Born Issur Danielovitch Dec. 9, 1916, in Amsterdam, N.Y, Kirk Douglas grew up in poverty, escaping the ghetto via an acting scholarship.After playing minor parts on Broadway, Douglas was cast in his first movie, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946). Three years later, the cleft-chinned actor accepted the lead in Champion and netted his first Oscar nomination; Douglas earned his second nomination for 1952's The Bad and the Beautiful. A third Oscar nod and a Golden Globe came in 1956 with Lust for Life. By this time, he'd established his screen personae -- virile men whose bluster veils internal turmoil.
In 1960, Douglas produced and starred in his seminal film: Spartacus. Later works of note include Seven Days in May (1964), The Arrangement (1969), Saturn 3 (1980) and Tough Guys (1986). Douglas suffered a stroke in 1996 but returned to the big screen with Diamonds in 1999.
20,000 Leagues Under the SeaKirk Douglas stars as Ned Land and James Mason as Captain Nemo in this Walt Disney live-action adaptation of the classic Jules Verne underwater adventure. Sent to investigate a rash of shipwrecks, Ned encounters the nefarious Nemo's submarine. An ambitious production at the time, the film nabbed two... Read More
The Final CountdownWhat if a 1980s American aircraft carrier (with its modern firepower) time-warped back to Pacific waters just outside Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941? That's the intriguing premise behind this sci-fi adventure that stars Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. Read More
The Man from Snowy RiverAfter his father's death, young cowboy Jim tries to earn money so he can keep his father's farm going. He gets a job breaking wild horses and falls in love with his boss's feisty daughter. Jim must prove his worth to keep his job and his girl. Read More
Paths of GloryWriter-director Stanley Kubrick's powerful anti-war statement stars Kirk Douglas as Col. Dax, the commander of a weary regiment of French army soldiers stationed along the western front during World War I. When French generals order the regiment to carry out what amounts to a suicide mission against... Read More
IllusionWith his deceased former editor as his projectionist, dying filmmaker Donald Baines (Kirk Douglas) spends a fantastical night watching movies that depict various stages in his estranged son's life. Haunted by his father's abandonment, Donald's son Christopher (Michael A. Goorjian) goes through life... Read More
