Kirk Douglas
Biography
Kirk Douglas
Remarkable:
In 2002 Kirk was presented by President George W. Bush the National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal.
Born:
December 9, 1916
Born as:
Issur Danielovitch
Issur was born in Amsterdam, New York (USA) to Belarusian-Jewish parents. He worked as a waiter to put him through university where he dabbled in school dramatics.
Kirk made his Broadway debut in 1941 but only after two small roles left for WW II service in the navy. In June 1944 he returned to the stage and in 1945 Douglas moved to Hollywood to star in The strange love of Martha Ives (1946) and became established as an intense tough-guy.
In the low key drama I Walk Alone (1948), Douglas worked the first time alongside fellow screen legend Burt Lancaster. Such was the strong chemistry between Douglas & Lancaster that they appeared in seven films together. He scored a hit as the venal boxer Midge Kelly in Champion (1949) a classic prizefighting drama that cemented his stardom.
In 1955 Kirk formed his own company Bryna Productions through which he turned out his own films like Paths of glory (1957) and Spartacus (1960). Douglas remained busy throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with a decided emphasis on Westerns and war films. In the 80s he allotted more of his time for a variety of voluntary civic duties. Kirk wrote his autobiography in 1988, The Ragman's Son.
Academy awards
1996 Honorary Award
1957 Nominated Actor for: Lust for Life (1956)
1953 Nominated Actor for: The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
1950 Nominated Actor for: Champion (1949)
Selected Movies:
- Paths of Glory (1957)
- Spartacus (1960)
- Out of the Past (1947)
- Ace in the Hole (1951)
- Seven Days in May (1964)
- The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
- A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
- Lust for Life (1956)
Books:
Kirk Douglas -> My Stroke of Luck (2002)
Kirk Douglas-> Climbing The Mountain: My Search For Meaning (1997)
