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Who was Kirk Douglas?
Kirk Douglas or Issur Danielovitch Demsky was an American actor, producer and director who rose from the ghettos to become a super star in American cinema. His parents were very poor Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, located in present day Belarus. Kirk was a very keen student and athlete. He was fond of acting and at a very young age realized that getting a scholarship for acting would be the road to salvation from his poor and wretched condition. He had enough talent to get enrolled at the ‘American Academy of Dramatic Arts’ which opened the door to fame and riches. He has acted in a large number of movies including serious works, thrillers, westerns and comedies. His gravelly voice, dimpled chin, steely and penetrating gaze helped him to play roles which were very compelling and brought him rave reviews. He acted in seven films with Burt Lancaster who is another American film legend. He portrayed in a variety of roles ranging from an opportunistic and untrustworthy character to a rebellious and unsavory character. He was been nominated for the Oscar many times.
Career
Kirk Douglas started his acting career with a handful of minor roles in various Broadway productions.
He joined the US Navy in 1941 during the Second World War and returned to acting in the theater after the end of the war in 1945.
In 1946 Hal B. Wallis gave Kirk the lead role in ‘The Strange Love of Martha Ivers’ which brought rave reviews.
In 1948 he acted in the low-key drama ‘I Walk Alone’ alongside Burt Lancaster for the first time.
He received his first nomination for the Oscar in 1949 for his role in ‘Champion’.
He acted in the film ‘Ace in the Hole’ in 1951. The ‘Bad and the Beautiful’ brought him his second Oscar nomination in 1952.
He started his own production company ‘Bryna Productions’ in 1955.
His third Oscar nomination came with the film ‘Lust for Life’ in 1956.
The film ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ in 1957 was another of his films with Burt Lancaster.
He acted in the anti-war epic ‘Paths of Glory’ in 1957 and the magnificent film ‘Spartacus’ in 1960 under the banner of Bryna Productions.
In 1962 he acted in the western ‘Lonely Are the Brave’ while in 1963 he appeared in the stage adaptation of ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ which was made into a film in 1975 by his son Michael.
In 1964 he acted in the political thriller ‘Seven Days in May’. He acted alongside John Wayne in the Second World War film ‘in Harm’s Way’ in 1965.
In 1966 he acted in the film ‘Cast a Giant Shadow’ based on the Israeli freedom struggle.
His second film with John Wayne was ‘The War Wagon’ in 1967
He paired up with Burt Lancaster for the last time in a gangster comedy called ‘Tough Guys’ in 1968.
He directed ‘Scalawag’ in 1973 and ‘Posse’ in 1975 but did not have much success at the box-office.
He starred alongside a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Western comedy film ‘The Villain’ in 1979.
His sci-fi film ‘Saturn 3’ with Farah Fawcett came out in 1980.
He travelled to Australia in 1982 to act in the film ‘The Man from Snowy River’.
He produced two great movies ‘Dance with the Devil’ and ‘The Gift’ in 1990 and 1992 respectively.
He starred in the comedy ‘Diamonds’ in 1999.
He was nominated for the Emmy Award for a guest appearance in ‘Touched by an Angel’ in 2000.
In 2003 he acted with his son Michael in the film ‘It Runs in the Family’.
In 2009 he staged a one-man show ‘Before I Forget’ and was greatly appreciated for his performance.
In 1988 he brought out his autography titled ‘The Ragman’s Son’, which was a best-seller.
He published the non-fiction, ‘Climbing the Mountain: My Search for Meaning’ in 1997’ and in 2003 and ‘My Stroke of Luck’.
He published the biographical work ‘Let’s face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning’ in 2007 and ‘I am Spartacus! The making of a Film, Breaking the Blacklist’ in 2012.
