Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas is an American cinematic icon. The classic Hollywood tough guy, Douglas has appeared in roughly 80 films and made a name for himself as a boxer in “Champion” (1949) for which he received an Academy Award nomination, and a rugged cowboy in “Along the Great Divide” (1951) and “Lonely Are the Brave” (1962).

Taking cues from the fiercely independent characters he played on screen, Douglas formed his own movie company in order to take full control of his projects, and named it Bryna Productions after his mother. Douglas received a second Academy Award nomination for his roles as a tough as nails film producer in “The Bad and the Beautiful.” In 1956, Douglas wowed audiences and critics alike with his captivating performance as Vincent Van Gogh in “Lust for Life,” for which he won a Golden Globe and garnered a third Academy Award nomination. In 1960’s “Spartacus,” Douglas collaborated with director Stanley Kubrick and served as executive producer to create and star in the groundbreaking film. Not always the serious, brooding type, Douglas found great success with a more light-hearted roles in the film adaptation of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954) and 1963’s “For Love or Money.”

Douglas turned 93 in 2009 and though his roles in film have slowed down, he remains active, even staring in the one man show “Before I Forget” in 2009, and his passion for what he truly believes was “an art” is evident in son and actor Michael Douglas. Though he never won an Academy Award, Douglas was given an Honorary Oscar in 1996 and the American Film Institute Award in 1991. He is #17 on the AFI’s list of greatest American screen legends of all time.