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Kirk Douglas
Birthday:
9 December 1916
Birth Name:
Issur Danielovitch Demsky
Height:
175 cm
Biography
I don't know who any of the new stars are, and they probably don't know me.
I don't know who any of the new stars are, and they probably don't know me.
Michael didn't like me much after his mother and I got divorced. It was only when he started acting that we became close.
Michael didn't like me much after his mother and I got divorced. It was only when he started acting that we became close.
I was not a tough guy. I just acted like one.
I was not a tough guy. I just acted like one.
I never, ever thought I would live to be 100. That's shocked me, really. And it's sad, too. I miss Burt Lancaster - we fought a lot, and I miss him a lot. And John Wayne, even though he was a Republican and I was a Democrat.
I never, ever thought I would live to be 100. That's shocked me, really. And it's sad, too. I miss Burt Lancaster - we fought a lot, and I miss him a lot. And John Wayne, even though he was a Republican and I was a Democrat.
I often played the good cowboy on screen, riding in to save the day. Now, everybody thinks he is a cowboy too. That frightens me. We have become a cowboy country with too many guns. I cannot understand the people who are against some form of gun control. They should be the first to welcome a message on making it more difficult to get a gun. Many of them seem...
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I often played the good cowboy on screen, riding in to save the day. Now, everybody thinks he is a cowboy too. That frightens me. We have become a cowboy country with too many guns. I cannot understand the people who are against some form of gun control. They should be the first to welcome a message on making it more difficult to get a gun. Many of them seem to propose more guns being available to everybody. Why? Are they interested in making more money for the gun manufacturers? Are they politicians who just want to oppose the president in anything he endorses? It's incomprehensible to me. (2013)
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[The Mike Wallace Interview, 1957] Well then you don't understand what acting really is. And of course, that would be quite a long conversation to go into. I mean acting is an interpretive art. I mean you may hear Heifetz play the violin. He didn't write the piece, but oh, how he plays it. That's what's wonderful. That's what an actor tries to do. He may not...
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[The Mike Wallace Interview, 1957] Well then you don't understand what acting really is. And of course, that would be quite a long conversation to go into. I mean acting is an interpretive art. I mean you may hear Heifetz play the violin. He didn't write the piece, but oh, how he plays it. That's what's wonderful. That's what an actor tries to do. He may not have written the piece, but what he wants to do is interpret it.(In answer to MIke Wallace's statement; "but you're reading somebody else's words. Somebody else is telling you what to do, where to go, how to stand, what to say.")
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We are the strongest country in the world. We are the richest. We must take self-inventory. We must look less into the stars and planets in the heavens and more into ourselves. What can we do to make our country better? To earn back the respect we used to have?
We are the strongest country in the world. We are the richest. We must take self-inventory. We must look less into the stars and planets in the heavens and more into ourselves. What can we do to make our country better? To earn back the respect we used to have?
Let's face it - the world is a mess and he young people will inherit this mess. We should do all we can to help deal with it. That's why I wrote the book "Let's Face It" and dedicated to the young people. I try, with humor, to help them navigate through what lies ahead. But the reality is, he problems they face are not very funny.
Let's face it - the world is a mess and he young people will inherit this mess. We should do all we can to help deal with it. That's why I wrote the book "Let's Face It" and dedicated to the young people. I try, with humor, to help them navigate through what lies ahead. But the reality is, he problems they face are not very funny.
I've never tried to win popularity contests. I've always been blunt - never hesitated about expressing myself.
I've never tried to win popularity contests. I've always been blunt - never hesitated about expressing myself.
I'm too old to change. Like Popeye, "I yam what I yam." Love me or hate me, just don't be indifferent.
I'm too old to change. Like Popeye, "I yam what I yam." Love me or hate me, just don't be indifferent.
Why is it that often the people you do the most for resent you the most? Maybe you remind them of their weaknesses. The hell with them!
Why is it that often the people you do the most for resent you the most? Maybe you remind them of their weaknesses. The hell with them!
[In his autobiography] I think that... I am unfairly given credit for Michael's talents, as if he had only my genes. Diana is a talented actress, and Michael has inherited from both of us. My wife and I see Diana and her husband, Bill Darrid, often... and have a pleasant relationship with them
[In his autobiography] I think that... I am unfairly given credit for Michael's talents, as if he had only my genes. Diana is a talented actress, and Michael has inherited from both of us. My wife and I see Diana and her husband, Bill Darrid, often... and have a pleasant relationship with them
I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "I've heard you're such an S.O.B.I'll say, 'Who said that?' Ninety percent of the time, it;s someone with whom I've never worked.
I can't tell you how many times someone has said, "I've heard you're such an S.O.B.I'll say, 'Who said that?' Ninety percent of the time, it;s someone with whom I've never worked.
[to ABILITY Magazine] You see, when a person becomes disabled, often their family starts thinking, "Oh dear, don't move, let me get that for you". Once I told my wife that I thought I wanted breakfast in bed the next morning, she said the old joke, "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen."
[to ABILITY Magazine] You see, when a person becomes disabled, often their family starts thinking, "Oh dear, don't move, let me get that for you". Once I told my wife that I thought I wanted breakfast in bed the next morning, she said the old joke, "If you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen."
[2011, on Anne Hathaway] She's gorgeous! Wow! Where were you when I was making pictures?
[2011, on Anne Hathaway] She's gorgeous! Wow! Where were you when I was making pictures?
[asked who his favorite director was] I would NEVER do that. I've enjoyed working with Wilder, Wyler, Mankiewicz. Hawks, Kazan. I did three films with Minelli and got nominated for two of them - but I could never name just one director.
[asked who his favorite director was] I would NEVER do that. I've enjoyed working with Wilder, Wyler, Mankiewicz. Hawks, Kazan. I did three films with Minelli and got nominated for two of them - but I could never name just one director.
[on Paths of Glory (1957)] A truly great film with a truly great theme: the insanity and brutality of war. As I predicted, it made no money.
[on Paths of Glory (1957)] A truly great film with a truly great theme: the insanity and brutality of war. As I predicted, it made no money.
When you become a star, you don't change. Everyone else does.
When you become a star, you don't change. Everyone else does.
You have to leave your country to get a perspective, to see what makes America great. Now I can say that nowhere in the world is there a match for what we have in Hollywood.
You have to leave your country to get a perspective, to see what makes America great. Now I can say that nowhere in the world is there a match for what we have in Hollywood.
[on the death of Tony Curtis]: Tony Curtis was one of the best-looking guys in Hollywood. He was often described as beautiful, but he was also a fine actor. I worked with Tony in The Vikings (1958) and in Spartacus (1960), and we were friends for a long time. What I will miss most about him is his sense of humor. It was always fun to be with him.
[on the death of Tony Curtis]: Tony Curtis was one of the best-looking guys in Hollywood. He was often described as beautiful, but he was also a fine actor. I worked with Tony in The Vikings (1958) and in Spartacus (1960), and we were friends for a long time. What I will miss most about him is his sense of humor. It was always fun to be with him.
Senator McCarthy was an awful man who was finding Communists all over the country. He blacklisted the writers who wouldn't obey his edict. The heads of the studios were hypocrites who went along with it. My company produced Spartacus, written by Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted writer, under the name Sam Jackson. Too many people were using false names back then....
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Senator McCarthy was an awful man who was finding Communists all over the country. He blacklisted the writers who wouldn't obey his edict. The heads of the studios were hypocrites who went along with it. My company produced Spartacus, written by Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted writer, under the name Sam Jackson. Too many people were using false names back then. I was embarrassed. I was young enough to be impulsive, so even though I was warned against it, I used his real name on the screen.
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It isn't a manly profession. It's a childish profession. You couldn't be a complete, grown-up adult and be an actor . . . I mean, if I were a sophisticated adult, how could I say, "Here I am, fighting evil, represented by Yul Brynner"? You have to have a childish part of you! It's true! You know, I watch as my kids have grown up, I've watched, them, you know...
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It isn't a manly profession. It's a childish profession. You couldn't be a complete, grown-up adult and be an actor . . . I mean, if I were a sophisticated adult, how could I say, "Here I am, fighting evil, represented by Yul Brynner"? You have to have a childish part of you! It's true! You know, I watch as my kids have grown up, I've watched, them, you know. Children are natural actors; they pretend they're cops and robbers, and I think all actors retain a certain amount of that within themselves. They have to, or they can't function as actors. And that's why they become self-deprecating. They think, well, it's not
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I've always believed virtue is not photogenic, and I think I've always been attracted to a part, uh, I'd rather play the *evil* character, most of the time, than the nice fella. And I think it really *bothered* my mother, because she would tell people, "You know, my son's not like that, he's really a nice boy!"
I've always believed virtue is not photogenic, and I think I've always been attracted to a part, uh, I'd rather play the *evil* character, most of the time, than the nice fella. And I think it really *bothered* my mother, because she would tell people, "You know, my son's not like that, he's really a nice boy!"
[on Doris Day] That face she shows the world -- smiling, only talking good, happy, tuned into God -- as far as I'm concerned, that's just a mask. I haven't a clue as to what's underneath. Doris is just about the remotest person I know.
[on Doris Day] That face she shows the world -- smiling, only talking good, happy, tuned into God -- as far as I'm concerned, that's just a mask. I haven't a clue as to what's underneath. Doris is just about the remotest person I know.
[on Linda Darnell] Linda Darnell is the most unspoilt star on the screen -- and also the most beautiful.
[on Linda Darnell] Linda Darnell is the most unspoilt star on the screen -- and also the most beautiful.
[on John Wayne] John Wayne was a star because he always played John Wayne. Frankly, he wasn't an excellent actor, but good heavens, what a star! It wasn't John Wayne who served the roles; the roles served John Wayne.
[on John Wayne] John Wayne was a star because he always played John Wayne. Frankly, he wasn't an excellent actor, but good heavens, what a star! It wasn't John Wayne who served the roles; the roles served John Wayne.
[on Michael Moore's interview with Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine (2002)] I cannot forgive the way he treated Charlton Heston. Even if I don't agree with much of Heston's politics, Chuck is a gentleman. He agreed to have an interview with Moore, and Moore took advantage of the situation and made Chuck look foolish. He had been invited to Heston's h...
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[on Michael Moore's interview with Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine (2002)] I cannot forgive the way he treated Charlton Heston. Even if I don't agree with much of Heston's politics, Chuck is a gentleman. He agreed to have an interview with Moore, and Moore took advantage of the situation and made Chuck look foolish. He had been invited to Heston's home and he was treated with courtesy. I winced when I saw the expression on Chuck's face change as he realized that he had been duped. And yet he remained a gentleman and dismissed the interloper with grace.
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I did four movies with [John Wayne]. We were a strange combination. He was a Republican and I was a Democrat. We argued all the time.
I did four movies with [John Wayne]. We were a strange combination. He was a Republican and I was a Democrat. We argued all the time.
[December 9, 2006] My name is Kirk Douglas. You may know me. If you don't . . . Google me. I was a movie star and I'm Michael Douglas' dad, Catherine Zeta-Jones' father-in-law, and the grandparents of their two children. Today I celebrate my 90th birthday. I have a message to convey to America's young people. A 90th birthday is special. In my case, this birt...
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[December 9, 2006] My name is Kirk Douglas. You may know me. If you don't . . . Google me. I was a movie star and I'm Michael Douglas' dad, Catherine Zeta-Jones' father-in-law, and the grandparents of their two children. Today I celebrate my 90th birthday. I have a message to convey to America's young people. A 90th birthday is special. In my case, this birthday is not only special but miraculous. I survived World War II, a helicopter crash, a stroke, and two new knees. It's a tradition that when a "birthday boy" stands over his cake he makes a silent wish for his life and then blows out the candles. I have followed that tradition for 89 years but on my 90th birthday, I have decided to rebel. Instead of making a silent wish for myself, I want to make a loud wish for The World. Let's face it: The World is in a mess and you are inheriting it. Generation Y, you are on the cusp. You are the group facing many problems: abject poverty, global warming, genocide, AIDS and suicide bombers, to name a few. These problems exist and the world is silent. We have done very little to solve these problems. Now we leave it to you. You have to fix it because the situation is intolerable. You need to rebel, to speak up, write, vote, and care about people and the world you live in. We live in the best country in the world. I know. My parents were Russian immigrants. America is a country where EVERYONE, regardless of race, creed, or age has a chance. I had that chance. You are the generation that is most impacted and the generation that can make a difference. I love this country because I came from a life of poverty. I was able to work my way through college and go into acting, the field that I love. There is no guarantee in this country that you will be successful. But you always have a chance. Nothing should interfere with it. You have to make sure that nothing stands in the way. When I blow out my candles - 90! . . . it will take a long time . . . but I'll be thinking of you.
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If the good guy gets the girl, it's rated PG; If the bad guy gets the girl, it's rated R; and if everybody gets the girl, it's rated X.
If the good guy gets the girl, it's rated PG; If the bad guy gets the girl, it's rated R; and if everybody gets the girl, it's rated X.
I want my sons to surpass me, because that's a form of immortality.
I want my sons to surpass me, because that's a form of immortality.
My kids never had the advantage I had. I was born poor.
My kids never had the advantage I had. I was born poor.
If you want to know about a man you can find out an awful lot by looking at who he married.
If you want to know about a man you can find out an awful lot by looking at who he married.
Life is like a B-picture script! It is that corny. If I had my life story offered to me to film, I'd turn it down.
Life is like a B-picture script! It is that corny. If I had my life story offered to me to film, I'd turn it down.
I think half the success in life comes from first trying to find out what you really want to do. And then going ahead and doing it.
I think half the success in life comes from first trying to find out what you really want to do. And then going ahead and doing it.
I have always told my sons that they didn't have my advantages of being born into abject poverty.
I have always told my sons that they didn't have my advantages of being born into abject poverty.
People are always talking about the old days. They say that the old movies were better, that the old actors were so great. But I don't think so. All I can say about the old days is that they have passed.
People are always talking about the old days. They say that the old movies were better, that the old actors were so great. But I don't think so. All I can say about the old days is that they have passed.
Making movies is a form of narcissism.
Making movies is a form of narcissism.
I came from abject poverty. There was nowhere to go but up.
I came from abject poverty. There was nowhere to go but up.
In order to achieve anything you must be brave enough to fail.
In order to achieve anything you must be brave enough to fail.
I've made a career of playing sons of bitches.
I've made a career of playing sons of bitches.
Virtue is not photogenic. What is it to be a nice guy? To be nothing, that's what. A big fat zero with a smile for everybody.
Virtue is not photogenic. What is it to be a nice guy? To be nothing, that's what. A big fat zero with a smile for everybody.
I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now.
I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now.
Kirk Douglas
Cleft-chinned, steely-eyed and virile star of international cinema who rose from being "the ragman's son" (the name of his best-selling 1988 autobiography) to become a bona fide superstar, Kirk Douglas, also known as Issur Danielovitch Demsky, was born in Amsterdam, New York, in 1916. His parents, Bryna (Sanglel) and Herschel Danielovitch, were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mahilyow Voblast (now in Belarus). Although growing up in a poor ghetto, Douglas was a fine student and a keen athlete and wrestled competitively during his time at St. Lawrence University. However, he soon identified an acting scholarship as a way out of his meager existence, and was sufficiently talented to gain entry into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He only appeared in a handful of minor Broadway productions before joining the US Navy in 1941, and then after the end of hostilities in 1945, returned to the theater and some radio work. On the insistence of ex-classmate Lauren Bacall movie producer Hal B. Wallis screen-tested Douglas and cast him in the lead role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). His performance received rave reviews and further work quickly followed, including an appearance in the low-key drama I Walk Alone (1948), the first time he worked alongside fellow future screen legend Burt Lancaster. Such was the strong chemistry between the two that they appeared in seven films together, including the dynamic western Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), the John Frankenheimer political thriller Seven Days in May (1964) and their final pairing in the gangster comedy Tough Guys (1986). Douglas once said about his good friend: "I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now".After appearing in "I Walk Alone", Douglas scored his first Oscar nomination playing the untrustworthy and opportunistic boxer Midge Kelly in the gripping Champion (1949). The quality of his work continued to garner the attention of critics and he was again nominated for Oscars for his role as a film producer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and as tortured painter Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956), both directed by Vincente Minnelli. In 1955 Douglas launched his own production company, Bryna Productions, the company behind two pivotal film roles in his career. The first was as French army officer Col. Dax in director Stanley Kubrick's brilliant anti-war epic Paths of Glory (1957). Douglas reunited with Kubrick for yet another epic, the magnificent Spartacus (1960). The film also marked a key turning point in the life of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy "Red Scare" hysteria in the 1950s. At Douglas' insistence Trumbo was given on-screen credit for his contributions, which began the dissolution of the infamous blacklisting policies begun almost a decade previously that had destroyed so many careers and lives.Douglas remained busy throughout the 1960s, starring in many films,. He played a rebellious modern-day cowboy in Lonely Are the Brave (1962), acted alongside John Wayne in the World War II story In Harm's Way (1965), again with The Duke in a drama about the Israeli fight for independence, Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and once more with Wayne in the tongue-in-cheek western The War Wagon (1967). Additionally, in 1963 he starred in an onstage production of Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", but despite his keen interest, no Hollywood studio could be convinced to bring the story to the screen. However, the rights remained with the Douglas clan, and Kirk's talented son Michael Douglas finally filmed the tale in 1975, starring Jack Nicholson. Into the 1970s Douglas wasn't as busy as previous years; however, he starred in some unusual vehicles, including alongside a young Arnold Schwarzenegger in the loopy western comedy The Villain (1979), then with Farrah Fawcett in the sci-fi thriller Saturn 3 (1980) and then he traveled to Australia for the horse opera/drama The Man from Snowy River (1982).Unknown to many, Kirk has long been involved in humanitarian causes and has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the US State Department since 1963. His efforts were rewarded in 1981 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and in 1983 with the Jefferson Award. Furthermore, the French honored him with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. More recognition followed for his work with the American Cinema Award (1987), the German Golden Kamera Award (1987), The National Board of Reviews Career Achievement Award (1989), an honorary Academy Award (1995), Recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999) and the UCLA Medal of Honor (2002). Despite a helicopter crash and a stroke suffered in the 1990s, he remains active and continues to appear in front of the camera.
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