Kirk Douglas at 102: His life and career in pictures

Known for his iconic movie roles and charismatic persona, legendary actor Kirk Douglas has been in the spotlight since the 1940s. We take a look at his illustrious life and career that spans over seven decades.

Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York, U.S., on Dec. 9, 1916. His parents Bryna and Herschel Danielovitch were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy (now in Belarus). An exceptional student and a keen athlete, he developed an interest in acting after taking part in school plays. His skills were later honed at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Just before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1941, he legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas. Three years later, he was medically discharged due to war injuries.

After returning from World War II, Douglas started working in radio, theater and commercials. He got his big break in Hal Wallis’ film “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers” (1946), opposite Barbara Stanwyck. His portrayal of a young, alcoholic man married to a domineering, older woman was widely lauded.

Following rave reviews, Douglas' career took off and he worked in films such as “Out of the Past” (1947, pictured), “Mourning Becomes Electra” (1947), “The Walls of Jericho” (1948), “My Dear Secretary” (1948) and “A Letter to Three Wives” (1949).

The actor earned his first Academy Award nomination for the film “Champion” (1949), in which he played a selfish bóxer.

Douglas’ stature as a major box-office star was firmly established during the 1950s and 1960s. “Young Man with a Horn” (1950), “Along the Great Divide” (1951), “Ace in the Hole” (1951, pictured; which won the Best Foreign Film Award at the Venice Film Festival) and “Detective Story” (1951) were some of his memorable films from the early 1950s.

The actor received his second Best Actor Oscar nomination for “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), in which he starred alongside Lana Turner.

In 1955, Douglas formed his own film company, Bryna Productions. Named after his mother, it produced films such as “Paths of Glory” (1957), “The Vikings” (1958, pictured), “Spartacus” (1960), “Lonely are the Brave” (1962) and “Seven Days in May” (1964) — he starred in all of them.

His portrayal of Vincent van Gogh in Vincente Minnelli’s “Lust for Life” (1956) was well appreciated by critics, and he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance.

The actor created history in 1960 when he worked with — and gave full credit to — screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in the film “Spartacus” and effectively brought an end to the Hollywood blacklist, a practice which denied employment to screenwriters, actors, directors and musicians accused of supporting or having communist ties.

Douglas also starred in a Broadway production of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1963. It was later made into a feature film, produced by Kirk’s son Michael Douglas. The movie, starring Jack Nicholson, won five Oscars in 1976.

The cleft-chinned actor was known for playing military men in many films, including “Town Without Pity” (1961, pictured), “The Hook” (1963), “Heroes of Telemark” (1965) and “Is Paris Burning?” (1966).

A few of Douglas’ other memorable works from the '60s include films “The List of Adrian Messenger” (1963), “For Love or Money” (1963), “The Way West” (1967) and “The Arrangement” (1969, pictured).

His film appearances were limited in the 1970s. Some notable mentions include “There Was a Crooked Man…” (1970, pictured), “The Master Touch” (1972) and “The Fury” (1978).

In 1973, the actor made his directorial debut with “Scalawag.” The film followed a peg-legged pirate in his hunt for treasure with the help of a young boy, a girl and a parrot.

Two years later, Douglas directed his second and final film “Posse” (1975). It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where the actor was nominated for the Golden Bear.

In the '80s, Douglas was seen in “Saturn 3” (1980, pictured), “The Final Countdown” (1980), “The Man from Snowy River” (1982), “Eddie Macon’s Run” (1983) and “Draw!” (1984).

In 1986, the actor appeared alongside his longtime co-star Burt Lancaster (L) in the crime comedy “Tough Guys.” The duo had earlier worked in movies such as “I Walk Alone” (1948), “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” (1957), “Seven Days in May” (1964) and “Victory at Entebbe” (1976).

In the 1990s, Douglas acted in films such as “Oscar” (1991) and “Greedy” (1994, pictured). He also appeared in TV movies and documentaries, including “The Secret” (1992) and “A Century of Cinema” (1994).

A severe stroke in 1996 impaired Douglas’ ability to speak. However, after undergoing years of voice therapy, he returned to movies and starred in “Diamonds” (1999) along with his longtime friend Lauren Bacall.

The veteran actor’s projects in the 2000s included films such as “It Runs in the Family” (2002, pictured), which featured several members of the Douglas family, and “Illusion” (2004). He was also seen in the documentary “Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices” in 2008.

In 2009, Douglas performed an autobiographical one-man show “Before I Forget” in Culver City, California, U.S. The four acts were later turned into a documentary, which was screened in January 2010.

In a rare appearance, the veteran actor was joined by his daughter-in-law, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, at the 2018 Golden Globes to present the Best Screenplay - Motion Picture award.

The actor has also authored a number of books, including his autobiography “The Ragman’s Son” (1988).

A dedicated philanthropist and humanitarian, Douglas has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. State Department since 1963. For his work, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 as well as the Jefferson Award in 1983.

An avid blogger, he began blogging on Myspace in 2007. Since 2012, his posts are hosted by the Huffington Post.

The actor has married twice. His first wife was Diana Dill from 1943 to 1951, with whom he has two sons — actor Michael Douglas and producer Joel Douglas.

After his divorce with Dill, he married actress and producer Anne Buydens in 1954. The couple has two sons — producer Peter Douglas and late actor Eric Douglas, who died in 2004. In a 2016 article for Closer Weekly magazine, the actor revealed that it is his wife Anne that keeps him going after 100 years. He wrote, "I was lucky enough to find my soulmate 63 years ago."