Son of legendary star Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas was born Sept. 25, 1944, in New Brunswick, N.J. Despite his dad discouraging him from becoming an actor, Douglas launched his career on the TV series "The Streets of San Francisco" (1972-76).As producer of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Douglas won the Best Picture Oscar. After memorable turns in The China Syndrome (1979) and Romancing the Stone (1984), he starred in a string of movies dealing with controversial topics, beginning with 1987's Fatal Attraction. His performance as corrupt tycoon Gordon Gekko in Wall Street brought him his first Oscar for acting later that year.
Douglas continued his streak of playing antiheroes in films such as Falling Down (1993) and in 2000 garnered acclaim portraying compromised men of power in Wonder Boys and Traffic. Reprising his Gekko character in a supporting role, Douglas earned a Golden Globe nod in 2010 for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
Wall Street: Money Never SleepsTrader Jake (Shia LaBeouf) tries to mend the broken relationship between his fiancée, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), and her father, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), while avenging the fate of his mentor, Lou (Frank Langella), by getting close to Wall Street's new megalomaniac, Bretton James (Josh... Read More
The SentinelWhen a government agent is murdered in the nation's capital, veteran Secret Service agent Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas) heads up the investigation, but all the evidence seems to point to him as the prime suspect. Convinced the setup is part of a plan to infiltrate the White House, Garrison works... Read More
TrafficSteven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning drama intricately weaves three disturbing snapshots of America's drug war. At the forefront are a U.S. drug czar (Michael Douglas) who learns his daughter is an addict and a Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro in an Oscar-winning role) dealing with a corrupt system.... Read More
Shining ThroughNew York secretary Linda Voss (Melanie Griffith) suspects that her boss, Ed Leland (Michael Douglas), is an American spy. When the United States enters World War II and Ed's key operative in Berlin is killed, Linda convinces her boss to let her go undercover. Linda is dropped behind enemy lines to... Read More
The GameIn honor of his birthday, San Francisco banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas), a financial genius and a coldhearted loner, receives an unusual present from his younger brother, Conrad (Sean Penn) -- a gift certificate to play a unique kind of game. In nary a nanosecond, Nicholas finds himself... Read More
