 1991 and then suffering a stroke in 1996, he focused on renewing his spiritual and religious life. Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas has lived to be over a century, leaving a legacy in the world of film and television. His brothers and sisters lived for many years and his oldest son is 75 and still going relatively strong. But many icons of the entertainment world, some dating back as early as the 1930s and '40s, are still with us today. "[79] Douglas had also starred in Minnelli's film The Bad and the Beautiful four years earlier, for which he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Thereafter, the quality of Douglass films declined, although he remained highly active, averaging at least one film per year until the late 1980s. He also stressed prioritizing the entertainment goal of films over any messages, "You can make a statement, you can say something, but it must be entertaining."[41]. As such, he was typically demanding and direct in his dealing with people who worked on his projects, with his intensity spilling over into all elements of his film-making. "[52] Possibly it "hit too close to home", said Douglas. Douglas had an indelible influence on the world on movies, not least for his contribution to ending the Hollywood blacklist. [86], Douglas made seven films over four decades with actor Burt Lancaster: I Walk Alone (1947), Gunfight at the O.K. [99], In 1988, Douglas starred in a television adaptation of Inherit the Wind, opposite Jason Robards and Jean Simmons. Variety called it "a stark, realistic study of the boxing rackets. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. "[39], After Champion he decided that, to succeed as a star, he needed to ramp up his intensity, overcome his natural shyness, and choose stronger roles. Kirk Douglas died at age 103 in 2020. He received his second Oscar nomination for his dramatic role in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), opposite Lana Turner, and earned his third for portraying Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), a role for which he won the Golden Globe for the Best Actor in a Drama. [153] Doctors told his wife that unless there was rapid improvement, the loss of the ability to speak was likely permanent. The Douglas Foundation, established in 1964 with his wife Anne Douglas with the goal of . That same year, he played the uncle of Michael J. Many people fall by the wayside because they don't have the energy to sustain their talent."[109]. He considered Lonely Are the Brave (1962), in which he plays a cowboy trying to live by his own code, his personal favorite. Kirk Douglas: Old Age Can Be the Best Time of Life. "It turns out that Burt Lancaster and I got along magnificently well on the picture," he later said. [192], In his autobiography, Douglas explains that for many actors at the time who had unusual or foreign-sounding birth names, a simpler Americanized name was often preferred. Douglas had planned to remain a stage actor until his friend Lauren Bacall helped him get his first film role by recommending him to producer Hal B. Wallis, who was looking for a new male talent. Read this next: The Oldest Living . Stanley never blinked an eye. Ever. [60], In The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), another of his three Oscar-nominated roles, Douglas played a hard-nosed film producer who manipulates and uses his actors, writers, and directors. [101][102][103] His last screen role was the TV movie Empire State Building Murders, which was released in 2008. To the Golden Cities: Pursuing the American Jewish Dream in Miami and L.A. "Why Kirk and Anne Douglas Are Giving Away Their Fortune", "Kirk Douglas donating $5 million to St. Lawrence University", "Kirk and Anne Douglas Donate $50 Million to Five Non-Profits", "Kirk, Anne Douglas Donate $2.3M To Children's Hospital Los Angeles", "Kirk Douglas Just Did Something Beautiful For His 99th Birthday", "Kirk Douglas and His Theatre in Jerusalem", "Jimmy Carter: Presidential Medal of Freedom Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony", "Kirk Douglas' last words? [33], As a producer, Douglas had a reputation of being a compulsively hard worker who expected others to exude the same level of energy. In 1986, he reunited with his longtime co-star, Burt Lancaster, in a crime comedy, Tough Guys, with a cast including Charles Durning and Eli Wallach. Fox in a comedy, Greedy. [148], Douglas is alleged to have raped actress Natalie Wood in the summer of 1955, when she was aged 16 and he was 38 years old. Kirk Douglas claimed that it was his insistence that Trumbo be given screen credit for his work that broke the blacklist. [138] In his autobiography, Douglas states that this decision was motivated by a meeting that Edward Lewis, Stanley Kubrick, and he had regarding whose names to list for the screenplay in the film credits, given Trumbo's shaky position with Hollywood executives. That scared the hell out of me. For more lists, see lists of centenarians . From Kirk Douglas to Norman Lloyd, these beautiful famous faces show that it is indeed possible to live a long, happy, and fulfilling life even in Hollywood. Kirk Douglas, one of the last surviving movie stars from Hollywood's golden age, whose rugged good looks and muscular intensity made him a commanding presence in . Disney Animator Don Lusk Turns 100 Today! Kirk Douglas M 9 Dec 1916 5 Feb 2020 103 years, 58 days 29 Wally Cassell M 3 Mar 1912 2 Apr 2015 He emerged as a star with an Oscar-nominated performance as a ruthless boxer in Champion (1949). I was born aggressive, and I guess I'll die aggressive. [114] Afterwards, in Paris, he met producer Anne Buydens (born Hannelore Marx; April 23, 1919, Hanover, Germany) while acting on location in Act of Love. The Spartacus acting legend, who had been in good health since . Douglas, married at the time, called the police and told them he was not the Kirk mentioned in the note. [117] They had two sons, Peter, a producer, and Eric, an actor who died on July 6, 2004, from an overdose of alcohol and drugs at the age of 46. List of centenarians (actors, filmmakers and entertainers) Sadly, the list of oldest-living actors changes from time to time, and in recent years we've lost figures such as Kirk Douglas and Carl Reiner. That attitude toward acting became evident with Champion (1949). [115] She originally fled from Germany to escape Nazism and survived by putting her multilingual skills to work at a film studio, creating translations for subtitles. 31. In this film, Douglas established a screen persona of a cocky, intense, self-absorbed individual. "[113] Douglas's discipline, wit, and sense of humor were also often recognized. [61], In 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Douglas showed that in addition to serious, driven characters, he was adept at roles requiring a lighter, comic touch. Douglas has been honored by governments and organizations of various countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, Israel, and Germany. "[125] The Juggler was the first Hollywood feature to be filmed in the newly established state of Israel. [43] The film, written by Dalton Trumbo, was respected by critics but did not do well at the box office due to poor marketing and distribution. Douglas was always billed under Lancaster in these movies, but, with the exception of I Walk Alone and, even more so, The List of Adrian Messenger (where Lancaster's part is just a cameo appearance, while Douglas plays the film's villain), their roles were usually of a similar size.