On 5th February 2020 actor Kirk Douglas passed away at the age of 103.
Issur Danielovitch was born 9th December 1916, although the family changed their name to Demsky, just Issur's uncle had done before arriving in America. Growing up as Izzy Demsky it wasn't until entering the US Navy during World War II that Issur became Kirk Douglas.
The son of immigrants and one of seven children Kirk had an impoverished upbringing, in his 1988 autobiography The Ragman's Son he noted "My father, who had been a horse trader in Russia, got himself a horse and a small wagon, and became a ragman, buying old rags, pieces of metal, and junk for pennies, nickels, and dimes.... Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest section of town, where all the families were struggling, the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder. And I was the ragman's son"
Growing up Douglas had more than forty jobs to help his family, hesold snacks to mill workers, he delivered newspapers, he was a gardener, and even spent a summer wrestling at a carnival.
He made his film debut in 1946 in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, a film noir directed by Lewis Milestone. In 1949 Douglas hit the big time when he played unscrupulous boxer Midge Kelly in Champion, a role that would earn Douglas his first Oscar nomination.
Douglas received his first Golden Globe nomination for Detective Story in 1955, and a second Oscar nomination the following year for The Bad and the Beautiful. Dedpite his lengthy career his final award nods occurred in 1956 for his portrayal of Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life for which he was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Although years later he would be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Oscar.
In 1955 Douglas set up Bryna Productions which produced 20 films between 1955 and 1986, including Paths of Glory, Ths Vikings, Spartacus, and Tough Guys. Not only did he help launch the career of the relatively unknown director Stanley Kubrick, but also helped end the Hollywood Blacklist when he hired Dalton Trumbo to pen Spartacus.
Douglas was also a prolific author penning eleven books, ranging from autobiographical and behind-the-scenes to religious examinations and out-right fiction.
Douglas made sporadic film and TV appearances in the nineties and early two thousands before his final role in 2008 TV movie Empire State Building Murders. The most notable of these is the 2003 drama It Runs in the Family in which he started along side his son Michael Douglas and grandson Cameron Douglas.
"The learning process continues until the day you die"
What's your favourite Kirk Douglas movie? Let me know in the comments below.