Kirk Douglas

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.

CritifyHub Reviews Featuring Kirk Douglas

Beneath the Waves, a Timeless Odyssey of Wonder and Warning

on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Aug 25, 2025

What if a film from 1954 could still plunge you into a world so alien, so mesmerizing, that it feels like a portal to another dimension? Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea does exactly that, submer... Read more

"Honor. Duty. Country. They were ordered to attack. They obeyed." This stark title highlights the themes of duty, obedience, and the devastating consequences of blind faith in authority explored in "Paths of Glory."

on Paths of Glory | May 31, 2025

Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory isn’t merely a war film set during World War I; it’s a powerful and scathing anti-war masterpiece that exposes the brutal realities of trench warfare and the callous i... Read more