DonLever Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 from Toronto Star: Known for his cleft chin, his intense style of acting and a lifetime commitment to activism and philanthropy, actor/producer Kirk Douglas turns 100. With 91 acting credits, Douglas is number 17 on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest screen legends and the highest ranked person still living. The actor, whose name at birth was Issur Danielovitch, was the son of poor Jewish immigrants from Russia. He had six sisters and the language spoken at home was Yiddish. In his 1988 biography, Douglas described an impoverished childhood in which his father, formerly a horse trader in Russia, made a precarious living with a cart and a horse selling discarded clothing. The book is called The Ragman’s Son and Douglas noted “the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder” in the community in which his family grew up, Amsterdam, New York. Douglas received three Oscar nominations for roles in Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Lust for Life (1956), in which he played Vincent Van Gogh. The actor won a lifetime achievement Oscar in 1996. Douglas received a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Among his classmates was Lauren Bacall, who once gave the impoverished actor a used winter coat and had a crush on him – in vain. The actor got his first role with help from Bacall, appearing in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), playing opposite Barbara Stanwyck. Douglas formed his own company in 1955 called Bryna Productions (named after his mother), starring in many of the films the company produced, including Paths of Glory (1957), The Vikings (1958) and Spartacus (1960). The actor bought the rights to Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and starred in a 1963 Broadway production of it. After more than a decade of failing to find a studio to back him, Douglas gave the film rights to his son, Michael, who turned into an Oscar best picture winner in 1975 starring Jack Nicholson. Douglas played a significant role in ending the infamous Hollywood blacklist, which prohibited writers and others in the industry from getting work because of alleged Communist sympathies. He hired and openly credited Dalton Trumbo for writing the screenplay for Spartacus. “I’ve made over 85 pictures, but the thing I’m most proud of is breaking the blacklist,” Douglas said in a 2012 interview. Douglas has four sons from two marriages, the second to producer Anne Buydens, which has lasted 62 years. Son Eric, from his marriage of Buydens, died in 2004 from a drug overdose. In 1991, Douglas survived a crash between a helicopter he was a passenger in and a small airplane in which two people died. In 1996, he had a stroke but was able to recover his ability to speak after intense therapy. The actor is considered the oldest celebrity blogger in the world. His posts have appeared on the Huffington Post since 2012. Douglas and wife Anne are noted philanthropists, donating millions over decades to a range of causes, including school playgrounds, hospitals and women’s shelters. In 2012, the actor donated $5 million to St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Jay 22 Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 That's an impressive accomplishment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 For all his lifetime accomplishments, greatly appreciate his son's work on 'Cuckoo's Nest'. Man, that movie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM_ Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 wow. the guys now really done it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFan1 Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 2016 hasn't taken him yet. Just ask@nucklehead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Great actor ..100...thats livin...Happy Birthday Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimberWolf Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Shotgun Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Good on him. Hey that's Woody Strode in the gladiator (a happy Roman) flic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWMc1 Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Merry birth-time Kirk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cripplereh Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 that is awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 2 hours ago, SabreFan1 said: 2016 hasn't taken him yet. Just ask@nucklehead! Right! What more proof is needed to see that 2016 is just an average year, doing what any other year would do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFan1 Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 24 minutes ago, nucklehead said: Right! What more proof is needed to see that 2016 is just an average year, doing what any other year would do I disagree. This year has been crappier than most. Just ask John Oliver!!! *WARNING to the CDC'ers with tender sensibilities* This is a clip from HBO show "Last Week Tonight". Since it's HBO, there's a lllooottt of swearing. I'll put it in a spoiler box so nobody can pretend that they unknowingly clicked it and go all SJW and cry, "You monster, what about the children!". Spoiler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salmonberries Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Happy 100th Kirk Douglas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Spector Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 2 hours ago, SabreFan1 said: I disagree. This year has been crappier than most. Just ask John Oliver!!! *WARNING to the CDC'ers with tender sensibilities* This is a clip from HBO show "Last Week Tonight". Since it's HBO, there's a lllooottt of swearing. I'll put it in a spoiler box so nobody can pretend that they unknowingly clicked it and go all SJW and cry, "You monster, what about the children!". Reveal hidden contents You are an absolute monster with zero regard for children whatsoever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Spector Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Didn't he have a stroke like 25 years ago?? And he's still going strong. Good for him. Living to age 100 is probably one of the greatest achievements a human being can achieve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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