Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas has died at age 103

Kirk Douglas, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants who rose from an impoverished childhood to become a silver screen legend whose decades-long career included the hit historical drama Spartacus, has died at age 103.

One of the last of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Douglas’ star was launched with his first film in 1946 and he became a huge box office draw, playing the leading man in several movies – from a boxer to Vincent van Gogh – throughout the 1950s and 60s. He starred and acted in more than 60 feature films, found his own production company, and directed two movies.

A well-known Lothario who said he dated beauties such as Marlene Dietrich and Rita Hayworth, Douglas married twice, and admitted in his autobiography that he cheated on both. With his first wife, Diana Dill, they had Michael, a famous actor in his own right, and Joel. After divorcing her in 1951, he married Anne Buydens three years later, and together they had two sons as well, Peter and Eric.

Douglas faced poverty and anti-Semitism during his ascent into Hollywood royalty, his business manager stealing from him, had brushes with death that included a plane crash, and survived a stroke and the tragedy of losing his youngest son, Eric, who died from a drug overdose at age 46 in 2004. His grandson, Cameron – Michael Douglas’ son – also struggled with drugs and served a seven-year sentence for charges that included heroin possession.

But challenges and loss did not deter Douglas from writing several books, traveling to other countries as a goodwill ambassador for the United States, hobnobbing with the glitterati like Frank Sinatra, the Kennedys and the Reagans, and donating millions of dollars for his philanthropic endeavors with his wife of 65 years, Anne.        

Above, Kirk Douglas, who has died at age 103, in the character he is most famous for: Spartacus, a slave who rebels against the Romans in the historical drama of the same name. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the 1960 film was both a commercial and critical success, and was produced by Douglas’ company

Kirk Douglas, above, with his family. He married twice. His first wife, Diana Dill, was a fellow drama student and actor that he married on November 2, 1943. They had two sons together: Michael, who is now a famous actor in his own right, and Joel. They divorced in 1951. Three years later, he married Anne Buydens on May 29, 1954, and they also had two sons: Peter and Eric, and were married for 65 years. Above from left to right, Kirk, Jason, Dylan, Michael, Anne, Carys, Kelsey, Peter, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joel, Lisa, Viviane, Cameron and Lua

Kirk Douglas dedicated his 2007 book, Let’s Face It, to his grandchildren: Cameron, Kelsey, Ryan, Tyler, Dylan, Carys and Jason. He wrote that they call him ‘Pappy,’ and his wife, Anne, ‘Oma,’ which is German for grandmother. (Anne was born in Hanover, Germany.) Above, Cameron, Kirk, and Michael on November 6, 2018 during the unveiling of Michael’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cameron Douglas acted with both his father and grandfather in the 2003 movie, It Runs in the Family. Cameron struggled with drugs and served seven years in federal prison for pleading guilty to charges that included heroin possession

He was born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, the fourth child and only son for his mother, Bryna, and his father, Herschel ‘Harry’ Danielovitch. Douglas’ father had immigrated to America in 1910 from Russia to escape the pogroms as well as military service. Under the czar, Jewish men were drafted to serve in the army for 25 years and ‘pressured to convert to Christianity,’ Douglas explained in his 2007 book, Let’s Face It: 90 years of Living, Loving, and Learning.

Since the local factories refused to hire Jews, his father collected rags, scrap metal and junk. (This was why Douglas titled his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman’s Son.) While his mother, who took care of seven children and was always working, Douglas wrote that his Pa ‘was no help. Almost all his daily take was spent at his favorite bar, Bogie’s. He rarely came home for dinner. He never seemed to care whether we had food on the table or went to bed hungry.

‘We lived in abject poverty.’

When he was enrolled in school, his name was Isadore ‘Izzy’ Demsky, a name he wrote that he always hated. Before he entered kindergarten, he only spoke Yiddish but quickly learned English – and the perks of performing.

‘When I recited a poem about the red robin of spring, everyone clapped. I took my first bow before an audience. I loved it,’ he recalled. ‘By second grade I was a seasoned pro, milking my title role of the shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves.’

By the time he had his bar mitzvah, he was already delivering papers and saving money for college, which one of his teachers encouraged him to attend. He wrote that his first sexual experience was with this high school teacher when he was 15-years-old.

‘She was an important influence in my life and I am eternally grateful. By today’s standards she would have gone to jail. I had no idea we were doing something wrong. Did she?’

Douglas had been saving money for college, but handed it over to his father when he asked for it. After he graduated from high school in 1934, he worked for a year in a department store to rebuild his savings. With $164, he hitchhiked to St Lawrence University, and somehow convinced the dean to let him attend. At St Lawrence, Douglas described himself as the ‘big man on campus’ who was the ‘undefeated star of the varsity wrestling team.’

Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York, the fourth child and only son for his mother, Bryna, and his father, Herschel ‘Harry’ Danielovitch. Douglas’ father had immigrated to America in 1910 from Russia to escape the pogroms. Above, Douglas with his mother, Bryna, in an undated photo. He later named his production company after her, which produced such hits as 1960’s Spartacus

Douglas wrote that he grew up in ‘abject poverty,’ and that his father collected rags, scrap metal and junk. While his mother, who took care of seven children, was always working, his Pa ‘was no help. Almost all his daily take was spent at his favorite bar, Bogie’s. He rarely came home for dinner. He never seemed to care whether we had food on the table or went to bed hungry,’ he wrote in his 2007 book, Let’s Face It. Above, Douglas with his first wife, Diana Dill, in February 1950

Before he entered kindergarten, Douglas only spoke Yiddish but quickly learned English – and the perks of performing. ‘When I recited a poem about the red robin of spring, everyone clapped. I took my first bow before an audience. I loved it,’ he recalled. ‘By second grade I was a seasoned pro, milking my title role of the shoemaker in The Shoemaker and the Elves.’ Above, Douglas with his eldest son, Michael, sometime in 1949

Douglas and Diana Dill met while they were students at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. They got married on November 2, 1943 after he joined the US Navy. ‘We become swept up in the romance of wartime and the fear that I might die in combat,’ he wrote. They had two sons together, Michael, who was born on September 25, 1944, and Joel on January 23, 1947. Above, Douglas looks at his son Michael while Diana Dill holds their son, Joel, in 1947

Douglas recalled in his book how he became ‘fixated’ with becoming an actor. He spent his summers during college at a small playhouse in the Adirondacks, working as a stagehand and acting in a few small parts. His fellow actor, Karl Malden, who was born Mladen Sekulovich, convinced him to change his name.

In 1939, as World War II began, Issur Danielovitch who became Isadore Demsky became Kirk Douglas. It was also the year that Douglas graduated from St Lawrence, which is northern New York, and he then went to the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

At the academy, Douglas wrote that he ‘made some lasting friendships there. One was Betty Bacall, a stunning seventeen-year-old who had a crush on me. Another was Diana Dill, who was always telling Betty to forget about me.’ 

Diana Dill and Douglas married on November 2, 1943 after he joined the US Navy, and he was a communications officer.

‘We become swept up in the romance of wartime and the fear that I might die in combat,’ he wrote. ‘I looked great in my dress uniform, but nothing else about my service was distinguished.’

Diana Dill and Douglas divorced ‘amicably’ in February 1951, and Douglas wrote that ‘she and I realized that we were not right for each other.’ While Diana and their two sons, Michael and Joel, moved back to live in New York, Douglas stayed in California. The pair worked together after their divorce in 1955’s The Indian Fighter and 2003’s It Runs in the Family. He met his second wife, Anne Buydens, while filming an Act of Love in Paris in 1953. Above, the couple in 1965

In 1953, while filming an Act of Love in Paris, Douglas met his future wife, Anne Buydens. Born Hannelore Marx on April 13, 1919 in Germany, Anne was from an upper class family and she was well-traveled and spoke several languages. She lived in Paris during the Nazi’s occupation of the city, working for a film company writing subtitles in German. After the war, she was working as the personal assistant to director John Huston, Anne wrote in the 2017 book, Kirk and Anne, which she co-authored with Douglas and Marcia Newberger. On the left, the couple the morning after they got married on May 30, 1954. On the right, the pair board a plane to Brazil for a goodwill tour

In Paris, Anne met Douglas for what she called a courtesy interview as he was looking for someone to handle his publicity. Douglas, already a star, had ‘gotten quite a reputation in his first few weeks in town. The press had dubbed him Le Brute Cheri, the darling brute, and he was photographed with a succession of stunning women,’ she wrote. He offered her the job but she turned him down, and then doubled his consternation by also declining his dinner invitation. Above, the couple with their son, Peter, for his first birthday party on November 23, 1956

‘She finally agreed to work with me on a trial basis, making it clear our relationship was strictly business,’ Douglas wrote. ‘With no romance in the picture, I stopped trying to impress Anne.’ Instead, they talked. ‘I was fascinated by Anne and more than a little in love with her.’ The couple sometime in 1958 with their second son, Eric, who was born on June 21, 1958

Together the couple had two sons: Michael, who was born on September 25, 1944, and Joel, who was born on January 23, 1947.

Douglas was honorably discharged from the navy in 1944, but before he headed back to New York City, he met with Betty – now known as Lauren Bacall – for dinner in Los Angeles. Bacall was filming To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart. (Bacall and Bogart got married in 1945 and stayed together until his death in 1957.) Douglas visited the set and while impressed, ‘doing live theater was still’ his goal, he wrote in the 2017 book, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter and a Lifetime in Hollywood.

Back in New York, Douglas wrote that he had ‘good roles in a lot of bad plays.’ Bacall urged a producer to see him perform, and Douglas landed his first movie role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, in which he played Walter, the unassuming husband of Martha, who was played by Barbara Stanwyck. The film was released in October 1944 and Douglas was on his way to becoming a movie star.

Douglas had a few more roles but it was when he opted to play the boxer Midge Kelly in 1949’s Champion that his career really took off.

‘I got an Oscar nomination and became a star. I couldn’t resist playing a role that reflected so much of my life,’ he wrote. ‘The announcer at ringside, looking at me, says, “From the depths of poverty he became champion of the world!”‘

Kirk Douglas had four sons: Michael and Joel with his first wife, Diana Dill, and then Peter and Eric with his wife of 65 years, Anne Buydens. Above, Douglas, lifts his sons, Joel, on the left, and Michael, on the right, sometime in 1955

In his foreword for the 2017, book Kirk and Anne, Michael Douglas called his stepmother, Anne, a lioness. ‘She’s used it to take care of all of us, especially my father. I remember as a young boy, after my father and my mother Diana divorced, not only did Anne treat my brother Joel and I was though we were always family, she invariably showed great love and respect to our mother.’ Above, from left to right, Michael, Eric, Anne, Douglas, Peter and Joel in 1965

Diana and Douglas divorced ‘amicably,’ in February 1951, and he wrote that ‘she and I realized that we were not right for each other.’ While Diana and their two sons, Michael and Joel, moved back to live in New York, Douglas stayed in California.

He played a jazz musician 1950’s Young Man with a Horn, which also starred his drama academy friend, Lauren Bacall, and Doris Day. In 1951’s Ace in a Hole, he was an ambitious reporter looking to get his job back after a fall from grace, and in the next year’s The Bad and the Beautiful, he played a film producer looking to cast Lana Turner’s character in his next project. He earned his second Oscar nomination for that role.

‘I worked and played hard and enjoyed liaisons with some of the golden age’s brightest stars, among them Marlene Dietrich and Gene Tierney,’ he wrote in his book, Kirk and Anne.

In 1953, while filming an Act of Love in Paris, Douglas met his future wife, Anne Buydens. Born Hannelore Marx on April 13, 1919 in Germany, Anne was from an upper class family and she was well-traveled and spoke several languages. She lived in Paris during the Nazi’s occupation of the city, working for a film company writing subtitles in German. After the war, she was working as the personal assistant to director John Huston, Anne wrote in the 2017 book Kirk and Anne, which she co-authored with Douglas and Marcia Newberger. 

Kirk Douglas made his film debut in 1946’s The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Afterward, he was offered a role in a big-budget flick with stars Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner, but turned it down, he wrote, ‘to play a boxer in the small-budget picture Champion. I got an Oscar nomination and became a star. I couldn’t resist playing a role that reflected so much of my life. The announcer at ringside, looking at me, says, “From the depths of poverty he became champion of the world!”‘ Above, Douglas, who played Midge Kelly, in a still from the 1949 film

In 1951’s Ace in the Hole, Douglas, above, plays Chuck Tatum, a newspaper reporter looking to get back into the game after he lost his job in New York City due to his drinking. He ends up in New Mexico and works to regain his footing. Billy Wilder wrote, produced and directed the film, which was initially panned but later was reappraised 

Above, Douglas and co-star Lana Turner in The Bad and the Beautiful. The 1952 film was directed by Vincente Minnelli – Liza’s father who was known for such movies as Meet Me in St Louis. Douglas plays Jonathan Shields, a ruthless film producer who tries to convinces Turner’s character, movie star Georgia Lorrison, to be part of his next project. Douglas was nominated for a second Academy Award for his performance in the film 

Above, Douglas, center, with co-stars Paul Lukas, left, and Peter Lorre, right, in Disney’s 1954 movie, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The film adaption of the Jules Verne novel was produced by Walt Disney and was a hit at the box office and with critics. Douglas played sailor Ned Land

Anne met Douglas for what she called a courtesy interview as he was looking for someone to handle his publicity. Douglas, already a star, had ‘gotten quite a reputation in his first few weeks in town. The press had dubbed him Le Brute Cheri, the darling brute, and he was photographed with a succession of stunning women,’ she wrote.

He offered her the job but she turned him down, and then doubled his consternation by also declining his dinner invitation.

‘She finally agreed to work with me on a trial basis, making it clear our relationship was strictly business,’ he wrote. ‘With no romance in the picture, I stopped trying to impress Anne.’

Instead, they talked. ‘I was fascinated by Anne and more than a little in love with her,’ he wrote.

However, Douglas was in a relationship Pier Angeli. The pair had starred together in  1953’s The Story of Three Loves. They eventually got engaged despite his relationship with Anne. But, Douglas wrote, when he saw Angeli on New Year’s Eve, he ‘fell out of love with her’ and broke off the engagement.

It took some time, but Douglas finally realized he wanted to marry Anne, and they tied the knot in Las Vegas on May 29, 1954. They had two sons together, Peter, on November 23, 1955, and Eric on June 21, 1958.

On the left, Kirk Douglas with Lauren Bacall in a still from Young Man with a Horn, which was released in 1950. Bacall and Douglas met at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, and she helped him get his first part in a movie, convincing the producer to see Douglas in a play. On the right, Douglas with Pier Angeli  from The Story of Three Loves from 1953. Douglas and Angeli were engaged at one point but he broke it off and married Anne Buydens, and they were together for 65 years

On the left, Kirk Douglas with Marilyn Maxwell in 1949’s Champion. He earned his first Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of boxer Midge Kelly. On the right, Kirk Douglas and co-star Doris Day in A Young Man with a Horn in which he played a jazz musician

In his autobiography, Douglas disclosed that he cheated on both wives.

‘I’m a sonofabitch, plain and simple,’ he wrote in The Ragman’s Son, his 1988 autobiography.

Anne knew about the affairs and wrote: ‘One of the things I love most about Kirk is his inability to keep secrets… Let me explain my attitude concerning this. As a European, I understood it was unrealistic to expect total fidelity in a marriage.’

Douglas married Anne in May 1954, and later that year, he starred in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The Disney film was a smash with critics and at the box office. By the next year, he was determined to start his own production company, and established one, naming it after his mother, Bryna.

‘In choosing my first project for Bryna, I once again followed my instincts,’ he wrote. 

He cast his ex-wife, Diana, and together they filmed The Indian Fighter, which was released in late 1955. His next challenge was to play the tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in Lust for Life. The film, which was released in 1956, earned Douglas his third Oscar nomination, but he lost that year to Yul Brynner.

‘Lust for Life took a toll on my psyche,’ he wrote, noting that he was the same age – 37 – as van Gogh when he died by suicide.

As a prominent actor in Hollywood, Douglas was caught up in what was called the ‘Red Scare,’ the paranoia regarding Communists in the United States during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The House’s Un-American Activities Committee, formed in 1938, made Hollywood one of its targets.

MGM asked him to sign a ‘loyalty oath. I objected vehemently to the practice. The studios required it, not because they questioned our loyalty but in order to appease the House Un-American Activities Committee. I had to sign if I wanted to play Vincent,’ he wrote.

Above, Kirk Douglas as Vincent van Gogh in the film Lust for Lust, which was released in 1956. A prominent leading man during the 1950s and 60s, Douglas explained how he had to sign a ‘loyalty oath. I objected vehemently to the practice. The studios required it, not because they questioned our loyalty but in order to appease the House Un-American Activities Committee. I had to sign if I wanted to play Vincent.’ He wrote that the film took a toll on psyche. Douglas was nominated for his third Academy Award for his portrayal of the tortured artist but he lost that year to Yul Brynner

Much depended on Spartacus, the 1960 historical hit drama in which Douglas played the title role, above. Price Waterhouse had audited Douglas’ books and discovered that the movie star had no money in the bank and he owed the Internal Revenue Service $750,000, (over $6.6 million in today’s money.) Sam Norton, whom Douglas described as his ‘best friend, lawyer, and business manager,’ had power of attorney. ‘I made some twenty-seven pictures with Sam in charge of my income. He became a wealthy man. I was broke and in debt,’ he wrote. Spartacus was a success and Douglas wrote that it ‘is still the film most associated with me’

Above, Douglas with Burt Lancaster in Seven Days in May, a film from 1964. They were in several films together including Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in which Douglas played Doc Holliday and Lancaster portrayed Wyatt Earp. Both actors formed production companies. ‘We both knew the studio system was rigged against us; we wanted the freedom to choose our projects – whether or not they were deemed commercial,’ Douglas wrote

Seven Days in May, released in 1964, was set sometime in the future – then the 1970s – when segments of the army were planning a coup d’etat to prevent nuclear disarmament with the Soviet Union from happening. Douglas played a Colonel ‘Jiggs’ Casey who attempts to stop the plot. Above, Douglas with co-star Ava Gardner in a still from the film 

After Lust for Life, Douglas worked with the young filmmaker Stanley Kubrick on Paths of Glory.

He wrote: ‘This would be my first of two experiences with Stanley Kubrick, whom I have described over the years as ‘a talented sh**.’ … Stanley had adapted a 1935 novel about corruption and greed in the high command of France during World War I into a brilliant screenplay.’

Produced by Douglas’ production company, Bryna, Paths of Glory was released in 1957, and while it did not do well at the box office, it was later considered a classic. Douglas and Kubrick had a three-picture deal, but after working together, Douglas released him from the agreement, writing: ‘It amused me years later when Stanley told people I was only an employee on the movie. I have a healthy ego, but his was gigantic.’ 

Nonetheless, when the first director for the historical epic Spartacus did not work out, Douglas turned again to Kubrick to direct.

The stakes for that picture were high for Douglas and his family. Anne commissioned Price Waterhouse to examine Douglas’ books and discovered that the movie star had no money in the bank and he owed the Internal Revenue Service $750,000, (over $6.6 million in today’s money.) Sam Norton, whom Douglas described as his ‘best friend, lawyer, and business manager,’ had power of attorney.

‘I made some twenty-seven pictures with Sam in charge of my income. He became a wealthy man. I was broke and in debt,’ he wrote.

After getting out of his contract with Norton, profits from 1958’s The Vikings were used to pay off the IRS, with Anne noting, ‘Our fortune now depended on Spartacus.’

Not only did Anne save the family’s finances, but that March, she saved Douglas’ life. Douglas was good friends with Mike Todd, a producer who was then married to Elizabeth Taylor. Todd invited Douglas to fly with him on a private plane to New York, but Anne was upset about this and after they fought, he did not go. The plane crashed and Mike Todd died on March 22, 1958 at age 48.

Douglas had other near death brushes, including a helicopter crash with a plane that he survived in 1991, having a pacemaker put in, and a stroke in 1996.

‘I feel that every brush I had with death changed me and made me a better person. I began to think less about myself and more about other people. If I survive a couple more near-death experiences, I might become a very good guy,’ he wrote. 

Growing up, Michael visited his dad Kirk on set. In his 2007 book, Let’s Face It, Douglas recalled how Michael and his other son, Joel, came to the set of Cast a Giant Shadow, which was filming in Israel. The movie, which was released in 1966, also starred Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Angie Dickinson. He wrote: Michael ‘dressed in an Israeli army uniform and we used him in shots of jeeps climbing the rugged mountain terrain.’ Above, Kirk and Michael on the set of Hail, Hero! The movie, which was released in 1969, earned Michael a Golden Globe nomination 

Michael Douglas’ star skyrocketed in the 1980s with a string of hits that included Romancing the Stone, which was released in 1984, as well as Fatal Attraction and Wall Street in 1987. He married Diandra Luker in 1977 and they had one son, Cameron. They divorced in 2000. Above, Kirk, Diandra, Cameron, Anne and Michael Douglas at a Red Cross award ceremony in late 1991 in New York City 

Kirk Douglas was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar three times: for his portrayal of boxer Midge Kelly in 1949’s Champion, playing producer Jonathan Shields in 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful, and embodying tortured artist Vincent van Gogh in 1956’s Lust for Life. He did not win, but in 1996, Douglas was awarded an honorary Oscar for his decades-long career. Above, director Steven Spielberg, who presented the award, and Douglas with his Oscar 

Kirk Douglas, center, with his four sons after he was awarded an honorary Oscar for his body of work in 1996. From left to right: Michael, Joel, Kirk, Eric and Peter

Spartacus was originally budgeted at $4 million but ended up costing $12 million, and for a time, it was the most expensive film ever made.

Filming started in early 1959 and the production was not smooth sailing. Douglas had to fire the first director, Anthony Mann, and then got Stanley Kubrick to direct by offering him $150,000, according to the book, Kirk and Anne. Douglas played the title role of Spartacus, a slave that rebels against the Romans in the First Century BC.

Anne wrote that Douglas was worried and ‘constantly putting out fires as well as performing the most dangerous stunts of his career.’

Douglas and Kubrick clashed as the director ‘continued to squander money on retakes and experimental shots.’

The film, which was released in 1960, was a huge success, and Douglas and his family were back on solid financial footing.

‘I lived with Spartacus for some three years, and it is still the film most associated with me,’ Douglas wrote.

The family socialized with the Hollywood and Washington elite, such as Frank Sinatra, whom Douglas wrote ‘were the kind of friends who would always go the extra mile for each other,’ and Henry Kissinger, Jack Valenti, some of the Kennedys and the Reagans. Douglas’ son Eric attended school with Ron Jr, and Nancy Reagan and Anne shared carpool duties and ‘manned the hot dog booth together at annual school fairs,’ according to the book, Kirk and Anne.

He noted that it was President John F Kennedy who suggested Douglas visit foreign countries as a goodwill ambassador, and the role formalized under Lyndon B Johnson’s administration. Anne and Douglas traveled over 40 countries over the next decades, and President Jimmy Carter awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work, according to the book. 

Kirk Douglas’ first movie came out in 1946 and he acted with many of Hollywood’s Golden Age stars, such as Tony Curtis, left, with Douglas, right, in March 1999. Douglas and Curtis starred in the 1960 hit Spartacus as well as The Vikings, which was released in 1958, and The List of Adrian Messenger, which was released in 1963. Curtis, who is known for the 1959 movie, Some Like It Hot, with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, is also the father of Jamie Lee Curtis. Tony Curtis died in 2010 at the age of 85

Lauren Bacall, left, with Kirk Douglas, right, in September 1999. Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske but when Douglas met her at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City during World War II, she was Betty Bacall. ‘I made some lasting friendships there. One was Betty Bacall, a stunning seventeen-year-old who had a crush on me. Another was Diana Dill, who was always telling Betty to forget about me,’ Douglas wrote. Bacall helped his career by convincing a producer to see Douglas perform and then casting him in his first movie, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, released in 1946. Bacall, a Hollywood legend, died in August 2014 at age 89

After divorcing Diandra Luker in 2000, Michael Douglas married Catherine Zeta-Jones in November 2000. The couple have two children together: Dylan, born on August 8, 2000, and Carys, born on April 20, 2003. Above, Kirk, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael, and Anne Douglas in August 1999 in Beverly Hills

Kirk Douglas, right, with his son Eric, left, an actor and stand-up comedian, in March 2001. Born on June 21, 1958, Eric was Douglas’ youngest son with his second wife, Anne. He died of an overdose in 2004 at age 46. In his 2007 book, Let’s Face It, Douglas described Eric as ‘always difficult to handle… I don’t know when alcohol and drugs became his problem.’ Douglas and Anne visited his grave often. ‘No matter how much you think about such an event, you are never really prepared. It broke my heart that my son Eric died… and I’m still alive. I feel guilty that my youngest son lived a life of pain and died before I did’

Above, a movie poster for It Runs in the Family, which was released in 2003. The film stars Cameron Douglas, with bandanna, Kirk Douglas, seated, with his ex-wife, Diana Dill next to him. Douglas and Dill had two sons, including Michael, standing. The film also stars Rory Culkin and Bernadette Peters. Michael’s son, Cameron, appeared in three other films. He struggled with drugs, and in 2010, pleaded guilty to heroin possession and conspiracy to distribute drugs. He served seven years in federal prison, and chronicled his addiction in the memoir, Long Way Home. Cameron has a daughter named Lua with his partner Viviane Thibes

The Douglas clan with Jack Valenti in October 2004 after a street-naming ceremony for Kirk in Palm Springs. From left: Valenti, Michael, Peter with his two sons, Ryan and Tyler, Kirk, Anne, Joel and his wife Jo Ann. Valenti, who at one time was a special assistant to President Lyndon B Johnson and Douglas were longtime friends. Valenti died in 2007 at age 85

Douglas also made some Westerns, including 1957’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and 1967’s The War Wagon, which also starred John Wayne. By the 1970s, he tried his hand at directing with Scalawag, which was released in 1973, and 1975’s Posse. He continued to act in TV movies, films and plays until 2009.

He found success with writing as well, and authored and co-authored 12 books, including My Stroke of Luck, which was published in 2002 and delved into how he recovered from a stroke in 1996 that affected his ability to talk. That year he was to receive an honorary Oscar for his work, and he recalled how he was going to ask Michael to accept on his behalf.

He wrote: ‘The shortest speech I ever gave was the one at the 1996 Oscars… I learned to say two words, “thank you,” pretty clearly. I could handle two syllables. But I wasn’t satisfied.’

Working with a speech therapist, he was able to say a little bit more, dedicating the award to Anne.

For decades, Anne and Douglas worked together on their philanthropic endeavors with the Douglas Foundation, which he formed in 1964, donating about $118 million, according to Town & Country. They have helped to renovate playgrounds and the homeless in Los Angeles. 

Douglas recalled how his mother, Bryna, found a way to give people who came to their door some ‘morsel of food for them. I didn’t understand. I knew how little we had, and how often my stomach would growl in protest. Ma patiently explained: “Even a beggar must give to a person who has less.”‘

Anne and Kirk Douglas were married 65 years. Throughout their many decades together, they visited countries together as Kirk was a goodwill ambassador for the United States, and worked on numerous philanthropic endeavors. Since the founding of the Douglas Foundation,  about $118 million has been donated, according to Town & Country. Above, the couple help to pass out food for the homeless on Thanksgiving in 2012. Anne Douglas has a longtime relationship with the Los Angeles Mission and a center for homeless women is named after her

Kirk and Anne Douglas met in Paris in 1953 while he was filming an Act of Love. She initially spurned both his job offer and his invitation to dinner, but eventually Anne Buydens agreed to work for Kirk Douglas, already a movie star. The couple were married on May 29, 1954 and were together for 65 years. Above, the pair on May 4, 2017 in celebration of the 25th anniversary for the Anne Douglas Center, which helps homeless women, at the Los Angeles Mission