Kirk Douglas

Born: 1916-12-09 in Amsterdam, New York, USA

Died: 2020-02-05

Known For: Acting

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.

Filmography

2024

From Roger Moore with Love as Self (archive footage)

2019

Vincent van Gogh Superstar as Vincent van Gogh (archive footage)
Mike Wallace Is Here as (archive footage)

2018

Basketball: A Love Story as Self (archive footage)

2007

Trumbo as Self - Interviewee

2005

A Father… A Son… Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Self

2004

Illusion as Donald Baines

2003

Real Time with Bill Maher as Self
The Heroes of Telemark: Location report from Norway
It Runs in the Family as Mitchell Gromberg

2001

FBI contre Hollywood as Self
Lana Turner... a Daughter's Memoir as Self

1999

Diamonds as Harry Agensky
Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection as General Kalthrob

1998

Parkinson as Self

1997

The View as Self
Scene by Scene as Self
Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line as Self (archive footage)
Completely Cuckoo as Self

1996

The Universal Story as Self (archive footage)
Clive Anderson All Talk as Self

1994

Touched by an Angel as Ross Berger
Brisant as Self
Greedy as Uncle Joe
A Century of Cinema as Self
The Lies Boys Tell as Ed Reese

1993

Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest

1992

The Secret as Grandpa Mike Dunmore
Two-Fisted Tales as General Calthrop

1991

Oscar as Eduardo Provolone
Movie Tough Guys as Self (archive footage)
Welcome to Veraz as Quentin

1990

Disney's Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea as Ned Land (archive footage)

1989

The Simpsons as Chester J. Lampwick (voice)
Tales from the Crypt as Gen. Kalthrob
Clive James' Postcard from as Self

1988

LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Inherit the Wind as Matthew Harrison Brady
The Racing Experience as Self

1987

Queenie as David Konig

1986

Tough Guys as Archie Long
Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes All-Star 50th Anniversary as Self
Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick as Self

1985

Amos as Amos Lasher
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers as Self (archive footage)

1984

Goldene Kamera as Self
Draw! as Harry H. Holland aka Handsome Harry Holland

1983

Something Wicked This Way Comes ... (Executive Producer)
James Bond: The First 21 Years as Self
Eddie Macon's Run as Carl 'Buster' Marzack

1982

Wogan as Self
Champs-Elysées as Self
The Man from Snowy River as Harrison / Spur
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid as (in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage)
Let Poland Be Poland as Self
Remembrance Of Love as Joe Rabin

1980

Saturn 3 as Major Adam
Verstehen Sie Spaß? as Self
The Final Countdown as Capt. Matthew Yelland
Home Movies as Dr. Tuttle

1979

The Villain as Cactus Jack

1978

The Kennedy Center Honors as Self
The Fury as Peter Sandza

1977

Holocaust 2000 as Robert Caine

1976

Victory at Entebbe as Herschel Vilnofsky
Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers as Alex Vandervoort

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
Apostrophes as Self
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
Posse as Howard Nightingale
Once Is Not Enough as Mike Wayne

1974

Spécial cinéma as Self
Der große Preis as Self
Mousey as George Anderson

1973

Scalawag as Peg
The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde

1972

Kirk Douglas as Himself
The Master Touch as Steve Wallace
J'ai tout donné as Self
The Special London Bridge Special as The Indian Fighter

1971

V.I.P. Schaukel as Self
A Gunfight as Will Tenneray
The Light at the Edge of the World as Will Denton
Summertree ... (Producer)
Catch Me a Spy as Andrej
Once Upon a Wheel

1970

There Was a Crooked Man... as Paris Pitman, Jr.

1969

The Arrangement as Eddie Anderson
The Johnny Cash Show as Self

1968

The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self (uncredited)
The Brotherhood as Frank Ginetta
A Lovely Way to Die as Jameson Schuyler
Rowan & Martin at the Movies as Self

1967

The Way West as Sen. William J. Tadlock
The War Wagon as Lomax

1966

Seconds ... (Co-Executive Producer)
Kirk Douglas as Self
Is Paris Burning? as General Patton
Cast a Giant Shadow as Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus
Grand Prix ... (Executive Producer)

1965

In Harm's Way as Commander Paul Eddington, Jr.
The Heroes of Telemark as Dr. Rolf Pedersen
The Making of A Movie as Self

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
For Love or Money as Deke Gentry
The Hook as Sgt. P.J. Briscoe

1962

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
The Merv Griffin Show as Self
The Lucy Show as Kirk Douglas
Lonely are the Brave as John W. "Jack" Burns
Two Weeks in Another Town as Jack Andrus

1961

The Last Sunset as Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley
Town Without Pity as Major Garrett

1960

Spartacus as Spartacus
Strangers When We Meet as Larry Coe

1959

Last Train from Gun Hill as Marshal Matt Morgan
The Devil's Disciple as Richard Dudgeon
Tales of the Vikings ... (Producer)

1958

The Vikings as Einar

1957

Tonight Starring Jack Paar as Self
Paths of Glory as Col. Dax
Lizzie ... (Executive Producer)
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral as Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday
Van Gogh: Darkness into Light as Self
Top Secret Affair as Maj. Gen. Melville A. Goodwin
Ride Out for Revenge ... (Executive Producer)

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Presenter
The Steve Allen Show as Self - Recipient
Cinépanorama as Self
Lust for Life as Vincent van Gogh
Walt Disney's Where Do the Stories Come From? as Self

1955

The Indian Fighter as Johnny Hawks
Man Without a Star as Dempsey Rae
The Racers as Gino Borgesa

1954

Ulysses as Ulysses
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as Ned Land
Operation Undersea as Self
The George Gobel Show as Self
The Disneyland Story

1953

The Oscars as Self
Act of Love as Robert Teller
The Story of Three Loves as Pierre Narval
The Juggler as Hans Muller

1952

This Is Your Life as Self
The Big Sky as Jim Deakins
The Big Trees as Jim Fallon
The Bad and the Beautiful as Jonathan Shields

1951

Detective Story as Det. James McLeod
Ace in the Hole as Charles Tatum
Along the Great Divide as Marshal Len Merrick

1950

What's My Line? as Self
The Colgate Comedy Hour as Self
Young Man with a Horn as Rick Martin
The Glass Menagerie as Jim O'Connor

1949

Champion as Midge Kelly
A Letter to Three Wives as George Phipps

1948

The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
My Dear Secretary as Owen Waterbury
The Walls of Jericho as Tucker Wedge

1947

Out of the Past as Whit Sterling
Mourning Becomes Electra as Peter Niles
I Walk Alone as Noll "Dink" Turner

1946

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers as Walter O'Neil

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self