Kirk Douglas

Acting

Dec 9, 1916 – Feb 5, 2020 · Amsterdam, New York, USA

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.

Adds the top 10 unseen, by popularity

Paths of Glory1957
as ⁨Col. Dax⁩ · Producer
Spartacus1960
as ⁨Spartacus⁩ · Executive producer
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea1954
as ⁨Ned Land⁩
Ace in the Hole1951
as ⁨Charles Tatum⁩
The Final Countdown1980
as ⁨Capt. Matthew Yelland⁩
Out of the Past1947
as ⁨Whit Sterling⁩
Oscar1991
as ⁨Eduardo Provolone⁩
as ⁨(in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage)⁩
as ⁨Peter Sandza⁩
as ⁨Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday⁩
as ⁨Einar⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Jonathan Shields⁩
as ⁨Uncle Joe⁩
as ⁨Ulysses⁩
as ⁨Col. Martin "Jiggs" Casey⁩
as ⁨Major Adam⁩
as ⁨Lomax⁩
as ⁨Marshal Matt Morgan⁩
as ⁨General Patton⁩
as ⁨Vincent van Gogh⁩
as ⁨Walter O'Neil⁩
as ⁨Dr. Rolf Pedersen⁩
as ⁨George Phipps⁩
as ⁨John W. "Jack" Burns⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Det. James McLeod⁩
as ⁨Harrison / Spur⁩
as ⁨Commander Paul Eddington, Jr.⁩
as ⁨Cactus Jack⁩
as ⁨Archie Long⁩
as ⁨Paris Pitman, Jr.⁩
as ⁨Dempsey Rae⁩
as ⁨Sen. William J. Tadlock⁩
as ⁨Midge Kelly⁩
as ⁨Jim Deakins⁩
as ⁨Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨(archive footage)⁩
as ⁨Johnny Hawks⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Mitchell Gromberg⁩
as ⁨Howard Nightingale⁩ · Director · Producer
as ⁨Noll "Dink" Turner⁩
as ⁨Eddie Anderson⁩
as ⁨Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus⁩
as ⁨Jack Andrus⁩
as ⁨Robert Caine⁩
as ⁨Will Denton⁩ · Producer
as ⁨Rick Martin⁩

Adds the top 10 unseen, by popularity

Paths of Glory1957
as ⁨Col. Dax⁩ · Producer
Spartacus1960
as ⁨Spartacus⁩ · Executive producer
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea1954
as ⁨Ned Land⁩
Ace in the Hole1951
as ⁨Charles Tatum⁩
The Final Countdown1980
as ⁨Capt. Matthew Yelland⁩
Out of the Past1947
as ⁨Whit Sterling⁩
Oscar1991
as ⁨Eduardo Provolone⁩
as ⁨(in "I Walk Alone") (archive footage)⁩
as ⁨Peter Sandza⁩
as ⁨Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday⁩
as ⁨Einar⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Jonathan Shields⁩
as ⁨Uncle Joe⁩
as ⁨Ulysses⁩
as ⁨Col. Martin "Jiggs" Casey⁩
as ⁨Major Adam⁩
as ⁨Lomax⁩
as ⁨Marshal Matt Morgan⁩
as ⁨General Patton⁩
as ⁨Vincent van Gogh⁩
as ⁨Walter O'Neil⁩
as ⁨Dr. Rolf Pedersen⁩
as ⁨George Phipps⁩
as ⁨John W. "Jack" Burns⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Det. James McLeod⁩
as ⁨Harrison / Spur⁩
as ⁨Commander Paul Eddington, Jr.⁩
as ⁨Cactus Jack⁩
as ⁨Archie Long⁩
as ⁨Paris Pitman, Jr.⁩
as ⁨Dempsey Rae⁩
as ⁨Sen. William J. Tadlock⁩
as ⁨Midge Kelly⁩
as ⁨Jim Deakins⁩
as ⁨Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨(archive footage)⁩
as ⁨Johnny Hawks⁩ · Executive producer
as ⁨Mitchell Gromberg⁩
as ⁨Howard Nightingale⁩ · Director · Producer
as ⁨Noll "Dink" Turner⁩
as ⁨Eddie Anderson⁩
as ⁨Col. David 'Mickey' Marcus⁩
as ⁨Jack Andrus⁩
as ⁨Robert Caine⁩
as ⁨Will Denton⁩ · Producer
as ⁨Rick Martin⁩