Kirk Douglas took his final bow at the age of 103. He lived a century of a fulfilled life.
He was born as Issur Danielovitch Demsky to an impoverished family of Jewish Russian immigrants. As the only boy, he struggled to support the family and his six sisters.
To go through the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he worked his way as an usher, professional wrestler, and soda jerk.
He served for a while in the United States Navy during World War II in 1941 as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare. By 1944, he was medically discharged due to war injuries.
Kirk Douglas was known as an American Actor, producer-director, and author. He appeared on the theater stage and television and acted in more than 90 movies. Below are some details of his life’s works.
Theater Stage
- Kiss and Tell (1943)
- Three Sisters (1949), Kirk Douglas’ Broadway debut
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1963), he starred in this Broadway play and bought the story rights. His son, Michael, produced its film version, which won many Oscar awards. The film stars Danny DeVito and Jack Nicholson
Film debut
- The Strange Love of Martha Iversand (1946)
He played a young, insecure man stung with jealousy living with a dominant wife (Barbara Stanwyck). He drowned his feelings with alcohol.
Western Films
- Along the Great Divide (1951) where he played as a frontier peace officer
- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
- Lonely are the Brave (1962) was Kirk’s favorite role where he played a cowboy trying to live by his own code
- The War Wagon (1967)
- There Was a Crooked Man(1970)
- The Man from Snowy River (1980), a critically acclaimed Australian film which received numerous awards
War Film
- Paths of Glory (1957), Kirk Douglas played a sympathetic French officer during World War I
- Top Secret Affair (1957)
- The Devil’s Disciple (1959)
- Town Without Pity (1961)
- The Hook (1963)
- Seven Days in May (1964)
- Heroes of Telemark (1965)
- Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)
Literary Film
- Young Man with a Horn (1950) – based on the novel by Dorothy Baker
- Ulysses (1954) – based on the epic poem Odyssey
- Lust for Life (1956), based on Irving Stone’s best-seller. His role as Vincent van Gogh won him a Golden Globe.
- Paths of Glory(1957)
- Spartacus (1960) – based on the 1951 novel of Howard Fast.
- The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)
- The Arrangement (1969), based upon the novel of Elia Kazan, who also directed the film. Kirk Douglas starred as a tormented advertising executive.
Comedic Role
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Douglas played a happy-go-lucky sailor opposite of the character of James Mason as Captain Nemo. It became a major box office hit and one of Disney’s most successful live-action movies.
- Man Without a Star (1955)
- Tough Guys (1986)
- For Love or Money (1963)
- Greedy (1994)
- Diamonds (1999), he underwent years of voice therapy after his severe stroke in 1996. In this film, he played an old prizefighter who was recovering from a stroke
- It Runs in the Family (2003), stars Kirk Douglas, his son Michael Douglas, and Michael’s son Cameron Douglas, who play three generations of a family. His ex-wife and Michael’s mother plays Kirk’s character’s wife.
Horror
- The Fury (1978)
Science Fiction
- The Final Countdown (1980)
Television
- As Musical guest (1954) for The Jack Benny Program, a radio-TV comedy series
- David Winters’ television special The Special London Bridge Special (1972), made-for-TV musical version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- Victory at Entebbe (1976)
- Inherit the Wind (1988)
- The Secret (1992), a television movie about a grandfather and his grandson who both struggle with dyslexia.
Music Video
- The Garden of Allah (1996)- Douglas appeared as the devil.
Last Project
- Illusion (2004), an independent feature film.
- Empire State Building Murders (2008), a TV movie
Activist
Kirk Douglas broke the Hollywood blacklist going into the trouble of appealing to WGA on behalf of Dalton Trumbo. He let Trumbo wrote Spartacus and officially credited his name on-screen.
The Hollywood blacklist is a colloquial term referring to the practice of denying employment to entertainment industry professionals believed to be Communists or sympathizers.
Horror
- The Fury (1978)
Science Fiction
- The Final Countdown (1980)
Producer
Inspired by Burt Lancaster’s production success, he established Bryna Productions in 1955. He broke his studio contracts to gain control of his projects.
- The Vikings (1958)
- Spartacus (1960)
- Lonely Are The Brave (1962)
- Seven Days in May (1964)
Director
- Scalawag (1973), a western film is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island.
- Posse (1975), Kirk Douglas, directed and starred in this film. This film is about a U.S. marshal who leads an elite posse in catching a notorious bank robber to further his career.
Author
He wrote 10 novels and a memoir.
