Kirk Douglas

Best of friends with Karl Malden (who was also very close with his son Michael Douglas, with whom he co-starred on The Streets of San Francisco (1972)). After Malden died on July 1, 2009, Douglas remarked that their acquaintance was the longest he had with anyone in his life, lasting 70 years.

In 2006, he fell out with his close friend, former President Jimmy Carter, over Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid".

In 2005, he had both knees replaced against the advice of his doctors. The operation was a success.

Attended the state funeral of former President Ronald Reagan, with Charlton Heston, Tom Selleck and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, on June 11, 2004.

Received the Medal of Honor on June 14, 2002 from the University of California-Los Angeles, during the school's graduation ceremony for theater, film and television students. Previous recipients include former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and actors Laurence Olivier and Carol Burnett.

He was awarded the American National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment of the Arts (2001).

In October 1997, he was ranked #53 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

On January 28, 1996, he suffered a stroke that made this very difficult for him to talk. Speech therapy over the years greatly alleviated the problem.

Attended the premiere of Basic Instinct (1992), which starred his son, Michael Douglas.

He survived a helicopter crash on February 23, 1991, in which two fellow occupants were killed. He was left with a debilitating back injury.

Despite a helicopter crash and a stroke suffered in the 1990s, he remained active and continued to appear in front of the camera.

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).

In August 1986, he had a pacemaker fitted after collapsing in a restaurant.

Inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum (1983).

Originally cast to play Colonel Sam Trautman in Rambo: First Blood (1982), but walked out on the project. He wanted substantial changes made to the script, specifically that John Rambo die at the hands of Trautman, like the character did in the novel. The writers held their ground and refused. Richard Crenna was eventually cast in the role.

His efforts were rewarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1981), and with the Jefferson Award (1983). Furthermore, the French honored him with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

Earned $50,000 for saying the only English word at the end of a 1980s Japanese television commercial: "Coffee".

Grandfather of seven children: Cameron Douglas (born 13 December 1978), Dylan Michael Douglas (born 8 August 2000), Carys Zeta Douglas (born 20 April 2003) (children of his son Michael Douglas), Kelsey Douglas (born 1992), Tyler Douglas (born 1996), Ryan Douglas (born 2000) and Jason Douglas (born 2003) (children of his son Peter Douglas).

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).

Co-hosted (with Cass Elliot) the release party for folk-rocker Donovan's album "Barabajagal" (1969), posing for photos with Donovan and Elliot. He described Donovan as "not just a gentleman, but a gentle man".

While filming The War Wagon (1967) in September 1966, he enraged co-star John Wayne by recording a television commercial endorsing Edmund G. Brown, the Democratic Governor of California, after Wayne had recorded an advertisement for Republican challenger Ronald Reagan.

Turned down two Oscar-winning roles: Lee Marvin's in Cat Ballou (1965) and William Holden's in Stalag 17 (1953).

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.

Unknown to many, Kirk has long been involved in humanitarian causes and has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the US State Department since 1963.

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).

Douglas reunited with Kubrick for yet another epic, the magnificent Spartacus (1960).

Douglas remained busy throughout the 1960s, starring in many films.

If he had not heeded wife Anne Douglas's advice, he would have been on producer Mike Todd's private plane in 1958 when it crashed and killed all on-board. Todd's wife Elizabeth Taylor was also scheduled to be on the plane but canceled due to a bad cold.

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. ".

Dax in director Stanley Kubrick's brilliant anti-war epic Paths of Glory (1957).

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.

He and wife Anne Douglas renewed their wedding vows in California around the 50th anniversary of their 1954 marriage. They reaffirmed their vows before 300 friends and family members at the famous Greystone Estate in Beverly Hills. Guests included Dan Aykroyd, Lauren Bacall, Nancy Reagan and Tony Curtis. He walked into the traditional Jewish ceremony to the tune of "I'm in the Mood for Love" and later sang a tune he had written for the occasion, "Please Stay in Love With Me".

Met his German wife-to-be, Anne Douglas, when she applied for a job as his assistant on the French location shoot for Act of Love (1953).

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.

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.

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).

His performance received rave reviews and further work quickly followed, including an appearance in the low-key drama I Walk Alone (1947), 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.

Wallis screen-tested Douglas and cast him in the lead role in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946).

He joining the United States 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.

Received his Bachelor's degree in English from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. President of the class of 1939.

Was voted the 36th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly magazine.

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 on December 9, 1916 in Amsterdam, New York. 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. Professional wrestling helped pay for his studies as did working on the side as a waiter and a bellboy. 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 made his Broadway debut in "Spring Again" before his career was interrupted by World War II.

Born Issur Danielovitch (also reported as Issur Danielovitch Demsky) to Jacob Danielovitch and mother Bryna (after whom he later named his production company, Bryna Productions), from Russia, who came to America in 1912.