caption birth_place party name birth_date spouse signature image article_title birth_name occupation
douglas in 1969 . amsterdam , new york , united states democratic party kirk douglas 09 december 1916 diana douglas 1943 1951 divorced kirkdouglas.png kirk and michael douglas -1969 . jpg kirk douglas
 issur danielovitch demsky actor , producer , director , author
kirk douglas

kirk douglas -lrb- born issur danielovitch demsky ; december 9 , 1916 -rrb- is an american actor , producer , director , and author .
after an impoverished childhood with immigrant parents and six sisters , he had his film debut in `` the strange love of martha ivers '' -lrb- 1946 -rrb- with barbara stanwyck .
douglas soon developed into a leading box-office star throughout the 1950s and 1960s , known for doing serious dramas , including westerns and war movies .
during a sixty-year acting career , he has appeared in over 90 movies , and in 1960 was responsible for helping to end the hollywood blacklist .
in 1949 , after a lead role as an unscrupulous boxing hero in `` champion '' , for which he was nominated as best actor , douglas became a star .
his style of acting relied on expressing great concentration , realism , and powerful emotions , and he subsequently gravitated toward roles requiring strong characters .
among his early films were `` young man with a horn '' , playing opposite lauren bacall -lrb- 1950 -rrb- , billy wilder 's controversial `` ace in the hole '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- , and `` detective story '' -lrb- 1951 -rrb- .
he received a second oscar nomination for his dramatic role in `` the bad and the beautiful '' -lrb- 1952 -rrb- , where he played opposite lana turner .
and his powerful acting as vincent van gogh in `` lust for life '' -lrb- 1956 -rrb- is considered one of his finest roles .
he is one of the last living actors from the golden age of hollywood .
in 1955 , he established bryna productions , which began producing films as varied as `` paths of glory '' -lrb- 1957 -rrb- and `` spartacus '' -lrb- 1960 -rrb- .
in those two films , he starred and collaborated with then relatively unknown director , stanley kubrick .
he produced and starred in `` lonely are the brave '' -lrb- 1962 -rrb- , considered a cult classic , and `` seven days in may '' -lrb- 1964 -rrb- , opposite burt lancaster , with whom he made seven films .
in 1963 , he starred in the broadway play `` one flew over the cuckoo 's nest '' , a story he purchased , which he later gave to his son michael douglas , who turned it into an oscar-winning film .
as an actor and philanthropist , douglas has received three academy award nominations , an oscar for lifetime achievement , and the medal of freedom .
as an author , he has written 10 novels and memoirs .
currently , he is no. 17 on the american film institute 's list of the greatest male screen legends in american film history , and the highest-ranked living person on the list .
after barely surviving a helicopter crash in 1991 and then suffering a stroke in 1996 , he has focused on renewing his spiritual and religious life .
he lives with producer anne buydens , his wife of over 60 years .
